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ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART 


COLLECTION  OF 

W,  T.  WALTERS 


TEXT  EDITION  TO  ACCOMPANY  THE  COMPLETE  WORK 
LIMITED  TO  FIVE  HUNDRED  COPIES 


NUMBER 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART 

COLLECTION  OF 

W.  T.  WALTERS 


TEXT  EDITIOX 

TO  ACCOMPANY  THE  COMPLEIE  WORK 


TEXT  AND  NOTES  BY 

S.  W.  BUSHELL,  M.  D. 

Physician  to'  II.  B.  M.  Legation,  Peking 


NEW  YORK 

D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY 


1899 


Copyright,  1896, 

By  D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY. 


PREFACE. 


HE  late  William  Thompson  Walters,  of  Baltimore, 


died  on  November  20,  1894.  The  work  which  is 
here  briefly  introduced  was  begun  by  him  nearly  fifteen 
years  before.  At  his  death  he  left  it  practically  com- 
pleted. It  only  remained,  therefore,  for  those  intrusted 
with  its  details  to  assemble  the  several  parts  and  dis- 
charge the  mechanical  duties  necessary  to  its  publication. 

That  publication  is  now  entered  upon  in  conformity 
with  his  expressed  wishes  and  instructions,  and  as,  had 
he  lived,  he  would  himself  have  had  it.  Furthermore, 
it  is  done  in  the  belief  that  it  will  add  one  more  to 
the  many  useful  things  that  were  the  outcome  of  his 
purposeful  and  well-filled  life.  Mr.  Walters  was  the 
first  American  to  create  a collection  of  Oriental  ceramics, 
and  in  the  many  years  that  he  devoted  to  the  subject  he 
became  more  and  more  impressed  with  the  need  there 
was  of  some  authoritative  work  i*especting  it — a work 
which  should  treat,  with  such  precision  as  was  possible, 
of  its  origin,  its  history,  and  its  (pialities,  and  take  it  in 
at  least  some  slight  degree  from  that  vague  and  indeter- 
minate condition  in  which  all  contemporary  or  recent 
European  writers  have  left  it.  Not  that  the  literature  of 
Oriental  porcelain  is  copious  in  any  modern  tongue,  but 
that  those  who  have  written  best  about  it  have  had 
hardly  anything  to  say,  while  those  who  have  written 
at  any  length  have  been  capricious,  empirical,  and  only 
too  misleading.  The  only  way  in  which  this  purpose 
could  be  effected,  if  at  all,  was  to  seek  in  China  itself 


VI 


PREFACE. 


whatever  historical  matter  might  exist  in  relation  to  the 
one  distinguishing  art  of  that  country, . the  art  of  the 
potter. 

In  the  introduction,  written  in  1883,  to  a very  useful 
and  instructive  little  volume  on  Oriental  art,  privately 
published  by  Mr.  Walters  in  the  ensuing  year,  he  set 
forth  his  opinion  on  this  point  with  a clearness  which  it 
is  interesting  at  the  present  time  to  recall.  Notwith- 
standing,” wrote  Mr.  Walters,  ^‘the  numerous  works  that 
have  been  published  on  this  subject,  we  have  as  yet  but 
an  imperfect  knowledge  of  the  age,  history,  and  meaning 
of  much  that  appears  in  collections  of  Oriental  porcelain  ; 
and  until  some  European  residing  in  China,  well  versed 
in  the  subject  and  well  acquainted  with  the  Chinese 
language,  has  obtained  access  to  the  stores  of  native  col- 
lectors, we  shall  be  to  a certain  extent  working  in  the 
dark.” 

The  more  deeply  the  subject  was  looked  into  the 
less  prospect  there  seemed  to  be  of  a successful  issue. 
The  only  translation  that  existed  of  the  writings  of  a 
Chinese  authority  was  that  made  in  1856  by  M.  Stanislas 
Julien,  of  the  Cliing-te-dien  T'^ao  Lni.  This  was  for  years 
the  ultimate  reference  of  students  of  Chinese  ceramics, 
but,  although  M.  Julien  was  a great  scholar  and  eminent 
sinologue,  it  was  of  little  value  and  in  some  essential 
matters  misleading.  The  difficulty  was  with  the  Chinese 
text.  Given  a sentence  or  two  in  Chinese  descriptive  of 
a piece  of  porcelain,  its  shape,  the  quality  of  its  paste,  its 
color,  or  other  of  its  attributes,  and  the  sinologue  who  is 
leai  ned  only  in  the  language  se  may  translate  it  with 
the  profoundest  erudition  and  yet  not  convey  its  real 
meaning;  but  if  he  have  before  him  the  actual  piece 
which  the  Chinese  author  has  been  describing,  and  if  he 
have  also  a well-founded  knowledge  of  Chinese  por- 
celain, then  his  translation  will  be  of  a very  different 


PREFACE. 


Vll 


<j]iaracter  and  much  more  instructive.  In  such  matters 
the  Chinese  author  is  perfectly  intelligible  only  when 
the  reader  adequately  understands  the  subject.  If,  for 
instance,  the  reader  knew  that  the  Chinese  writer  was 
discussing  celadon,  he  w^ould  not,  in  translating,  read 
blue  for  green,  although  the  Chinese  word  used  meant 
equally  blue  or  green,  according  to  the  application  made 
of  it.  The  illustration  is  a radical  one,  but  it  indicates 
accurately  a case  in  which  a very  learned  sinologue 
befogged  many  patient  students. 

It  was  while  pursuing  the  matter  with  the  best 
authorities  abroad  that  Mr.  Walters  heard  indirectly 
from  Prof.  A.  W.  Franks  (now  Sir  Wollaston  Franks), 
of  the  British  Museum,  of  a translation  of  a Chinese 
work  called  the  T''ao  Shuo,  which  had  been  made  by 
Dr.  Stephen  W.  Bush  ell,  of  Peking.  Dr.  Bushel  1 had 
already  become  well  known  as  a sinologue,  and  especially 
for  his  unremitting  industry  in  the  direction  of  tlie 
ancient  literature  of  porcelain.  He  had  been  for  many 
years  the  medical  officer  of  the  British  legation  at  Peking, 
and  had  devoted  himself  to  the  study  of  Chinese  until  he 
had  attained  among  European  scholars  the  reputation  of 
an  authority  of  the  first  rank.  Prof.  Franks  was  greatly 
interested  in  the  T^ao  Sliuo^  pointed  out  the  importance 
that  it  possessed  for  students  of  Oriental  ceramics,  and 
expressed  the  hope  that  it  would  secure  publication.  Dr. 
Bushell’s  translation  of  it  was  accordingly  secured  for 
that  purpose,  and  was  found  to  be  most  instructive  and 
interesting.  It  was  proposed  then  to  publish  the  trans- 
lation together  with  other  papers  on  the  subject,  includ- 
ing a new  version  from  the  Chinese  text  of  the  Cliing-te- 
chen  T''ao  Lu,  already  done  into  French  by  Julien.  The 
whole  would  have  made  a considerable  and  a not  unim- 
portant addition  to  the  stock  of  information  relating  to 
Chinese  porcelain  in  the  English  language.  When,  how- 


vin 


PEEFACE. 


ever,  a year  or  two  later,  Dr.  Bnshell  visited  the  United 
States  and  entered  upon  a discussion  of  the  question 
with  Mr.  Walters,  it  was  decided  to  revise  the  project 
and  bring  out  the  present  work,  w^hich  contains,  so  far  a& 
all  modern  knowledge  of  the  subject  goes,  the  best  infor- 
mation that  Chinese  letters  convey  respecting  the  origin 
of  porcelain  and  its  history  through  successive  ages.^^ 

Mr.  Walters  laid  the  foundation  of  the  present  collec- 
tion nearly  forty  years  ago.  As  has  been  said,  he  was 
the  first  in  this  country  to  create  a collection  of  Oriental 
ceramics.  The  ceramic  store  of  the  United  States  w^as 
never  great.  We  have  had  a modest  share  of  English 
pottery  since  our  earlier  days,  but  no  accumulation  of  it. 
Of  Oriental  porcelain  a very  little  found  its  way  to  Colo- 
nial families,  and  only  a few  traces  of  it  remain.  Our 
first  President  had  a domestic  service  of  Chinese  manu- 
facture, and  it  was  very  fine  in  its  way ; but  it  belonged 
strictly  to  the  category  of  commercial  porcelain  familiar 
to  the  last  century  as  East  India  china — that  is,  porcelain 
made  for  export  from  Chinese  ports  and  fashioned  for 
household  use  or  conventional  household  decoration,  and 
having  no  relation  to  the  artistic  product  of  the  China- 
man’s kilns.  The  remains  of  this  set  of  china  are  pre- 
served in  the  National  Museum  at  Washington.  Prob- 
ably the  most  artistic  of  our  early  acquisitions  of  Chinese 
porcelain  were  the  pieces  of  blue  and  white  that  New 
England  ship  captains  brought  back  from  their  voyages 
to  the  North  Pacific,  and  of . which  many  interesting 
examples  are  still  to  be  found  in  old  New  England 

* So  far  as  the  Chinese  texts  relating  to  processes  of  manufacture  are  con- 
cerned they  are  of  slight  and  only  incidental  interest.  They  tell  about  the 
petuntse  and  the  kaolin,  about  the  composition  of  glazes  and  the  management 
of  kilns,  but  no  European  potter  has  ever  added  from  them  a scintilla  to  his 
knowledge.  The  Chinese  potter’s  formula  is  not  unlike  the  chemist’s  analysis 
of  one  of  Nature’s  healing  waters — it  is  complete  ; but  in  the  one  case  it  is  in- 
dispensable that  the  application  be  made  by  a Chinaman,  and  in  the  other  that 
the  compounding  be  done  by  Nature  herself. 


PEEFACE. 


IX 


homes.  As  far  as  any  broader  awakening  of  taste  in  the 
matter  of  Oriental  porcelain  is  concerned  it  must  be 
referred  to  the  occasion  of  the  Centennial  Exhibition  of 
1876.  Many  people  had  long  before  acquired  an  ac- 
quaintance with  the  subject  at  the  great  European  exhi- 
bitions and  through  the  opportunities  of  foreign  travel, 
but  our  first  popular  knowledge  of  it  most  undoubtedly 
dates  from  our  exhibition  at  Philadelphia.  Now  there 
are  numbers  of  collections  in  the  United  States,  some  of 
them  of  great  extent  and  value.  It  can  also  be  confi- 
dently said  that  nowhere  else  do  collectors  betray  any 
keener  intelligence,  or,  perhaps,  an  equal  knowledge  of 
the  general  subject;  whereby  it  has  been  rightly  ob- 
served by  Chinese  and  Japanese  connoisseurs  that  if  one 
wants  to  study  fine  Oriental  porcelain  he  must  come  to 
America. 

The  plates  in  color  with  which  this  work  is  illustrated 
were  made  by  Louis  Prang,  of  Boston.  Several  experi- 
mental plates  were  made  abroad,  and  the  work  of  every 
European  house  of  importance  was  examined,  before  Mr. 
Prang  was  asked  to  make  lithographs  of  three  pieces  of 
porcelain  of  different  colors.  His  immediate  success 
determined  the  question  ; and  when,  two  years  later, 
some  twenty  of  the  plates  were  shown  to  French 
lithographers  in  Paris,  their  criticism  was  that  the  im- 
pressions from  the  stone  had  been  fortified  by  color 
applied  with  the  brush.  They  could  not  believe  that 
work  of  such  excellence  could  be  produced  by  simple 
lithography.  This  very  satisfactory  opinion  has  been 
since  confirmed  by  many  lithographers,  and  it  is  conceded 
that  these  plates  represent  the  highest  type  of  work  that 
has  been  produced  in  that  branch  of  art.  The  color 
of  Oriental  porcelain  is  more  akin  to  the  color  of  some 
brilliant  mineral  than  to  the  familiar  pigments  of  an 
artist’s  palette ; and  as  truth  of  color  was  the  first 


X 


PREFACE. 


requirement,  many  and  serious  difficulties  had  to  be  over- 
come. Mr.  Prang,  however,  was  equal  to  the  task,  and 
during  the  years  that  it  was  in  progress  at  his  house 
in  Roxbury  he  devoted  to  it  a degree  of  watchful  care 
and  untiring  energy  that  were  far  from  commercial  in 
their  inspiration. 

William  M.  Laffax. 

May,  1896. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 


Preface 


V 


Introduction 


1 


CHAPTER  I. 


Origin  of  Porcelain 


12 


CHAPTER  II. 


Relations  of  Chinese,  Korean,  and  Japanese  Ceramics  . . 25 


Introduction  to  the  Classification  of  Chinese  Porcelain.  In- 


Marks  ON  Chinese  Porcelain.  Marks  of  Date.  Hall  Marks. 
Marks  of  Dedication  and  Felicitation.  Marks  of  Commen- 
dation. Marks  in  the  Form  of  Devices 59 

CHAPTER  V. 

Classification  of  Chinese  Porcelain.  Primitive  Period.  Sung 
Dynasty.  Ju  Yao.  Kuan  Yao,  Ting  Yao.  Lung-ch’uan 
Yao.  Ko  Yao.  Tung-cii’ing  Yao.  Chun  Yao.  Three  Fac- 
tories at  Chi-chou,  Chien-chou,  and  Tz’u-chou.  Utensils 
OF  Sung  Porcelain 127 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Yuan  Dynasty 177 

CHAPTER  Vll. 

Ming  Dynasty.  Reigns  of  Hung-wu,  Yung-lo,  Hsuan-te,  Ch’eng- 
HUA,  IIUNG-CHIH,  ChENG-TE,  ChIA-CHING,  LuNG-CHTnG,  WaN-LI, 
T’ien-chT,  Ch’ung-chen  189 


CHAPTER  III. 


scRiPTioNs.  Chronology 


39 


' CHAPTER  IV. 


XI 


Xll 


CONTEXTS. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

PAOM 

Technique  during  the  Ming  Period.  Colors.  Embossing. 
Chiseling.  Openwork  Carving.  Gilded  Decoration.  Deco- 


rations IN  Enamels.  Firing 260 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Ching-te-chen.  The  Imperial  Porcelain  Manufactory  . . 276 

CHAPTER  X. 

The  K’ang-hsi  Period 293 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Letters  op  Pere  d’Entrecolles 332 

CHAPTER  XII. 

The  Yung-cheng  Period 359 

CHAPTER  XIII. 


Official  List  op  the  Designs  and  Colors  produced  at  the 

Imperial  Manufactory  in  the  Reign  of  Yung-chMg  . . 367 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  Ch’ien-lung  Period 391 

CHAPTER  XV. 

The  Twenty  Illustrations  op  the  Manufacture  of  Porcelain 

DESCRIBED  BY  T'ANG  YiNG 420 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Modern  Period  (1796-1895).  Imperial  List  of  the  Year  1864  . 463 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

The  Forms  of  Porcelain  Objects  and  their  Uses  in  China  . 488 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Peculiar  Technical  Processes.  Crackle  Porcelain.  Furnace 
TranSxMUTations.  Souffles.  Laque  Burgautee.  Pierced 
AND  “Rice-grain”  Designs.  White  Slip,  etc.  . . . 508 


CONTENTS. 


Xlll 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

PAGE 

Chinese  Ceramic  Colors 525 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Motives  of  Decoration  of  Chinese  Porcelain  ....  557 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Porcelain  made  for  Exportation.  Special  Forms  and  Designs. 
Indian  China.  Armorial  China.  Jesuit  China.  Hindu 
Style.  Oriental  Porcelain  decorated  in  Europe.  Imita- 
tions   ...  604 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

Porcelain  Production  in  the  Other  Provinces  of  China.  The 
White  [Porcelain  of  the  Province  of  Fuchien.  The  Yi- 
HsiNG  Boccaro  Ware  of  the  Province  of  Kiangsu.  The 


Potteries  of  the  Province  of  Kuangtung  ....  622 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Chinese  Bibliography  in  Relation  to  the  Ceramic  Art  . . 639 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Korea ! . 670 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

Ceramic  Art  of  Japan 685 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

A General  Sketch  of  the  Ceramic  Art  of  Japan  . . 708 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 


The  Principal  Ceramic  Wares  of  Japan.  Owari  Pottery  and 
Porcelain.  Kyoto  Wares.  Hizen  Productions:  Old  Imari 
Porcelains,  Hirado  Blue  and  White,  etc.  Satsuma  FaIences, 
Kutani  or  Kaga  Wares 723 

Appendix. — Descriptive  List  of  the  Illustrations  . . . 767 


Index 


903 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


INTRODUCTION. 

During  a residence  of  twenty-five  years  at  Peking, 
as  physician  to  her  Britannic  Majesty’s  legation, 
the  study  of  Chinese  ceramics  has  been  my  chief  distrac- 
tion. I have  obtained  access,  in  the  exercise  of  the  duties 
of  my  profession,  to  several  palaces  and  private  houses, 
and  have  in  this  way  had  many  opportunities  of  seeing 
the  treasures  of  native  collectors,  which  usually  are  so 
rigidly  closed  to  foreigners.  The  Chinese  themselves 
maintain  a profound  interest  in  the  subject,  especially 
from  an  antiquarian  point  of  view,  and  the  literature 
which  relates  to  it  is  very  extensive,  ranging  as  it  does 
over  many  centuries.  The  best  special  work  is  the 
T'^ao  Sliuo^  Description  of  Chinese  Pottery,”  in  six 
books,  published  in  the  year  1774,  by  Chu  Yen.  The 
learned  author  quotes  many  of  the  older  writers,  and 
describes  all  the  varieties  of  dhe  potter’s  skill  that  became 
celebrated  before  the  close  of  the  Ming  dynasty  in  1643. 
I translated  this  work  into  English,  at  the  request  of  the 
late  Mr.  W.  T.  Walters,  some  years  ago,  so  that  I now 
have  it  before  me  for  reference.  For  the  older  wares 
there  is  also  the  manuscript  catalogue,  illustrated  by 
eighty-two  water-color  drawings,  of  Hsiang  Yuan-p’ien,  a 
celebrated  collector  of  the  latter  half  of  the  sixteenth 
century,  which  I brought  before  the  notice  of  the  Peking 
Oriental  Society  in  1886,*  and  which  I hope  some  day  to 

* Chinese  Porcelain  before  the  Present  Dynasty,  by  S.  W.  Bushell,  M.  D. ; 
extract  from  the  Journal  of  the  Peking  Oriental  Society,  1886. 


2 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


publish  in  full.  The  colored  illustrations  are  fairly 
exact,  and  are  indispensable  for  the  proper  comprehension 
of  the  text  of  Chinese  writers  on  this  subject,  in  the 
absence  of  actual  specimens  of  the  different  kinds  of 
porcelain  described.  The  author  of  the  T"^ao  Shuo  is 
not  so  satisfactory  as  a guide  to  the  porcelain  of  the  reign- 
ing dynasty,  of  which  he  gives  only  a short  resume  in  his 
first  book.  For  this  we  must  turn  to  the  Ching-te-chen 
T''ao  Lu,  the  well-known  memoirs  on  the  productions  of 
Ching-te-chen,  published  in  1815,  which  were  partially 
translated  into  French  by  Stanislas  Julien  in  1856,*  and 
which  have  been  the  main  source  of  information  for  all 
European  writers.  The  translator  seems,  however,  to 
have  had  little  if  any  practical  acquaintance  with  Chinese 
porcelain,  and  he  had,  moreover,  no  native  expert  at  hand 
to  refer  to  in  case  of  difficulty,  so  that  his  rendering  of 
technical  points  is  often  erroneous.  It  is  always  safer  to 
turn  to  the  original,  which  is  happily  no  longer  rare,  as  the 
book  has  been  lately  republished  in  China.  Ching-te-chen, 
which  has  been  for  centuries  the  seat  of  the  imperial 
manufactory  of  porcelain,  occupies  a place  in  China  like 
to  that  which  Sevres  does  in  France  or  Meissen  in 
Germany.  It  is,  indeed,  in  the  present  day  the  sole 
source  of  artistic  porcelain  in  the  Chinese  Empire.  The 
regulations  and  detailed  accounts  of  the  imperial  works 
are  to  be  found  in  the  different  official  statistical  de- 
scriptions of  the  province  of  Kiangsi,  of  the  prefecture  of 
Jao-chou-fu,  and  of  the  district  of  Fou-liang,  in  which  the 
manufactory  is  situated.  But,  unfortunately,  these  books, 
which  at  irregular  intervals  are  issued  and  republished 
in  a revised  form  by  the  authorities,  are  very  difficult  to 
procure,  even  in  China.  The  most  complete  account  is 
contained  in  the  Fou-liang  Hsien  Chilly  the  History  of 

* Histoire  et  Fahrication  de  la  Porcelaine  chinoise,  par  M.  Stanislas  Julien, 
Paris,  1856. 


INTEODUCTION. 


3 


the  Walled  City  of  Fou-liang,  ” and  I am  most  grateful 
to  the  director  of  the  Bibliotheque  Nationale  in  Paris  for 
his  generous  loan  of  this  rare  work,  the  eighth  book  of 
which  includes  a long  memoir  entitled  T'^ao  Cheng^  or 
Porcelain  Administration.”  This  edition  was  published 
by  a commission  presided  over  by  Ho  Hsi-ling,  a member 
of  the  Hanlin  College  and  of  the  National  Historiog- 
raphers’ Office,  whose  preface  is  dated  the  third  year  of 
Tao-huang  (1823),  although  the  list  of  officials  in  the 
book  is  continued  up  to  the  twelfth  year  of  the  emperor 
(1832).  The  first  edition,  which  was  published  in  the 
period  Hsien-slmn  during  the  dynasty,  in  the  year 

1270,  was  burned.  The  present  edition  gives  twenty-one 
old  prefaces,  which  are  all  printed  in  full,  and  the  first  of 
these  is  dated  1325.  The  fifteenth,  by  T’ang  Ying,  the 
most  celebrated  of  the  superintendents  of  the  imperial 
manufactory  at  Ching-te-chen,  is  dated  the  fifth  year  of 
CliHen-lung  (1740).  The  entire  series  of  these  official 
statistical  works,  were  it  possible  to  obtain  it  complete, 
would  furnish  the  most  authentic  of  accounts,  in  chrono- 
logical sequence,  of  the  imperial  manufacture  of  porcelain. 

Since  my  return  to  Peking  last  year  I have  succeeded 
in  acquiring  a recent  edition  of  the  Chiang-lisi  T^ung 
Chilly  the  General  History  of  the  Province  of  Ki- 
angsi,”  published  in  the  seventh  year  of  the  reigning 
Emperor  Kuang-hsu,  by  an  imperial  commission  presided 
over  by  the  famous  Tseug-Kuo-fan.  It  is  bound  in 
native  fashion  in  one  hundred  and  twenty  volumes, 
and  contains  one  hundred  and  eighty  books,  of  which 
the  ninety-third  gives  the  T^ao-Clieng^  or  “Porcelain 
Administration,”  of  Ching-te-chen,  brought  up  to  date. 

I am  indebted  to  M.  Gamier,  the  talented  director 
of  the  museum  at  Sevres,  for  the  opportunity  to  consult  a 
report  written  by  my  lamented  friend,  M.  Scherzer,  who 
visited  Ching-te-chen  in  1883,  at  which  time  he  was 


4 


OKIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


FrencTi  consul  at  the  river  port  of  Hankow.  It  is 
curious  to  compare  this  recent  report  with  the  two 
valuable  letters  of  the  old  Jesuit  missionary  Pere 
d’Entrecolles,  written  from  the  same  place  in  1712  and 
1722,  toward  the  close  of  the  long  reign  of  the  Emperor 
K'^ang-hsi^  the  culminating  period  of  ceramic  art  in 
China.^  The  worthy  Father  collected  his  information 
from  his  converts  among  the  artists  and  workmen,  and 
his  letters  are  all  the  more  valuable  in  that  we  have  so 
little  from  native  writers  during  this  reign. 

From  the  foregoing  some  idea  may  be  gained  of  the 
material  which  is  available  to  the  student  who  under- 
takes to  present  a general  account  of  Oriental  ceramic 
art.  To  illustrate  such  a work  there  could  be  no  better 
opportunity  than  that  wdiich  is  afforded  by  the  W.  T. 
Walters  collection.  Such  is  the  object  which  it  has 
been  sought  here  to  attain.  The  illustrations  and  text 
have  had  to  be  arranged  independently,  most  of  the 
colored  plates  having  been  completed  beforehand.  The 
text-cuts  will  be  inserted,  as  far  as  possible,  in  appro- 
priate places,  and  there  will  be  a descriptive  list  of  the 
figures  included  later  on,  which  it  is  hoped  will  remedy 
the  disjunction  which  the  issue  of  the  book  in  parts  has 
rendered  unavoidable.  For  text-cuts  of  the  first  section 
a selection  has  been  made  from  the  series  of  objects  of 
Chinese  porcelain  mounted  in  metal,  in  which  the  collec- 
tion is  so  very  rich.  The  mountings  are  generally  in 
gilded  bronze  of  French  workmanship,  dating  for  the 
most  part  from  the  18th  century.  Some  of  them  by  the 
famous  Gouthiere  are  of  the  highest  artistic  merit,  and 
indicate  the  vivid  appreciation  of  Chinese  colors  for  the 
decoration  of  the  luxurious  interiors  of  the  time  of 
Louis  XV  and  Louis  XVI.  It  is  difficult,  indeed,  to 

* Lettres  edifiantes  et  curieuses,  xviii,  pp.  224-296 ; xix,  pp,  173-203,  Paris, 
1781. 


INTRODUCTION. 


D 


imagine  anything  more  effective  than  the  soft  changing 
tints  of  the  turquoise  glaze  of  the  vases  in  Figs.  1 and 
20,  and  of  the  bowl  (Fig.  40),  when  exhibited  in  such 
perfect  contrast  with  the  gilded  material  of  their  grace- 
ful framework.  The  same  may  be  said  of  the  lovely 
openwork  mounting  in  gold,  fashioned  to  strengthen  the 
etched  turquoise  vase  of  Fig.  8,  and  of  the  filigree  mounts 
of  the  beautifully  decorated  K^mg-lisi  vases  exhibited  in 
Figs.  11  and  30,  lovingly  executed  and  signed  by  the 
modern  jeweler,  Boucheron  of  Paris.  Mountings  of 
Persian  and  Japanese  workmanship  will  follow  in  other 
sections.  Some  of  these  mounts  are  interesting  as  aids 
in  determining  the  age  of  the  piece,  like  the  Elizabethan 
silver-gilt  mounting  with  the  hall  mark  of  1585  of  the 
blue  and  white  Chinese  Jug,  No.  7,915,  in  the  South 
Kensington  Museum,  and  the  blue  and  white  pieces 
which  are  said  to  have  been  at  Burghley  House  in  the 
possession  of  the  Cecil  family  since  the  days  of  Queen 
Elizabeth. 

The  Walters  collection  is  remarkable  for  its  single 
color  or  monochrome  examples,  and  comprises  many 
choice  s]3ecimens  of  brilliant  beauty  in  this  attractive 
branch  of  art,  in  which  the  Oriental  potter  stands 
unrivaled.  There  is  room  for  much  difference  of  opinion 
on  the  question  of  the  comparative  merits  of  mono- 
chrome glazes  and  of  painted  decoration  in  enamel  colors 
upon  porcelain.  With  the  Chinese  collector,  as  with  the 
European  or  American  amateur,  it  is  a matter  of  taste, 
and  the  preference  appears  to  be  equally  divided.  The 
earliest  acquaintance  of  European  collectors  with 
the  porcelain  of  China  was  confined  to  monochrome 
examples,  including,  of  course,  blue  and  white.  Of  the 
five-color  pieces  of  the  Ming  period  it  is  difficult  to  find 
any  trace  in  the  early  European  collections ; and,  indeed, 
it  appears  that  it  is  only  within  recent  years  that  such 


6 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


pieces  have  left  China.  M.  Vogt,  the  director  of  the 
porcelain  manufactory  at  Sevres,  the  most  recent  writer 
on  the  subject  and  a thoroughly  competent  judge,  writes 
(pages  22,  23)  : The  form  commands  the  decoration ; 

the  Chinese  have  wisety  preferred  simple,  absolutely 
ceramic  forms,  of  which  their  vase  (^poticlie^  is  the 
essential  type.  In  this  shape,  fashioned  in  one  opera- 
tion, the  surface  is  unbroken  from  the  base  to  the  mouth ; 
it  is  in  reality  a cylinder  with  flowing  depressions.  For 
the  decoration  of  Chinese  vases,  whatever  may  be  the 
merit  resulting  from  the  fantastic  art  of  the  composition 
or  from  the  harmony  of  the  colors,  we  prefer,  for  our 
part,  not  the  decorated  vases,  but  the  pieces  which  have 
the  ground  left  as  they  come  from  the  kiln,  the  beauty 
of  the  enamel  being  the  dominant  quality  (la  qualite 
maitresse)  in  ceramics.  The  more  beautiful  the  enamel, 
the  more  opposed  it  is  to  decoration ; no  color,  no  gild- 
ing, could  resist  the  vibrating  force  of  absorption  of  the 
-flambes  called  lo-kan^  mule’s  liver ; ma-fe%  horse’s  lung — 
mixtures  of  red,  blue,  violet,  and  yellowish-green  run- 
ning over  the  porcelain  like  a stream  of  lava,  so  much 
chopped -up  blood,  lungs,  and  liver,  as  it  were,  melted 
into  enamels ; any  addition  would  spoil  the  softer  colors, 
such  as  the  tea-dust  glaze,  or  the  iron-rust  of  the 
Chinese.” 

Mr.  Walters  wrote,  in  the  introduction  to  his  early 
catalogue, f Our  interest  and  effort  have  been  more  in 
the  direction  of  securing  characteristic  examples  of  the 
beautiful,  either  in  form,  color,  or  material,  than  of  the 
merely  curious.”  This  aim  has,  in  truth,  been  fully 
realized ; for  what  can  be  imagined  more  beautiful,  in 
all  these  three  respects,  than  the  famous  peach-bloom 


La  Porcelaine,  par  Georges  Vogt,  Directenr  des  Travaux  Techniques  de  la 
Manufacture  Nationale  de  Sdvres,  Paris,  1894. 
f Oriental  Collection  of  W.  T.  Walters,  Baltimore,  1884. 


INTRODUCTION. 


7 

Yases,  which  he  was  one  of  the  first  to  appreciate,  out- 
side China,  excelling  as  they  do  in  purity  of  form,  in 
perfect  finish  of  material,  and  in  a diversified  play  of 
color,  whereby  they  have  been  so  aptly  likened  to  the 
warm  and  varied  hues  of  the  skin  of  a peach  ripening 
in  the  sun  ? They  mark  the  culminating  point  of 
Chinese  ceramic  art.  The  contemporary  vases  of  similar 
form  of  pure  white,  of  the  sea-green  tint  called  celadon, 
or  of  the  pale  gray-blue  known  by  the  French  as  dair  de 
lune^  after  its  Chinese  name  of  yueJi  pai^  are  almost  as 
attractive.  The  crimson  and  pink  monochrome  glazes  of 
the  succeeding  period,  derived  from  gold,  are  less  pure, 
but  have  the  softness  of  the  muffle  stove  in  which  they 
are  developed — a quality  which  they  share  with  another 
famous  color,  the  coral  red,  which  is  derived  from 
peroxide  of  iron.  The  older  colors,  which  attest  the  pre- 
eminence of  the  Chinese  potter,  include  a camellia-leaf 
green  of  deepest  iridescent  sheen,  sa]3phire  blue,  and 
powder-blue,  apple-green  and  citron-yellow,  a finely 
crackled  turquoise  glaze  of  purest  tint,  and,  last  but  not 
least,  the  celebrated  Lang  ycCo^  or  sang  de  hoeuf^  a broadly 
crackled  glaze  imbued  witli  red  of  Jiiarvelous  depth,  the 
despair  of  modei-n  imitatoi's.  This  is  a short  list  of  some 
of  the  successes  of  tlie  Oriental  decorator  in  the  line 
of  single  colors.  Working  as  he  does  with  impure 
materials,  with  the  chemical  composition  of  which  he  is 
totally  unfamiliar,  his  chief  successes  are  often  due  to 
pure  hazard.  Many  other  colors  will  be  described  later, 

* “ Peacli-bloom  ” is  a belter  name  in  English  for  this  cliarming  glaze  than, 
“ peach-blow,”  because  the  latter  is  only  applicable  to  the  flower,  while  the 
former  corresponds  to  the  peau  de  pUlie,  the  term  adopted  by  French  ceramists. 
Neither  of  the  two  is  Chinese  ; they  generally  call  it  Chiang-tou  Uung,  from  its 
resemblance  to  the  variegated  beans  of  the  Bolichus  sinensis  {Chiang-tou), 
which  are  pink  spotted  with  brown  ; some  call  it  P'ing-huo  Hung,  “apple- 
red.”  The  green  mottling  which  so  often  accompanies  it  is  termed  P’ing-kuo 
or  “apple-green.” 


8 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


as  well  as  the  decoration  of  the  painted  pieces,  on  which 
the  artist  works  with  the  same  palette. 

According  to  a Chinese  adage,  Knowledge  comes 
from  seeing  much,”  and  I would  like  to  refer  the  student 
to  some  of  the  collections  available  for  the  study  of  the 
subject  of  Oriental  ceramics,  and  at  the  same  time  seize 
the  opportunity  of  tendering  my  grateful  thanks  to  the 
owners  of  the  private  collections  in  the  United  States 
which  I have  had  the  opportunity  of  seeing,  and  from 
which  I have  learned  not  a little.  There  seems  to  be  a 
widespread  enthusiasm  in  America  for  the  beauties  of 
Oriental  art,  and  the  beautiful  objects  illustrated  in  this 
book  have  doubtless,  by  their  exhibition  in  the  galleries 
at  Baltimore,  helped  in  no  small  measure  to  form  a grow- 
ing taste  for  the  rare  and  beautiful.  There  are,  so  far, 
no  national  collections  in  America,  but  there  are  objects 
of  interest  in  the  private  collections  of  Mr.  Charles  A. 
Dana,  Mr.  James  A.  Garland,  and  Mr.  W.  M.  Lalfan,  and 
in  the  Avery  collection  in  the  Metropolitan  Museum  at 
New  York,  and  in  the  Hippisley  collection  on  loan  at  the 
Smithsonian  Institution  at  Washington,  of  which  a cata- 
logue,"^ rich  in  Chinese  lore,  has  been  published  by  my 
friend  Mr.  Hippisley,  who  is  a sinologue  of  foremost 
rank.  Among  the  European  collections  of  most  easy 
access  are  the  Franks  collection  in  the  British  Museum  ; 
the  Salting  collection,  which  includes  so  many  magnifi- 
cent pieces,  in  the  loan  exhibition  at  the  South  Kensing- 
ton Museum  ; and  the  Grandidier  collection  at  Paris. 
Sir  Wollaston  Franks,  who  has  presented  his  treasures  to 
the  British  Museum,  facile  prvnceps  among  European 
authorities,  and  the  author  of  a well-known  handbook.f 


* Gatalofjiie  of  the  Hippisley  Gollection  of  Ghinese  Porcelains,  by  A.  E.  Hip- 
pisley, Report  of  National  Museum,  1888,  Washington,  D.  C. 

f Gataloyue  of  a Gollection  of  Oriental  Porcelain  and  Pottery,  by  A.  W. 
Franks,  F.  R.  S.,  F.  S.  A.,  second  edition,  London,  1878. 


INTRODUCTION. 


9 


M.  Grandidier,  a critical  as  well  as  an  enthusiastic 
admirer  of  Chinese  porcelain,  and  the  compiler  of  a fine 
book  * illustrated  by  forty-two  heliogravures,  has  recently 
{iresented  his  collection  to  the  republic,  and  it  is  already 
worthily  installed  in  one  of  the  galleries  of  the  Louvre. 

The  Sevres  Museum  contains  an  Oriental  department 
of  considerable  value.  The  museums  of  Amsterdam  and 
The  Hague  display  a selection  of  the  porcelain  brought 
over  in  such  quantities  by  the  Dutch  East  India  Com- 
pany in  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries.  The 
Dresden  Oriental  collection  is  probably  the  most  ancient 
in  Europe,  having  been  chiefly  brought  together,  accord- 
ing to  its  former  director.  Dr.  Graesse,f  by  Augustus  the 
Strong,  King  of  Poland  and  Elector  of  Saxony,  between 
the  years  1694-1705.  This  is  the  palmy  period  of  the 
reign  of  the  Chinese  Emperor  K'^ang-lisi  (1662-1722),  to 
which  time  most  if  not  all  of  the  more  important  Chinese 
pieces  in  this  large  collection  must  be  referred.  This 
collection  is  also  remarkable  for  its  series  of  old  Japan 
jars  and  beakers  decorated  with  polychrome  enamels.  It 
was  stored  away  for  many  years  in  the  vaults  of  the 
Japanese  palace,  but  is  now  fully  exhibited  in  tlie 
Johanneum  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river. 

The  question  of  celadon  is  one  of  the  most  interesting 
of  ceramic  problems,  and  its  solution  has  thrown  a flood 
of  light  on  the  intercourse  between  distant  nations  in 
early  mediaeval  times.;|  Celadon,  as  is  well  known,  is 
the  name  applied  to  a peculiar  kind  of  porcelain  of  sea- 
screen  tint,  which  is  found  distributed  throuschout 
southern  and  western  Asia,  along  the  eastern  and 
northern  coasts  of  Africa,  and  in  the  adjoining  islands, 

* La  Ceramique  chi)ioise,  par  E.  Grandidier,  Paris,  1894. 

f Die  K.  Porzellan  und  Gefass-8ammlung  zu  Dresden,  von  Hofrath  Dr.  J.  G. 
Th.  Graesse,  Dresden,  1873. 

X Ancient  Porcelain  : A Study  in  Chinese  Medieval  Industry  and,  Trade,  by 

F.  Hirth,  Ph.  D.,  1880. 


10 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


from  Ceram  and  the  Key  Island  on  the  east  to  Mada- 
gascar and  Zanzibar  on  the  west,  as  well  as  in  Japan  and 
China.  A quantity  has  been  dug  up  in  recent  times  in 
Cairo,  and  Persia  is  a never-failing  source  of  the  thick, 
round  dishes  with  fluted  borders,  foliated  rims,  and 
tooled  decoration  under  the  glaze,  which  Mohammedans 
value  so  highly  because  they  are  supposed  to  change 
color  at  the  contact  of  poisoned  food.  The  Arabs  called 
them  martabdni,  a name  derived  from  Maidaban,  one  of 
the  states  of  ancient  Siam,  the  modern  Maulmain  ; and 
one  of  their  encyclopedists,  writing  early-in  the  seven- 
teenth century,  declared  that  ‘^the  precious  magnificent 
celadon  dishes  and  other  vessels  seen  in  his  time  Avere 
manufactured  at  Martaban.”  Starting  from  this.  Prof. 
Karabacek,  of  Vienna,  has  lately  tried  to  prove  that  this 
old  celadon  was  not  Chinese.  Others,  like  Jacquemart,. 
had  previously  ascribed  it  to  Persia  or  to  Egypt,  arguing 
principally  from  the  difficulty  of  transporting  such  large 
quantities  by  caravan  ti*affic  across  Asia.  But  this  diffi- 
culty vanishes  now  that  we  knoAv  from  Mohammedan  as 
well  as  Chinese  sources  of  the  long  sea  voyages  under- 
taken by  tlie  Chinese  in  early  times. 

Arabian  winters  speak  of  fleets  of  lai*ge  Chinese  junks 
in  the  Persian  Gulf  as  early  as  the  ninth  century,  and 
their  route  may  be  followed  in  tlie  official  annals  of  the 
T\mg  dynasty.  Chinese  authors  of  the  Sung  dynasty 
describe  Iioav  their  ships  travelled  along  the  coast  of 
Africa  as  far  south  as  Zanzibar,  which  they  call  Tsang- 
pa,  and  copper  cash  ” of  the  period  have  lately  been 
dug  u])  there  mixed  Avith  fragments  of  celadon  vessels. 
They  carried  elding  /W,  ‘‘green,  or  celadon,  porcelain,” 
and  brought  back  wu  nung  y%  “ cobalt  mineral.”  In  the 
next  dynasty,  Avhen  the  Mongols  ruled  Bagdad  as  well  as 
Peking,  the  traffic  by  sea  Avas  still  more  constant.  Marco 
Polo  travelled  homeAvard  in  the  suite  of  a Mongolian 


INTRODUCTION. 


11 


princess,  and  described  the  route  from  Zayton  to  Hor- 
muz; and  Ibn  Batista,  who  came  to  China  soon  after- 
ward, also  alludes  to  the  trade  in  Chinese  porcelain.  In 
the  Ming  dynasty,  which  succeeded,  the  ambitious  Em- 
peror Yung-lo  dispatched  the  figliting  eunuch.  Admiral 
Cheng  Ho,  who  carried  Chinese  arms  into  Ceylon,  and 
who  was  again  sent  on  a more  peaceful  mission  by  the 
next  emperor,  Hsuan-te^  in  the  year  1430,  to  the  south 
€oast  of  Arabia,  to  the  port  of  Magadoxo  in  Africa,  and 
to  Jiddah,  the  seaport  of  Mecca  in  the  Red  Sea,  to  which 
he  cari'ied  celadon  porcelain,  as  well  as  musk,  silk,  cam- 
phor, and  copper  ^‘cash.”  This  was  the  time  that  Su- 
ma-li  blue  was  brought  to  China.  Cobalt  had  long 
previously  been  employed  in  Persia  in  the  decoration  of 
tiles  and  other  objects  of  faience.  After  the  appearance 
of  the  Portuguese  ships  in  their  seas  Chinese  junks  were 
no  more  seen,  but  celadon  porcelain  was  left  behind  in 
nil  the  coasts  they  visited,  and  there  seems  little  reason  to 
<ioubt  its  exclusively  Chinese  origin. 


CHAPTER  I. 


ORIGIN  OF  PORCELAIN. 


PORCELAIN  was  invented  in  China.  The  exact 
date  of  the  invention,  however,  is  wrapped  in  mys- 
tery; it  is,  in  fact,  hardly  likely  that  dt  will  ever  be 
definitely  settled,  as  it  must  have  been  by  a gradual 
progress  in  the  selection  of  materials,  and  in  the  perfec- 
tion of  processes  of  manufacture,  that  porcelain  was 
at  last  evolved  from  oixlinary  pottery.  For  the  creation 
of  a scientific  classification  of  ceramic  products  we  are 
indebted  to  M.  Brongniart,^  and  it  Avill  be  well  first  to 
define  the  distinctive  characteristics  of  porcelain.  Por- 
celain ought  to  have  a white,  translucent,  hard  paste,  not 
to  be  scratched  by  steel,  homogeneous,  resonant,  com- 
pletely vitrified,  and  exhibiting,  when  broken,  a con- 
choidal  fracture  of  fine  grain  and  brilliant  aspect.  These 
qualities,  inherent  in  porcelain,  make  it  impermeable 
to  watei',  and  enable  it  to  resist  the  action  of  frost  even 
when  uncoated  with  glaze.  These  characteristics  of  the 
paste,  especially  the  translucence  and  vitrification,  define 
porcelain  very  well.  If  either  of  these  two  qualities  be 
wanting,  we  have  before  us  another  kind  of  pottery;  if 
the  paste  possess  all  the  other  propeidies,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  translucence,  it  is  a stoneware ; if  the  paste  be 
not  vitrified,  it  lielongs  to  the  category  of  terra  cottas 
or  of  faience. 


The  Chinese  define  porcelain,  which  they  call  ^ 
(fe’d),  as  a hard,  compact,  fine-grained  pottery  (/’go), 


* Traite  des  Arts  (Jeramiques,  par  Alexandre  Brongniart,  tM^o  volumes,  8vo,. 
with  Atlas,  Paris,  1844. 


12 


ORIGIN  OF  PORCELAIN. 


13 


and  distinguish  it  by  the  clear,  resonant  note  which  it 
gives  out  on  pei'cussion,  and  by  the  fact  that  it  can  not  be 
scratched  by  a knife.  They  do  not  lay  so  much  stress 
on  the  whiteness  of  the  paste,  nor  on  its  translucency,  so 
that  some  of  the  pieces  may  fail  in  these  two  points, 
when  the  fabric  is  coarse ; and  yet  it  would  be  difficult 
to  separate  them  from  the  poi’celain  class.  The  paste  of 
the  ordinaiy  ware,  even  at  Ching-te-chen,  is  composed 
of  more  heterogeneous  materials  tlian  that  fabricated 
in  Eui'opean  factories,  and  may  even  be  reduced  in  some 
cases  to  a mere  layer  of  true  porcelain  earths  plastered 
ovei*  a substratum  of  yellowish  gray  clay.  The  Chinese 
separate,  on  the  other  hand,  dark-colored  stonewares,  like 
the  reddish-yellow  ware  made  at  Yi-hsing,  in  the  prov- 
ince of  Kianguan,  known  to  us  by  the  Portuguese  name 
of  hoccaro^  or  the  brown  stoneware  produced  at  Yang- 
chiang,  in  the  southern  part  of  the  province  of  Kw^ang- 
tung,  which  is  coated  with  colored  enamels,  and  is  often 
put  in  European  collections  among  the  monochrome  por- 
celains. 

The  Chinese  Avoi'd  for  pottery  in  its  widest  sense  is 
t\io,  wdiich  includes  all  ceramic  products,  from  common 
earthenware  to  porcelain.  Like  many  of  the  great 
nations  of  antiquity,  they  claim  for  themselves  the  inven- 
tion of  the  potter’s  wheel.  M.  Brongniart  is  inclined  to 
admit  their  claim,  and  even  attempts  to  trace  the  route 
by  which  it  may  have  i*eached  Egypt,  through  Scythia 
and  Bacti-ia  ; but  such  speculations  seem  too  hazardous. 
It  was  certainly  known  to  the  Egyptians  at  a A^ery  early 
period,  probably  not  later  than  twenty-five  hundred  years 
before  our  em.  Scenes  depicted  at  Beni  Ilassan  and  at 
Thebes  show  us  the  Egy|)tian  potters  at  work,  and  figure 
the  simple  Avheel,  consisting  of  a flat  disk  or  hexagonal 
table,  placed  on  a stand,  which  appears  to  have  been 
tui’ned  with  the  left  hand  while  the  vase  Avas  shaped 


14 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  Al^T. 


with  the  right.*  The  Chinese  claims  go  back  to  about 
the  same  period,  as  they  attribute  the  invention  of  thb 
potter’s  wheel  to  the  director  of  pottery  attached  to  the 
court  of  the  fabulous  Emperor  Huang  Ti^  to  ^vhose 
reign  they  carry  back  their  cyclical  system  of  chi*onology, 
starting  from  a date  corresponding  to  b.  c.  2637.  The 
Emperor  Shun.,  whose  reign  is  placed  in  b.  c.  2255-2206, 
is  generally  credited  with  the  first  impi’ovements  in  the 
art  of  welding  clay.  Ssii-ma  Ch’ien,  the  Hei'odotus  of 
China,  the  compiler  of  the  Shilt  Chi,  the  first  of  the 
dynastic  histories,  says  in  his  biography  of  Shun,  that 
before  he  came  to  the  throne  he  made  potteiy  at  Ho-pin. 
This  name,  hy  the  way,  furnishes  mi  explanation  for  a 
Japanese  seal,  figured  in  the  Franks  Catalogue  (Plate 
XY,  Fig.  191),  which  reads  in  Chinese  Hogyin  chih  Hu, 
or  Offshoot  of  Ho-pin,  a title  taken  from  old  Chinese 
lore  to  be  bestowed  on  a favorite  potter  by  one  of  the 
Japanese  feudal  prince^  Pere  d’Entrecolles  describes 
the  immense  value  a Chinaman  attaches  to  any  pieces  of 
pottery  he  can  attribute  to  the  reigns  of  Yao  and  Shun. 
Tradition  says  that  Yao  adored  simplicity,  and  had  his 
sacrificial  vessels  fashioned  of  ])lain  yellow  earthenware, 
and  that  Shun  was  the  first  to  have  them  glazed,  and 
tlie  credulous  collector  classifies  his  prehistoric  ]iieces 
accordingly. 

Coming  to  more  historical  times,  the  period  of  tlie  Chou 
dynasty  (b.  o.  1122-249),  the  third  of  the  Three  Ancient 
Dynasties,  its  founder,  Wu  Wang,  is  i-ecorded  to  have 
sought  out  a lineal  descendant  of  the  Emperor  Shnn,  on 
account  es])ecially  of  his  hereditaiy  skill  in  the  manu- 
facture of  ])otfery,  to  have  given  him  his  eldest  daughter 
in  marriage,  and  to  have  a])])ointed  him  feudal  ruler  of 
the  state  of  Ch’eu  (now  Ch’tui-chou  Eu,  in  the  ])rovince 
of  Honan),  to  keep  up  there  the  ancestral  worship  of  his 
* imtory  of  Ahoieiit  Pottery,  by  S.  Bircli,  London,  1858. 


ORIGIN  OF  PORCELAIN. 


15 


accomplished  ancestor.  This  noble  is  supposed  to  have 
been  the  first  director  of  pottery  under  the  new  dynasty, 
an  official  often  alluded  to  in  the  Cerenionial  Classic  and 
in  other  ancient  records  of  the  period. 

The  Choa  Ritual  has  been  preserved  among  the 
classical  books,  and  consists  of  an  elaborate  detail  of  the 
various  officers,  with  their  respective  duties.  It  has  been 
translated  into  French. Tlie  officers  were  classed  then, 
as  now,  under  six  boards.  But  when  the  book  was 
edited  in  the  first  century  b.  c.  by  Liu  tlin,  the  sixth 
section,  which  was  that  of  the  Board  of  Works,  was 
found  to  be  wanting.  To  supply  the  deficiency  he  incor- 
porated the  ICao  hung  chi.,  an  artificer’s  manual  of  the 
same  period.  This  includes  a shoit  section  on  pottery, 
which  gives  the  names  and  measurements  of  sevei’al  kinds 
of  cooking  vessels,  sacrificial  vases,  and  dishes,  in  the 
fabrication  of  which  the  different  processes  of  fashioning 
upon  the  wheel  and  of. molding  are  clearly  distinguished. 
The  vessels  are  described  as  having  been  made  by  two 
classes  of  workmen,  called  respectively  fao-jen,  pottei-s,’' 
Siwdi  fang-jen,  molders.” 

But  few  specimens  of  ])ottery  that  can  be  certainly 
referred  to  the  Three  Ancient  Dynasties  have  survived 
to  the  present  da^y  although  ritual  vessels  and  other 
antiques  of  bronze  are  to  be  seen  in  native  collections  by 
thousands.  These  last  often  have  inscriptions  upon 
them,  beginning  perhaps  with  the  number  of  .the  month, 
the  waxing  or  waning  period  of  the  moon,  the  day  of  the 
montli  and  its  cyclical  number;  rarely  is  the  year  of  the 
reigning  sovereign  or  feudal  suzerain  prefixed  ; never  his 
name,  as  far  as  I know.  It  was  during  the  Han  dynasty, 
which  reigned  from  b.  c.  202  to  a.  b 220,  that  the  system 
of  dividing  the  i*eigns  into  periods  of  years  with  honoi’ific 

^ Le  Trlieou,  li,  ou  JUfes  Oea  Tcheou,  traduit  du  Cliiiiois  par  p].  Biot,  Paris, 
1851. 


16 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


titles  (iiien  hao)  was  inaugurated  in  b.  c.  163.  This  pro- 
vided for  the  first  time  a convenient  means  of  dating 
vases  and  other  objects. 

Bricks  and  tiles  are  among  the  most  useful  of  ceramic 
products.  They  may  even  rank  as  historical  monuments 
when  inscribed.  The  Chinese  antiquary  collects  them  in 
chronological  series  to  show  the  changes  in  the  style  of 
the  written  character,  or  puts  one  upon  his  writing-table 
for  daily  use,  excavated  into  the  shape  of  an  ink  pallet. 
They  were  first  molded,  with  the  date  inscribed  on  one 
side,  during  the  Hem  dynasty.  Some  of  the  pottery  of 
the  period  is  also  inscribed.  There  is,  for  instance,  a 
bottle-shaped  vase  of  dark  reddish  stoneware  in  the  Dana 
Collection,  in  New  York,  molded  in  the  shape  of  a bronze 
ritual  vessel  of  the  time,  enameled  with  a deep-green  iri- 
descent glaze,  much  exfoliated,  which  is  engraved  on  the 
surface  with  a date  corresponding  to  b.  o.  133,  the  second 
year  of  the  period  Yvan-huang,  A similar  vase  in  the 
British  Museum,  although  it  has  no  inscrij)tion  upon  it, 
evidently  dates  from  about  the  same  time,  and  specimens 
of  this  kind  are  not  uncommon  in  Chinese  collections. 
The  vase  illustrated  in  Fig.  49  is  a good  example  of  this 
class,  an  ancient  stoneware  of  brownish -red  paste,  invested 
with  a thin  but  lustrous  glaze  of  camellia-leaf  green, 
which  came  from  the  collection  of  Chang  Yin-huan, 
formerly  Chinese  ministei*  at  Washington,  as  a relic  of  the 
Han  dynasty. 

There  is  no  word,  however,  of  porcelain  so  far  in 
Chinese  books,  and  we  have  to  do  only  with  an  opaque 
stoneware,  invested  with  colored  glazes.  It  remained  for 
Eiii'opean  writers  to  ascribe  the  existence  of  porcelain  to 
so  1‘emote  a ])eriod,  as  in  the  case  of  the  little  medicine 
bottles  dug  up  out  of  Egy[)tian  tombs  that  had  not,  it  was 
supposed,  been  disturbed  before,  and  which  were  conse- 
([uently  attilbuted  to  the  eighteenth  century  b.  c.  Their 


ORIGIN  OF  PORCELAIN. 


17 


pretensions  to  sucli  an  antiquity  have  been  so  abundantly 
disproved  that  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  refer  to  them 
hei*e.  They  must  hav^e  been  fraudulently  provided  and 
surreptitiously  placed  in  these  tombs  by  the  Arab  work* 
men,  who  were  rewarded  whenever  any  antique  was 
discovered. 

Other  authorities  consider  the  murrhine  vases  of  the 
ancients,  wliich  were  described  as  ‘‘  cooked  in  Parthian 
hres,”  and  which  were  so  highly  valued  that  the  Emperor 
Nero  gave  the  equivalent  of  a quarter  of  a million  dollars 
for  one,  to  have  been  made  of  Cliinese  porcelain.  It  is 
far  more  probable,  as  has  been  suggested  by  Mr.  Nesbitt 
in  his  notes  on  the  history  of  glass-making,  that  these 
murrhine  vases  were  made  of  agates  and  other  hard 
stones,  the  colors  of  which  had  been  modified  in  the  East 
by  heating  and  staining ; and  that  the  false  inurrhines 
wei*e  glass  bowls  imitating  hard  stones,  but  with  various 
strano:e  tints  not  to  be  found  in  natural  stones. 

Witli  regard  to  the  origin  of  porcelain  in  China,  the 
Chinese  themselves  confess  that  previous  to  the  com- 
mencenient  of  the  T\mg  dynasty,  in  a.  d.  618,  there  are 
no  ci’iteria  foi*  forming  an  opinion.  The  names  of  some 
score  of  different  sacrificial  vases,  drinking  vessels,  and 
other  objects  may  be  collected  from  books,  but  nothing 
is  said  about  their  structure  or  place  of  production.  It 
was  reserved  for  a Western  scholar  to  carry  back  the 
invention  to  the  Han  dynasty,  and  to  date  it  precisely 
as  between  p>.  o.  185  and  a.  d.  87.  These  dates,  adopted 
by  M.  Julien  in  his  preface  (Joe.  cit.^  p.  xx),  have  been 
generally  followed  by  writers  on  the  subject,  as  derived 
from  Chinese  records,  although  based,  as  we  shall  show, 
on  fallacious  grounds.  They  are  deduced  from  a short 
note  in  the  appendix  to  the  memoir  on  the  administra- 
tion of  porcelain  in  the  annals  of  Fou-liang  (Fou-liang 
Hsien  Clnh^  book  viii,  folio  44),  which  reads,  “The 


18 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


ceramic  manufacture  of  Hsin-p’iug,  according  to  local 
tradition,  was  founded  in  the  time  of  the  Hcun  dynasty, 
and  Avas  probably  of  strong,  heavy,  and  roughly  finished 
material,  moulded  and  fashioned  after  methods  handed 
down  from  ancient  times.” 

Commenting  on  this  passage  M.  Julien  writes : Sous 

la  premiere  dynastie  des  Han^  Sin-iHng  etait  un  liien 
[district]  qui  faisait  partie  du  royaume  de  Hoai-yang^ 
foude  en  I’an  185  avant  J.  C.,  par  I’empereur  Kao-ti  des 
Han  occidentaux.  Ce  royaume  fut  appele  Tcl^Jin  Ti^oue^ 
dans  la  deuxieme  annee  de  la  periode  Tchang-ho  (I’an  88 
apres  J.  C.)  du  regne  des  Han  orientaux.  Or,  comme  la 
porcelaine  parut  pour  la  premiere  fois  sous  les  Han^  dans 
le  pays  de  SingyHng  (aujourd’hui  Hoai-ning -liien ^ de- 
partement  de  Tali' in-tcheoii-f on  ^ dans  le  Ho  nan)  j qui  a 
pu  appartenir  aussi  bien  au  royaume  de  Hoai-yang  qu’a 
celui  de  Tcli’in,  il  s’ensuit  qu’on  pent  en  placer  I’inven- 
tion  entre  les  annees  185  avant  et  87  apres,  J.  C.” 

The  Chinese  names  of  the  geographical  dictionaries 
from  which  these  facts  are  taken  are  olveii  in  footnotes, 
but  all  the  trouble  of  reference  would  have  been  saved 
had  M.  Julien  known  that  Hsin-p’ing  Avas  the  original 
name  of  Fou-liang  Hsien.  It  is  recorded  in  the  geo- 
graphical section  of  the  official  annals  of  the  Hang 
dynasty  {"Hang  Shu,  l)ook  lx,  folio  25)  that  this  Availed 
city  Avas  founded  under  the  name  of  Hsin-p’ing,  in  the 
fourth  year  of  the  period  Wn-te  (a.  d.  621),  Avith  juris- 
diction over  a tract  Avhich  formed  ]iart  of  the  old  district 
of  Po-yang  ; that  it  was  I’e-established  in  the  fourth  year 
of  IT ai- yuan  (716),  under  the  neAV  name  of  Hsin- 
ch’ang;  and  that  its  name  Avas  finally  changed  to  Fou- 
liang  (avIhcIi  it  has  kept  to  the  ])resent  day)  in  the  first 
year  of  the  period  Hien-gyao  (742). 

In  another  ]>art  of  his  book  (p.  88),  in  reference  to 
poi’celain  made  at  Hsin-phng  l)v  Ho  Chung-ch’u,  in  the 


ORIGIN  OF  PORCELAIN. 


19 


year  621,  for  the  use  of  the  emperor,  Jiilien  strangely 
identifies  this  with  another  Hsin-p’ing,  corresponding  to 
the  modern  Pin-chon,  a department  in  the  prefecture  of 
Si-ngan,  the  ca2:>ital  of  the  province  of  Shensi,  a city 
which  certainly  had  this  name  during  the  Eastern  Han 
dynasty  (25-220),  but  never  since,  so  that  this  identifica- 
tion involves  another  anachronism  of  several  centuries. 
The  name  signifies  ‘‘  Newly  Pacified,”  and  a number  of 
cities  seem  to  have  borne  it  in  turn  for  a brief  period. 

Hsin-p’ing  occurs  constantly  in  different  pages  of  the 
annals  quoted  above  as  the  old  name  of  Fou-liang,  and 
it  is,  besides,  referred  to  more  than  once  in  the  last  tlii'ee 
books  of  the  C hing-te-clieti  T\to  Lii^  which  are  omitted  in 
Jnlien’s  translation.  An  extract,  for  example,  is  quoted 
in  book  viii,  folio  2,  from  the  biograj^hy  of  Chu  Sui, 
styled  Yu-heng,  an  official  under  the  Hang  dynasty, 
who  was  superintendent  at  Hsin-p’ing,  when,  in  the  first 
year  of  the  period  Cliing-lung  (a.  d.  707),  an  imperial 
decree  was  received  by  the  Governor  of  Hung-chou, 
ordering  him  to  supply  with  all  speed  a number  of 
sacrificial  utensils  for  the  imperial  tombs.  Chu  Sui  is 
descilbed  as  having  pushed  on  the  work  so  energetically 
that  they  were  all  sent  before  the  end  of  the  year. 
Hung-chou  is  the  old  name  of  the  modern  Nan-ch’ang 
Fu,  the  chief  city  of  the  province  of  Kiangsi,  and  Jao- 
chou,  within  the  bounds  of  which  lies  Fou-liang  Hsien, 
is  stated  in  the  Annals  of  the  T\vng  dynasty  to  have 
been  actually  at  that  time  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
Governor  of  Hung-chou. 

It  seems  to  me  certain  that  Hsin-p’ing  in  all  these 
quotations  must  refer  to  the  same  place,  which  is 
recorded  to  have  furnished  a supply  for  the  imperial 
court,  as  early  as  the  seventh  century,  to  be  sent  to  the 
capital  in  the  northern  province  of  Shensi,  and  Avhich  has 
been  the  seat  of  the  imperial  potteries  since  the  year 


20 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


1004,  in  which  Ching-te-chen  was  founded,  down  to  the 
present  day.  It  follows,  necessarily,  that  we  must  give 
up  the  Han  dynasty  as  furnishing  a certain  date  for  the 
invention  of  porcelain.  This  clears  the  ground  for 
further  research.  We  know  that  the  word  which 
means  porcelain  in  the  present  day,  lii*st  came  into  use 
during  the  Han  dynasty,  and  Mr.  Hippisley  (foe.  cit.^ 
p.  393)  takes  this  coining  of  a new  word  to  designate 
the  productions  of  that  age  to  be  a strong  argument  in 
favor  of  the  early  date.  Others,  more  skeptical,  before 
reaching  any  decision,  ask  to  be  shown  actual  specimens 
of  translucent  body  that  can  be  certainly  refeiTed  to  the 
period. 

In  default  of  such  material  we  will  pass  on  to  the  Hang 
dynasty,  which  ruled  over  the  whole  of  China  for  nearly 
three  centuries,  during  what  has  been  described  as  a 
protracted  Augustan  age,  when  arts  and  letters  flourished 
abundantly.  During  the  short-lived  Sui  dynasty  (581- 
617)  which  immediately  preceded  the  Hang  we  hear  of 
a kind  of  green  porcelain  {lil  t£%i)  invented  by  a 
President  of  the  Board  of  Works  named  Ho  Chou  to 
replace  green  glass  the  composition  of  which  had 

been  lost.  The  contemporary  annals  of  the  Sui  dynasty 
{Sui  ShUy  book  Ixxxviii,  folio  7),  wliich  give  his 
biography,  say : Ho  Chou  had  an  extensive  knowledge 

of  old  pictures  and  a wide  acquaintance  with  objects  of 
antiquity.  China  had  long  lost  the  art  of  glass-making, 
and  the  ^vorkmen  did  not  dare  to  make  fresh  trials,  but 
he  succeeded  in  making  vessels  of  green  porcelain  which 
could  not  be  distinguished  from  true  glass.”  Consider- 
able progress  must  have  been  made  about  this  time  in 
the  ceramic  manufacture  at  Fou-liang  Hsien,  as  it  is 
recorded  in  the  geographical  account  of  the  district  that, 
in  the  early  years  of  the  reign  of  the  founder  of  the 
Hang  dynasty,  T’ao  Yii,  a native  of  the  place,  conveyed 


ORIGIN  OF  PORCELAIN. 


21 


his  porcelain  to  the  capital  of  the  empire  in  the  province 
of  Kuan-chung  (now  Shensi),  where  his  wwe,  known  by 
the  name  of  false  jade  vessels,”  was  all  presented  to  the 
emperor.  The  same  book  records  that  in  the  fourth  year 
(a.  d.  621)  of  the  same  reign  an  imperial  decree  was 
issued  ordering  the  potter  Ho  Chiing-ch’ii,  referred  to 
above,  and  other  natives  of  Hsin-p’ing  (now  Foii-liang), 
to  make  a supply  of  porcelain  utensils  for  the  use  of  the 
imperial  court. 

The  ceramic  wGire  produced  at  this  time  is  desciibed 
to  have  been  of  finely  levigated  paste,  thin  in  body, 
translucent,  and  brilliant  as  white  jade.  This  description 
seems  exaggerated,  yet  the  contemporary  name  of 
^Tmitation  jade”  is  enough,  almost,  to  prove  that  it 
must  have  been  really  poi-celain,  taken  into  consideration 
with  the  fact  that  it  was  the  production  of  the  same 
district  that  j^roduces  the  finest  porcelain  of  tlie  present 
day.  No  simile  would  be  more  appropriate  ; for  a highly 
polished  bowl  of  white  jade  is  quite  as  translucent  as  the 
most  delicate  piece  of  egg-shell  porcelain. 

We  know  that  the  ceramic  art  was  highly  appreciated 
during  the  T\ing  dynasty  from  the  frequent  reference  to 
it  made  in  the  books  of  the  period.  The  Buddhist 
monks  had  their  alms-bowls  (^j>6>,  Sanskrit  pdtra^  and 
their  ablution  vases  (Jcun-cld ih-ha,  Sanskrit  hundiha) 
made  both  of  porcelain  {fzii)  and  of  common  earthen- 
ware (gvd).  p]*eferring  the  new  material  on  account  of  its 
simplicity  to  the  gold,  silver,  bi*onze,  and  precious  stones 
which  liad  been  employed  pi*eviously. 

Tea  first  came  into  general  use  as  a beverage  about  this 
time,  and  there  is  a classical  treatise  on  tea,  called  Old  a 
Citing^  written  by  Lu  Yii  in  the  middle  of  the  eighth 
century,  which  is  still  extant.  It  contains  ten  sections, 
entitled  (1)  Origin  of  the  Plant;  (2)  Implements  for 
Gathering;  (3)  Manufacture  of  the  Leaf;  (4)  Utensils 


22 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


used  in  preparing  the  Infusion;  (5)  Methods  of  Boiling; 
(6)  Drinking;  (7)  Historical  Summary;  (8)  Districts 
of  Production;  (9)  Resume  j and  (10)  notes  on 
illustrations. 

Among  the  utensils,  the  bowls  {wai})  used  for  drinking 
tea  are  briefly  described,  and  classified  according  to  the 
effect  of  the  color  of  their  glaze  in  enhancing  the  tint  of 
the  infusion,  which  was  made  by  pouring  boiling  water 
upon  the  powdered  tea,  the  leaves  having  been  previously 
ground  in  a mortar.  Tlie  bowls  preferi*ed  by  the  author 
were  those  of  Yueh-chou,  the  modern  Shao-hsing  Fu,  in 
the  province  of  Chehkiang;  those  of  Hsing-chou,  now 
Shun-te  Fu  in  the  province  of  Chihli,  where  white 
porcelain  is  still  produced  in  the  present  day,  being 
ranked  next.  He  writes  (folio  5)  : Yueh-chou  bowls 

are  the  best.  Some  persons  place  Hsing-chou  bowls 
above  those  of  Yueh-chou,  but  they  are,  in  my  oj^inion, 
mistaken.  Hsing-chou  porcelain  resembles  silver,  while 
Yueh-chou  porcelain  is  like  Jade — the  first  point  in  which 
Hsing  is  inferior  to  Yueh;  Hsing-chou  porcelain  resem- 
bles snow,  Yueh-chou  ])orcelain  is  like  ice — the  second 
point  of  inferiority;  Hsing-chou  porcelain  being  white 
makes  the  tea  look  red,  while  the  Yueh-chou  porcelain 
being  green  gives  a greenish  tint  to  the  tea — the  third 
point  in  which  Using  is  inferior  to  Yueh.” 

This  porcelain,  however,  was  more  highly  appreciated 
by  otliers,  as  one  writer  of  the  time  observes  that  ‘Hhe 
white  teacups  of  Hsing-chou  porcelain,  like  the  brown 
ink-slabs  of  Tuan-hsi  stone,  are  prized  throughout  the 
empire  by  high  and  low  alike.”  Both  kinds  of  porcelain 
are  described  as  giving  out  a clear,  resonant  ]*ing  when 
struck ; and  a celebrated  musician  is  said,  in  his 
biography,  to  have  been  in  the  habit  of  using  ten  cups 
of  Yueh-chou  or  Hsing-chou  porcelain  to  make  a musical 
chime,  playing  upon  them  with  ebony  rods. 


ORIGIN  OF  PORCELAIN. 


23 


The  poets  of  this,  the  classical  age  of  poetry,  make 
constant  reference  to  porcelain  cups  in  their  verses  in 
praise  of  tea  and  wine,  both  favorite  subjects  for  odes. 
Tliey  liken  the  bowls  to  curled  disks  of  thinnest  ice,” 
to  “tilted  lotus  leaves  floating  upon  a stream,”  to  ‘Svhite 
or  green  jade.”  Such  similes  are  applicable  only  to 
poi'celain.  One  of  the  most  renowned  of  these  poets,  the 
younger  Tu,  who  lived  803-852,  wrote  a letter  in  verse 
be<>:ti:ino:  for  the  loan  from  Wei  Ch’u  of  some  white 
porcelain  bowls  from  the  Ta-yi  potteries  in  the  province 
of  Sse-chuan,  which  is  often  cpioted : “ The  porcelain  of 
tlie  Ta-yi  kilns  is  light  and  yet  strong.  It  rings  with 
a low  jade  note,  and  is  famed  throughout  tlie  city.  Your 
Excellency’s  white  bowls  surpass  lioarfrost  and  snow. 
Ee  gracious  to  me  and  send  some  to  my  poor  mat-shed.” 
The  first  line  praises  tlie  quality  of  the  fabric,  the  second 
the  resonance  of  the  material,  the  third  the  color  of  the 
glaze. 

Ai*ab  trade  witli  China  ^vas  very  extensive  in  the 
eighth  and  ninth  centuries,  when  Mohammedan  colonies 
were  formed  in  Canton  and  other  seapoi't  towns.  One 
of  the  travelers,  Soleyman  hy  name,  wrote  an  account  of 
his  journey  in  the  middle  of  the  ninth  century,  which 
has  been  translated  into  French,  and  he  furnishes  the 
first  mention  of  porcelain  outside  China  ^^dlich  may  be 
quoted  in  confirmation  of  the  Chinese  descriyitions  of  the 
time.  He  says:  “They  have  in  China  a very  fine  clay 
with  which  they  make  vases  'which  are  as  transpai’ent  as 
glass ; water  is  seen  through  them.  These  vases  are 
made  of  clay.”'^  The  Arabs  at  this  time  were  thor- 
oughly well  acquainted  with  glass,  so  that  this  evidence 
is  almost  conclusive. 

* lielation  des  Voyages  f aits  par  les  A rales  et  les  Persans  dans  VIrule  et  d la 
Chine  dans  le  IXe  siecle  de  Vere  chretienne,  par  M.  Reinaud,  mernbre  I’lnstitiit, 
Paris,  1845, 


24 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


We  pass  next  to  the  P]niperor  Shih  Isung  (954-959) 
of  the  Posterior  Chou^  a brief  dynasty  which  reigned 
just  before  the  Swng^  wlio  encouraged  the  manufacture 
of  porcelain  at  his  capital  in  Honan,  now  K’ai-feng  Fu. 
The  pieces  which  were  known  afterward  as  Cli'ai  porce- 
lain, that  being  the  name  of  tlie  imperial  house,  were 
described  as  being  as  blue  as  the  sky,  as  clear  as  a 
mirror,  as  thin  as  paper,  and  as  resonant  as  jade.” 
This  eclipsed  in  its  delicacy  everything  that  pre- 
ceded it.  The  description  refers  clearly  to  an  azure- 
tinted  monochrome  glaze  produced  by  the  use  of  the 
native  cobaltiferons  mineral. 

It  is  probable  that  no  perfect  specimens  of  these 
delicate  wares  are  still  extant,  so  that  we  have  to  be 
content  with  only  a literary  proof  of  their  existence. 
The  Chinese  are  satisfied  with  this ; they  delight  in 
literary  research,  as  much  as  tliey  dislike  digging  in  the 
ground,  fearing  to  disturb  the  I’est  of  the  dead.  We 
must  be  content  to  wait  for  future  discoveries  to  satisfy 
those  sceptics  who  demand  tangible  evidence  of  the 
existence  of  true  porcelain  before  the  Smig  dynasty. 
No  one,  as  far  as  I know,  disputes  that  it  existed.  But 
further  discussion  of  this  interesting,  subject  must  be 
deferi*ed,  meanwhile,  to  a future  chapter. 


CHAPTER  II. 


KELATIONS  OF  CHINESE,  KOREAN,  AND  JAPANESE  CERAMICS. 

riAHE  civilization  of  China,  whether  it  be  indigenous, 
JL  or  derived,  as  some  learned  men  think,  from  an 
Accadian  source  in  western  Asia,  is  certainly  much  more 
ancient  than  that  of  either  Korea  or  Japan.  Those  who, 
like  M.  Terrien  de  Lacouperie,  woidd  bring  it  from  the 
Mesopotamian  regions,  or  from  the  southern  shores  of 
the  Caspian  Sea,  place  the  date  of  its  introduction  into 
China  within  the  third  millennium  before  Christ.  The 
Chinese,  who  consider,  on  the  other  hand,  that  their 
culture  is  entirely  of  native  growth,  date  it  from  about 
the  same  time,  during  .which  the  legendary — as  distinct 
from  the  purely  mythical — period  of  their  history  begins 
with  Fu-hsi,  the  reputed  founder  of  tlie  Chinese  polity, 
whose  reign  is  placed  by  them  in  n.  c.  2852.  Their 
cyclical  system  of  chronology  is  dated  from  the  reign  of 
Huang  T%  tlie  “ Yellow  Emperor,”  the  first  of  the 
periods  of  sixty  years  commencing  with  the  year  n.  c. 
2637.  He  is  credited  with  a full  court  of  officials,  who 
are  described  as  liaviug  introduced  many  of  the  useful 
arts,  tlie  cei'amic  art  among  the  rest.  The  invention  of 
the  potter’s  wheel  is  generally  atti’ibuted  to  his  director 
of  pottery.  The  Shu  King,  or  Booh  of  History^  whicli 
has  been  translated  into  English  by  Dr.  Legge,  and 
which  is  one  of  the  most  authentic  of  the  ancient 
classics,  begins  with  the  reigns  of  Yao  and  Shun,  which 
immediately  precede  the  Three  Ancient  Dynasties”  of 
Hula,  Shang,  and  Chon,  the  first  that  were  composed  of 
hereditary  lines  of  sovereigns. 


26 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


Chou  Hsin^  the  last  sovereign  of  the  second  ancient 
dynasty,  was  an  abandoned  tyrant,  who  perished  in  the 
flames  of  the  Lii  T’ai,  or  Deer  Towei*,  his  hixiirious 
palace  of  pleasure,  in  b.  c.  1123,  the  year  that  he  was 
defeated  by  Wu  Wang,  the  founder  of  the  Chou 
dynasty.  One  of  the  chief  feudal  nobles  of  the  empire 
during  the  reign  of  the  tyrant  Chou  Hsin  was  Ki  Tzii,, 
the  Viscount  or  Chief  of  Ki.  This  noble  vainly  sought 
to  turn  the  licentious  monarch  from  his  evil  ways,  but 
was  cast  into  prison,  whence  he  was  released  by  the 
victorious  Wu  Wang  in  b.  c.  1122.  He  was  offered  a 
high  post  under  the  new  rule,  but  declared  that  he  could 
not  recognize  the  sovereignty  of  a usurper,  and  he 
retired  to  the  country  now  forming  the  kingdom  of 
Korea.  The  peninsula  was  then  inhabited  by  barbarous 
tribes,  among  whom  he  introduced  the  first  elements  of 
culture,  and  he  was  accepted  by  them  as  their  first  iTiler,, 
and  was  so  recognized  by  the  new  sovereign  of  China. 

Korea  is  indebted  to  China  for  the  knowledge  of  writ- 
ing, as  well  as  for  most  of  the  sciences  and  useful  arts. 
They  use  the  Avritten  characters  of  China  to  this  day,, 
although  they  have  also  an  alphabet,  derived  probably 
from  the  Sanskrit,  adapted  by  Buddhist  pilgrims  from 
India,  who  doubtless  reached  Korea  by  Avay  of  China. 
There  has  been  frerpient  intercourse  Avith  China  through- 
out historic  times.  The  Chinese  invaded  the  country  in 
force  during  the  llan  and  T\ing  dynasties,  and  claim  to 
have  reduced  it  to  the  condition  of  a province  during 
the  latter  regime.  Most  of  the  Tartar  dynasties  that 
have  I’uled  over  China,  Avhen  they  emerged  from  their 
native  wilds  on  the  noi*th  of  Korea,  have  first  invaded 
Korea  and  compelled  its  submission  before  overrunning 
China.  The  present  Manrhu  dynasty  is  no  exception  to 
this  genei’al  rule.  The  Koreans,  hoAvever,  were  not 
without  some  knowledge  of  pottery  in  the  earliest 


CHINESE,  KOREAN,  AND  JAPANESE  CERAMICS. 


27 


periods  of  wliicli  we  have  an  account  of  them  from 
Chinese  sources.  Tlie  Chinese  historiographers  in  the 
Han>  times  mention  them  as  making  vessels  of  iinglazed 
earthenware  in  archaic  forms  and  designs,  similar  to 
those  alluded  to  in  tlie  ancient  classics  of  China,  and 
atti'ibuted  to  the  ancient  emperors  Yao  and  Shun. 
Such  prehistoric  vessels  are  found  everywhere  through- 
out eastern  Asia,  as  well  as  in  North  and  South  America, 
and  are  remarkable  for  the  general  similarity  of  their 
shape  and  rude  ornamentation.  This  prehistoiic  pottery 
has  been  more  thorougldy  investigated  in  Japan,  where 
immense  deposits  have  been  discovered  in  ancient  shell 
mounds  at  Omori,  in  the  vicinity  of  Tokio,  and  else- 
where throughout  the  country.  Several  specimens  have 
been  figured  in  special  works  in  Japanese  ceramics.* 
The  subject  is  treated  at  length  by  Prof.  Morse  and  Mr. 
Satow  in  their  papers  upon  the  Shell  Mounds  of  Omorif 
and  Sepulchral  Mounds  at  Kaudzuke.J 

Prof.  Morse  describes  the  pottery  which  he  discovered 
at  Omori  and  other  places  in  Japan  as  being  black,  or 
black  with  a reddish  tinge,  or  red  of  various  shades,  and 
made  of  coai’se  clay.  The  vessels  are  in  many  cases 
unevenly  baked,  and  with  few  exceptions  they  are  quite 
thin  ; the  surfaces  are  generally  smooth  ; the  ifnis  of  the 
vessels,  either  straight,  undulating,  or  notched,  project  at 
intervals  into  points,  or  liave  variously  formed  knobs. 
The  bordei’s  are  frequently  ribbed  within,  or  marked 
with  one  or  more  parallel  lines  outside,  the  lines  often 
inclosing  a row  of  rude  dots.  The  surfaces  of  the 
vessels  are  ornamented  with  curved  lines,  bands  of 

*See  Japanese  Pottery,  by  James  L.  Bowes,  Liverpool,  1890. 

f Shell  Mounds  of  Omori,  by  Edward  S.  Morse,  Professor  of  Zoology, 
University  of  Tokio,  Memoirs  of  the  Science  Department,  University  of  Tokio, 
Japan,  1879. 

t Ancient  Sepulchral  Mounds  in  Kaudzuke,  by  Ernest  Satow,  Transactions 
of  the  Asiatic  Society  of  Japan,  vol.  viii,  Yokohama,  1880. 


28 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


oblique  lines  running  in  one  direction  round  the  vessels^ 
followed  by  a band  of  similar  lines  running  in  an 
opposite  direction,  and  sometimes  these  lines  cross  each 
other.  The  bottoms  of  some  of  the  pots  have  matting" 
impressions.  These  designs  have  either  been  roughly 
incised  or,  as  in  the  case  of  the  mat  marks,  impressed,  or 
they  are  smoothed  out  of  wet  clay,  or  carved  in  dry  clay 
before  baking  ; and,  like  all  the  pottery  found  in  shell 
mounds  throughout  the  world,  these  works  bear  the 
impression  of  the  cord  mark. 

In  some  instances  he  found  that  the  vessels  had  been 
painted  with  mercuiy  sulphide,  but  in  no  example 
had  any  attempt  been  made  to  paint  designs  or  patterns,, 
except  that  in  some  cases  the  color  was  applied  to 
interspaces  between  lines  or  curves  already  marked.  The 
objects,  discovered  mostly  in  fragments,  are  grouped  as 
follows  : Cooking  vessels  answering  to  pots,  stewpans, 
etc.;  hand  vessels,  such  as  bowls  and  cups ; vessels  with 
constricted  necks,  possibly  used  as  water  bottles  ; and  a 
few  vessels  of  various  forms  which  may  be  designated  as 
ornamental  jars  and  bowls.  Much  difference  of  opinion 
exists  as  to  the  age  of  these  deposits.  None  of  the 
fragments  shows  the  least  sign  of  having  been  thrown  or 
turned  ; and  the  supposition  therefore  is  that  they  were 
made  at  a period  at  least  anterior  to  the  use  of  the 
potter’s  wheel  in  Japan,  the  invention  or  introduction  of 
which  is  referred  by  the  Japanese  to  the  eighth  century 
of  our  era.  Prof.  Moi’se  considers  them  much  more 
ancient,  on  account  of  differences  in  the  species  of  the 
accompanying  fauna  as  conipai*ed  with  those  of  the 
present  day  ; he  even  thinks  that  the  pottery  may  have 
been  made  by  a pre-Aino  race. 

The  most  interesting  portion  of  Mr.  Satow’s  report 
upon  the  discoveries  at  Ohoya  and  Ohomuro  is  that 
which  refers  to  the  fragments  of  human  figures  and  of 


CHINESE,  KOREAN,  AND  JAPANESE  CERAMICS. 


29 


horses,  roughly  and  inartistically  molded  in  soft  clay  and 
imperfectly  baked,  probably  by  exposure  to  the  sun. 
Among  the  traditions  of  the  ceramic  industry  recorded  in 
old  Japanese  books  is  a story  relating  the  making  of 
pottery  figures  in  the  thii'd  year  of  the  Christian  era,  to 
take  the  place  of  the  persons  and  animals  previously 
buried  around  the  graves  of  people  of  rank,  which  is 
probably  based  upon  fact,  although  it  may  be  untrust- 
worthy as  to  period.  The  common  version  runs  as 
follows:  The  Emperor  Suinm  (who  is  said  to  have 

reigned  from  n.  c.  26  to  a.  d.  70,  and  to  have  died  at  the 
age  of  one  hundred  and  forty-one  years)  signalized  his 
reign  by  the  repeal  of  a bai’barous  custom  which  doomed 
the  imperial  retainers,  as  well  as  horses  and  perhaps 
other  animals,  on  the  decease  of  the  sovei*eign,  to  be 
buried  alive  in  holes  in  the  ground  ai'ound  the  tomb.  In 
the  year  3 a.  d.  the  empress  died,  and  Sumin^  at  the 
suggestion  of  his  retainer  Nomi  no  Sukune,  called  together 
one  hundred  of  the  hajihe  or  potters  of  Idzumi  province 
that  they  might  make  clay  figures  of  men  and  horses,  to 
bury  in  the  place  of  living  victims,  as  an  example  for 
future  ages.  The  workmen  molded  the  figures  under  the 
direction  of  JSTomi  no  Sukune  and  interred  them  in  a 
circle  around  the  tomb.  The  emperor  rewarded  his 
advisei’  by  conferring  upon  him  and  his  descendants  the 
office  of  chief  of  the  potters,  with  the  title  of  Ilqjibe  no 
Tsukasa.’’^  Mr.  Satow,  without  supporting  the  coiTectness 
of  the  Japanese  dates,  adopts  the  native  view  that  the 
tumuli  explored  were  really  ancient  burial  places  of  the 
imperial  family. 

The  ancient  Japanese  annals  called  Kojiki  state  that  in 
the  early  part  of  the  same  reign  a Koi*ean  prince  became 
naturalized  in  Japan,  and  brought  with  him  a noted 
potter  of  Shiraki,  a principality  of  Korea,  from  whom 
descended  the  workmen  of  Kagami  no  Hazama,  in  the 


30 


ORIENTAL  CERAM rC  ART. 


province  of  Oini,  who  for  many  centuries  were  reputed 
for  the  fabrication  of  Shiraki  ware.  This  is  generally 
quoted  as  tlie  first  introduction  of  a foreign  element 
into  Japanese  ceramic  ai*t,  although  the  relics  identified 
with  this  production  are  of  very  piimitive  construction, 
scarcely  equal  to  that  of  the  shell  heaps,  being  also 
handmade,  roughly  molded,  unglazed,  and  jiresenting 
nothing  woi’thy  of  the  name  of  decoration.  The  baking 
was  effected  in  holes  dug  in  the  gi’ound.  Mr.  Ninagawa'^' 
says  that  in  the  present  day  the  manufacture  of  hand- 
made pottery  in  the  Shiraki  style  is  carried  on  at  the 
village  of  Kimura,  in  Yamato  province,  but  the  Avorkmen 
now  make  use  of  a raised  earthen  stove. 

But  the  native  chronology  of  these  times  is  very  uncer- 
tain, and  it  is  not  till  the  fifth  century,  wdien  it  becomes 
more  accurate,  that  ^ve  can  accept  Japanese  accounts  of 
intercourse  with  the  outside  woiTI  with  any  confidence. 
In  the  year  a.  d.  463  the  Enqieror  Yuriahn  is  said  to 
have  dispatched  an  envoy  to  Korea  to  engage  the  services 
of  a skilled  potter,  which  resulted  in  the  advent  of  a 
man  named  Koki,  who  settled  in  the  province  of  Kawachi, 
and  there  taught  the  ceramic  methods  of  his  ])eoj)le, 
which  gradually  s[)i*ead  to  other  parts  of  elapan. 

The  vases  figured  in  Ninagawa’s  work  Kwan-ho  (hn- 
setsu  as  prehistoric  are  probably  more  recent  than  is 
usually  supposed.  Many  of  them  contained,  ^vhen  dis- 
covered, the  curious  carved  and  polished  jade  ornaments 
called,  from  their  shape,  magatama^  Iwdafama^  etc. ; nnd 
jade,  according  to  Prof.  J.  Milne,  is  a stone  foreign  to 
Japan,  and  must  have  been  imported  from  abroad. 

The  progress  of  the  art  in  Japan  was  confessedly  very 
slow,  and  aided  at  every  step  by  Korea  or  China,  although 

* In  his  work  on  Japanese  pottery  entitled  Kwan  ko  dzu  setsu,  published  at 
Tokio,  in  five  parts,  with  colored  illustrations,  and  a partial  translation  of  the 
text  in  French.  ' 


CHINESE,  KOREAN,  AND  JAPANESE  CERAMICS.  31 


the  invention  of  the  potter’s  wheel  is  claimed  by  the  Jap- 
anese, as  well  as  in  quite  recent  times  that  of  clay  seg- 
gars.  The  invention  of  the  wheel  is  attributed  to  the 
Korean  Buddhist  monk  Griogi,  who  lived  from  670  to 
749  A.  D.  The  process  of  enameling  ^vas  not  adopted  till 
the  ninth  century,  according  to  Mr.  NinagaAva,  who  states 
that  although  glazed  ^vare  Avas  known  in  Japan  in  the 
eighth  century,  the  specimens  were  probably  imported,, 
and  that  glaze  was  not  applied  by  Japanese  potters  till 
the  next  century.  The  green  glazed  tiles  used  in  build- 
ing the  roof  of  the  imperial  palace  at  Uda  in  794  are 
supposed  to  have  been  of  Chinese  manufacture. 

Mr.  Chamberlain’s  i*esearches  into  the  ancient  writings  * 
have  demonstrated  that  the  chronology  of  the  Japanese 
anterior  to  the  opening  of  the  fifth  century  of  our  era  is 
fabricated,  and  that  even  the  myths  and  legends,  as 
related  in  the  earliest  written  documents  extant,  are  so 
intermingled  with  imported  Chinese  elements  that  much 
of  their  suggestiveness  is  destroyed.  He  sliows  the  nai*- 
row  limit  of  the  stock  of  knowledge  possessed  by  the 
early  Japanese  before  the  commencement  of  Chinese  and 
Korean  intercourse,  and  that  they  ^vere  certainly  not 
acquainted  with  a number  of  the  arts  and  products  which 
figure  in  true  historical  periods.  They  had  no  tea,  no 
fans,  no  porcelain,  no  lacquer,  none  of  the  things,  in  fact, 
by  which  in  later  tinies  they  have  been  chiefly  known. 
They  did  not  yet  use  vehicles  of  any  kind.  They  had 
no  accurate  method  of  computing  time ; no  money ; 
scarcely  any  kno\vdedge  of  medicine ; neither  do  we  hear 
anything  of  the  art  of  drawing,  though  they  possessed 
some  sort  of  music  and  poems,  a fe\v  of  which  are  not 
without  merit.  But  the  most  impoitant  art  of  which 
they  were  i2:norant  was  that  of  writiim.” 

I/O  O 

* See  the  introduction  to  his  translation  of  the  Kojiki  in  the  2'ra.nsactions  of 
the  Asiatic  Society  of  Japan,  1883. 


82 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


The  peninsula  of  Korea,  projecting  as  it  does  from  the 
northeast  of  China  toward  the  Japanese  islands,  has  been 
the  route  by  which  the  knowledge  of  many  of  the  arts 
has  traveled  to  the  latter  country.  Korea,  which  was 
anciently  divided  into  three  principalities — Kaoli,  Petsi,, 
and  Sinra — was  not  united  into  one  kingdom  until  about 
the  middle  of  the  tenth  century,  after  it  had  recovered 
its  independence,  toward  the  close  of  the  T'^ang  dynasty 
in  China.  In  a.  d.  463,  according  to  the  Japanese  report 
translated  by  Mr.  (now  Sir  Wollaston)  Franks,"^  some 
Japanese  princes  introduced  from  Petsi  a number  of  col- 
onists, among  whom  were  some  potters;  but  these  were 
stated  to  have  belonged  to  a Chinese  corporation  estab- 
lished in  Korea.  Koreans  were  also  concerned  in  found- 
ing the  factory  at  Karatsu  (Hizen)  at  the  end  of  the 
seventh  century,  as  well  as  some  other  industries,  the 
principal  of  which  was  the  well-known  ware  of  Satsuma,. 
where  the  kilns  were  built  on  Korean  models,  and  the  pot- 
ters formed  a class  apart,  not  being  allowed  to  marry  out 
of  their  own  community.  Excepting,  however,  the  Sat- 
suma  ware,  the  Koreans  do  not  appear  to  have  intro^ 
duced  any  pottery  of  remarkable  excellence,  and  we  hear 
nothing  of  their  making  porcelain.  The  real  reason  why 
the  Japanese  attached  such  a fanciful  value  to  Korean 
vessels,  and  why  they  continued  to  import  Korean  pot- 
ters long  after  they  tliemselves  had  made  so  much  prog- 
ress in  the  art,  was  connected  with  the  Tea  Ceremonies,  a 
peculiai*  institution  which  they  adopted  from  the  Chinese, 
and  which  has  l)een  often  described.  It  is  to  the  Chinese 
that  they  are  really  indebted  foi*  their  greatest  advances ; 
the  first  good  Japanese  glazed  potteiy  having  been  made 
at  Seto,  about  1280,  liy  Toshiro,  who  had  learned  the  art 
in  China;  while  the  first  porcelain  made  in  Japan  is 
attributed  to  Gorodayu  Slionsui,  Avho  went  to  study  the 

* Japanese  Pottery,  by  A,  W.  Franks,  London,  1880. 


CHINESE,  KOREAN,  AND  JAPANESE  C^ERAIMICS. 


83 


manufacture  in  China,  and  returned,  to  settle  at  Hizen, 
in  the  year  1518. 

The  Father  of  Pottery,”  Kato  Shirozayeinon,  more 
familiarly  known  as  Toshiro,  crossed  the  sea  at  the  age 
of  twenty,  in  company  with  the  Buddhist  abbot  Dogen, 
with  a view  to  studying  the  more  advanced  processes  of 
the  art  in  China,  and  returned  six  years  later,  in  1229,  to 
carry  liis  experience  into  practice  at  the  village  of  Seto, 
in  Owari.  He  brought  back  materials  with  him  and  made 
utensils  of  China  clay  which  are  called  by  tea-drinkers 
Kara-mono^  Chinese  ware.”  The  tea  jars  and  tea  bowls 
made  from  Seto  clay  by  him  and  his  descendants  for  four 
generations  are  known  as  Ko  Seto,  ‘‘  Old  Seto.”  They 
are  fashioned  of  stoneware,  invested  with  a black,  brown,, 
or  yellow  glaze,  and  are  good  in  form  and  color,  as  well 
as  perfect  in  technique.  Not  only  have  they  served  as 
models  for  Japanese  potters  down  to  the  present  day,  but 
the  celebrity  of  the  ware  has  given  the  generic  name  of 
Seto-mono,  or  Seto  ware,”  to  all  subsequent  pi'oducts  of 
the  ceramic  ai*t. 

Gorodayu  Shonsui,  who  brought  to  Japan  the  art  of 
porcelain-making,  was  a native  of  Ise,  and  imitated  the 
example  set  by  Toshiro  nearly  three  hundred  years 
before,  by  traveling  to  China  to  study  tlie  technical 
methods  of  an  art  new  to  his  countrymen.  He  spent 
several  years  in  Foo-chow,  during  which  time  he  is  sup- 
posed to  have  visited  Ching-te-chen,  and  returned  in  the 
eighth  year  of  the  Chinese  Emperoi*  Cherig-te  (a.  d.. 
1513).  This  reign  is  celebrated  for  its  blue  and  white 
porcelain,  decoi*ated  in  cobalt  blue  undei*  a white  glaze, 
and  we  find  that  this  is  the  kind  of  decoration  that  was 
first  produced  in  Japan.  Shonsui  took  the  precaution  to 
import  a considerable  quantity  of  the  petimtse^  Ixioliiiy 
and  cobaltiferous  nianganese  used  by  Chinese  potters, 
and  employed  them  in  the  making  of  vailous  small 


84 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


objects,  such  as  bowls,  sake  bottles,  aud  tea  jars,  painted 
in  blue  under  an  uncraclded  glaze.  A specimen  marked 
with  Ids  name,  made  by  him  in  China,  is  [^reserved  at 
Kara.  He  settled  finally  in  the  province  of  Hizen,  where 
he  built  several  kilns,  and  he  is  regarded  not  only  as  the 
founder  of  Japanese  porcelain,  but  as  the  first  Jap- 
anese ceramist  to  apply  the  principles  of  drawing  to  the 
ornamentation  of  j)ottery,  as  the  few  rude  outlines  occa- 
sionally found  upon  the  older  Avare  scarcely  merit  the 
name  of  painted  decoration. 

But  the  materials  brouglit  over  by  Shonsui  were  soon 
exhausted,  and,  in  default  of  native  material,  he  Avas 
unable  to  ci'eate  a genuine  native  industry,  and  his  suc- 
cessors could  achieve  nothing  but  faience,  although  that 
faience  Avas  no  longer  plain,  but  relieved  l)y  fairly 
executed  designs  under  the  glaze,  copied  in  part  from 
Chinese  models.  It  Avas  not  till  the  close  of  the  six- 
teenth century  (1599)  that  a Korean  named  Kisampei, 
aaJio  had  lieen  broimht  over  to  Hizen  after  the  Korean 
war  by  a genei*al  of  the  army  under  the  command  of 
Prince  Nabeshima,  found  the  lackinir  inm*edients  at 
Mount  Idzumi.  He  established  a iieAV  industry  in  Arita 
for  the  production  of  blue  and  white  Avare  {Somet&uhe)^ 
and,  as  the  materials  Avere  now  abundant  and  cheap,  a 
large  quantity  of  porcelain  Avas  turned  out.  The  novelty 
of  the  manufacture,  as  Captain  Brinkley  observes  in  his 
Historif  of  Japanese  Kerarnic,^,  combined  Avith  the  pop- 
ular taste  for  porcelain  already  developed  by  familiar- 
ity Avith  the  tine  specimens  China  furnished  under 
the  Ming  dynasty,  soon  made  it  extremely  })opular, 
though  he  declares  that  for  us  it  does  not  possess  so 
much  interest,  being  copied  directly  from  the  Chinese 
blue  and  white,  to  which  it  is  considerably  inferior  in 
purity  and  finish. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  neither  Bisampei  nor  any 


CHINESE,  KOREAN,  AND  JAPANESE  CERAMICS.  35 


other  among  the  large  number  of  Korean  potters  brought 
over  by  Taiko’s  generals  could  impart  to  their  con- 
querors a knowledge  of  decoration  in  enamels  over  the 
glaze.  This  honor  was  reserved  for  Higashima  Tokuzaye- 
mon,  a potter  of  Imari,  in  the  same  province  of  Hizen. 
He  is  said  to  have  learned  from  a Cliinese  visitor  to 
Nagasaki  the  method  of  painting  with  vitrifiable  colors 
upon  the  glaze,  and  succeeded,  with  the  assistance  of 
otlier  potters,  and  after  experiments  spread  over  several 
years,  in  this  new  class  of  decoration.  This  was  about 
the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century.  The  official 
Japanese  report  says  that  it  ^vas  in  the  second  year  of 
Sho-ho  (a.  d.  164:5)  that  the  export  of  pieces  ornamented 
with  colored  enamels,  in  gold  and  silvei*,  etc.,  was  begun, 
in  the  first  place  to  a Chinaman  named  Hachikan,  after- 
ward to  the  Dutch  traders.  It  was  made  especially  for 
the  foreign  market,  and  was  distributed  by  the  Dutch, 
Avho  had  a settlement  upon  the  island  of  Desima,  near  to 
Nagasaki,  and  were  allowed  exclusive  trading  privileges, 
to  all  parts  of  Europe,  where  it  afterwards  became 
known  as  ‘Dfid  Japan.”  M.  Jaccpiemart  f quotes  from 
the  Reports  of  the  Dutch  East  India  Company  the 
record  that  in  1664  eleven  ships  arrived  in  Holland  with 
forty-four  thousand  nine  hundred  and  forty-three  pieces 
of  Japanese  porcelain.  The  museum  at  Dresden  is 
remarkable  for  a large  series  of  noble  jars  and  vases  of 
the  most  elaborate  form  and  decoration,  which  was 
mainly  brought  together  by  Augustus  the  Strong,  King 
of  Poland  and  Elector  of  Saxony,  between  the  years 
1694-1705. 

The  Chinese  apply  the  name  of  loa  or  “ five 

colors,”  to  this  kind  of  decoration,  the  Japanese  form  of 

* Le  Japan  dV Exposition  JJniverselle  piiblie  a Paris  sous  la  direction 

de  la  Commission  Imperiale  Japonaise. 

f Ilistoire  (le  la.  Porcelaine,  par  A.  Jacqnemart  et  E.  Le  Blant,  Paris,  1862. 


36 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


which,  go-sai,  is  also  used  in  that  country,  although  the 
name  of  nisMM,  or  ‘‘  silken  brocade,”  is  much  more 
commonly  employed  in  Japan.  The  reign  of  Wan-li  in 
China  was  especially  celebrated  for  its  porcelain,  dec- 
orated in  colored  enamels,  which  supplied  the  first 
models  foi*  the  Japanese,  even  the  “ mark  ” being  often 
copied.  Ching-te-chen  suffered  veiy  much  in  the  wars 
at  the  close  of  the  Ming  dynasty,  which  was  finally 
overthrown  in  1643,  and  the  porcelain  industry  became 
almost  extinct.  Some  of  the  potters  perhaps  found  their 
way  to  Nagasaki,  conveyed  there  by  the  Dutch,  who 
seem  to  have  done  much  to  develop  the  manufacture  in 
Japan,  if  indeed  they  were  not  the  means  of  introducing 
it.  The  old  crackled  ware  of  China  that  lias  always  been 
so  highly  appreciated  in  Japan  is  imitated  there  in 
recent  times  under  the  name  of  hihi-yahi ; and  the  sea- 
green,  or  celadon,  under  the  name  of  seijiy/aM^seiji  being 
the  Japanese  form  of  cKing4z'}\  or  ‘\green  porcelain,” 
the  ordinary  Chinese  name  of  tliis  class. 

A recent  i*eport  upon  Japanese  poi'celain  exhibited 
at  Chicago  in  1893,  shows  how  they  are  still  working  in 
the  old  lines  and  succeeding  in  producing  marvels  of 
imitative  art.  Tlie  author  says  that,  speaking  broadly, 
there  are  at  jiresent  two  schools  of  ceramists  in  Japan, 
one  of  which  he  calls  the  Yokohama  school,  the  other 
the  Sinico-Japanese  scliool.  The  forniei*  owes  its  exist- 
ence primarily  to  the  demand  of  foreign  expoi*ters  and 
tourist  amateurs  for  brightly  ornate  and  decorative  speci- 
mens, and  produces  a mass  of  objects  in  the  ornamenta- 
tion of  which  profusion  of  color  and  lavishness  of  labor 
are  set  conspicuously  above  excellences  of  technicpie  and 
chastity  of  taste.  They  figure  by  hundreds  on  the 
shelves  of  bric-a-})rac  dealeivs,  decorated  with  mobs  of 

^Artistic  Japan  at  (Jiicarjo  : A Description  of  Japanese  Works  of  Art  sent 
^o  tlie  World’s  Fair,  by  F.  Brinkley,  Yokohama. 


CHINESE,  KOREAN,  AND  JAPANESE  CERAMICS. 


t^7 


saints,  crowds  of  warriors,  or  gardens  of  flowers  painted 
with  microscopic  accuracy ; but  all  such  were  ostracized 
by  the  Japanese  art  critics  and  ruthlessly  excluded  from 
the  Fine  Arts  Section  of  the  Exposition.  The  latter, 
the  Sinico- Japanese  school,  has  its  center  at  Kioto,  and 
Seifii  Yohei  figures  as  its  most  prominent  representative. 
This  potter  is  placed  in  the  foremost  rank  for  his  suc- 
cesses in  the  celadon,  ivory-white,  and  coral-red  glazes. 
The  reproduction  of  the  old  Chinese  celadon  has  always 
been  the  chief  ambition  of  the  Japanese,  but  no  one  has 
ever  approached  Seifu  in  this  line.  Occasional  pieces  of 
canary-yellow,  turquoise-blue,  or  aubergine-purple  faience 
from  his  kiln  are  said  to  liave  shown  the  hand  of  a 
master  of  monochromatic  glazes,  and  his  canary -yellow 
glazes  with  reserved  designs  in  rich  blue  to  have  been 
of  K’ang-hsi  type.  Next  to  him  among  the  masters  of 
the  Sinico- Japanese  school  is  ranked  Miyagawa  Kozan, 
of  Yokohama,  whose  essays  of  the  Chinese  ijao-pien  or 
^^transmutation”  glaze  astounded  the  public,  some  of 
his  polychrome  glazes  exhibiting  tints  of  rare  beauty, 
although  they  never  convey  the  impression  of  de])th  and 
solidity  that  belongs  to  the  Chinese  \vare  alone.  When 
his  first  copies  of  the  celel)rated  OJda)ig-ts((-hif itg  or 
‘^peach-bloom”  appeared  in  the  mai’ket,  the  astute 
Chinaman,  detecting  a golden  opportunity,  hastened  to 
acquire  as  many  as  possible,  inclosed  them  in  the 
traditional  silk-lined  boxes  of  his  country’s  collector,  and 
sold  them  to  trustful  Occidentals  at  fio:ures  commen- 
surate  Avith  the  magnitude  of  the  deception.  The 
periodical  openings  of  the  kilns  at  Ota  are  eagerly 
watched,  and  the  successful  pieces  incontinently  canned 
otf  to  New  York  or  Paris  by  such  adroit  niiddlenien. 
The  thii’d  potter  of  this  school  is  Takemoto  Ilayata,  of 
Tokio,  who  excels  in  the  glossy  black  glaze,  sometimes 
showing  tints  of  raven’s-wing  green,  and  hairlike  lines  of 


38 


ORIEiS^TAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


silver  or  dappling  of  golden  brown,  in  his  reproductions 
of  the  old  Chien  Yao  of  the  Sung  dynasty,  which  used 
to  turn  out  the  choice  cups  so  highly  prized  by  the 
dilettanti  of  the  Japanese  tea  clubs. 

But  these  things  are  not  made  for  the  purpose  of 
deception.  Like  Yeiraku  of  old,  the  modern  Japanese 
believes  that  until  a potter  can  reach  the  standard  of  the 
old  masters,  he  can  have  no  business  in  attempting  to 
strike  out  new  lines.  Who,  as  Captain  Brinkley  says, 
that  is  familiar  with  Avhat  China  achieved  prior  to  the 
close  of  the  eighteenth  century,  will  deny  that  the  field  of 
reproduction  offers  ample  scope  for  the  genius  of  any 
modern  expert  ? 


CHAPTER  III. 


mTRODUCTIOiS^  TO  THE  CLASSIFICATIOIS^  OF  CHEESE  PORCE- 
LAIIS^. INSCRIPTIONS. CHRONOLOGY. 

The  most  satisfactory  classification  of  porcelain  would 
be  a chronological  one,  which  should  be  based  upon 
the  actual  characteristics  of  the  objects  to  be  classified, 
with  reference  to  the  history  of  the  subject.  The  classifica- 
tion of  Oriental  porcelain  in  European  collections  has  been 
hitherto  mainly  empirical.  A glance  at  one  of  the  many 
works  of  Albert  Jacquemart,  so  beautifully  illustrated 
by  the  artistic  etchings  of  Jules  Jacquemart,  will  show 
how  the  author  confounds  Japanese  and  Chinese  speci- 
mens, and  endows  Korea  with  an  elaborately  decorated 
archaic  ware  of  perfect  finish  which  was  certainly  never 
produced  in  that  country.  In  his  History  of  the  Ceramic 
Art^  for  instance,  Chapter  HI,*  on  Korea,  is  illustrated 
by  two  figures  only,  and  the  first  of  these  is  a jar 
{jpoticlie^  of  Chinese  blue  and  white  decorated  with  floral 
arabesque  designs  ; the  second,  a Japanese  red  and  gold 
wine-pot  painted  with  the  imperial  Kiri-mon,  four  times 
repeated ; while  among  the  four  specimens  selected  to 
illustrate  Chapter  II,  on  Japan,  the  second  is  a Chinese 
eggshell  plate,  although  only  the  vulgar,”  accoi'ding  to 
the  author,  confound  such  artistically  enameled  pieces 
with  those  of  his  own  Chinese  Rose  Jamily  ; the  thii*d,  a 
mandarin  jar  ” with  gold  filigree  ground,  is  as  certainly 
Chinese ; and  the  fourth,  a hexas^onal  vase  with  reticu- 

* Ilistoire  de  la  Ceramique,  par  A.  Jacquemart,  Paris,  1873.  Translated 
into  English  by  Mrs.  Bury  Palliser,  History  of  the  Ceramic  Art,  second  edition, 
London,  1877. 


39 


40 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


lated  open-work  panels  of  vigorous  iron-red,  framing 
softly  painted  medallions,”  lias  every  appearance  of  be- 
longing to  the  same  school  of  art.  The  Chinese  class  of 
laque  hurgmitee  porcelain  again  is  referred  by  M.  Jacque- 
mart  to  Japan;  and  old  Japan”  pieces  of  Imari  origin^ 
decorated  in  colors,  are  placed  by  him,  on  the  other  hand, 
among  the  Chinese  ware,  because  they  are  often  marked 
underneath  with  a Chinese  nien  hao,  or  reign. 

It  is  always  unsafe  to  rely  implicitly  upon  the  marks 
attached  to  Oriental  porcelain.  The  Japanese  constantly 
employ  Chinese  marks,  penciled,  however,  generally  in  a 
peculiar  style,  so  as  to  betray  a foreign  hand  to  any  one 
familiar  with  the  native  style  of  writing.  The  Chinese 
themselves  seldom  attach  a true  mark  of  date,  excepting 
upon  pieces  produced  at  the  imperial  manufactory. 
There  special  writers  are  retained  to  pencil  the 
seal,  which  is  outlined  in  the  most  approved  antique 
style. 

The  classification  of  the  modern  private  fabrics  pro- 
duced at  Ching-te-chen  described  in  the  books  includes  : 
(1)  Kuan  hu  clCi  ^),  ^‘Imperial  ancient 

ware”;  (2)  Sliang  hu  cKi  (J^  ^ ‘‘Ware  of  the 

highest  antiquity  ” ; (3)  Chung  hu  cl  Hi  (4'  * 

Ware  of  middle  antiquity”;  (4)  YuhucKi  {^]\ 

Glazed  ancient  ware  ” ; (5)  Hsiao  hu  chH  ('J' 

Small  ancient  pieces”;  and  (6)  CYang  hu  cliH, 
(■^  ■^1  “Ordinary  ancient  ware.”  It  is  not  pre- 

tended that  any  of  these  things  are  really  ancient,  but 
the  Chinese  consumer  adores  antiquity,  and  will  have 
nothing  called  modern  ; so  that  we  find  the  commonest 
of  crockery  shops  or  street  stalls  full  of  articles  of  blue 
and  white  marked  Hsilan4e^  and  of  colored  pieces 
marked  CK eng-hua^  that  have  not  the  slightest  pretension 
to  date  from  the  Ming  dynasty.  The  former  reign  was 
celebrated  for  its  blue,  the  latter  for  its  colors,  and  the 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


41 


ware  of  to-day  must  be  marked  accordiugly.  It  is  a 
mere  matter  of  fashion  or  custom. 

The  reign  of  K'^ang-lisi  (1662-1722)  is  famous  both 
for  its  dazzling  monochrome  glazes  and  for  the  brilliant 
enamel  colors  of  its  decorated  porcelain.  The  long  reign 
of  this  emperor  forms  the  culminating  period  of  ceramic 
art  in  China  ; the  imperial  factory  turned  out  pieces  of 
the  finest  quality,  and  the  private  potteries  produced  a 
profusion  of  ware  of  every  grade,  that  was  circulated 
throughout  the  Chinese  Empire,  and  distributed  besides 
to  all  parts  of  the  world  by  the  ships  of  the  East  India 
Companies ; yet  genuine  marks  of  this  reign  are  rare.  It 
is  recorded  in  the  annals  of  Fou-liang  that  in  the  six- 
teenth year  of  the  reign  of  K\mg-hsi  (1677),  when  the 
imperial  factory  was  rebuilt  after  the  civil  wars  excited 
by  the  rebellion  of  Wu  San-kiiei,  the  governor  of  the 
city,  Chang  Ch’i-chung,  issued  a proclamation  forbidding 
the  potters  of  Ching-te-chen  writing  either  the  name  of 
the  reign,  or  texts  from  any  of  the  sacred  or  classical 
works,  lest  the  porcelain  should  be  broken  and  the  sacred 
characters  trampled  in  the  dust  and  profaned.  The  im- 
perial pieces  of  the  time  when  he  was  the  official  in 
charge  are  consequently  found  with  only  a double  ring,  a 
survival  of  the  old  mai*k  of  which  it  formed  the  border, 
underneath  ; the  unofficial  ware  marked  with  a fanciful 
artist’s  signature,  a spray  of  flowers,  a leaf,  a vase,  etc.,  or 
with  some  propitious  symbol,  if  not  with  a fictitious  date 
of  the  preceding  dynasty.  I refer  especially  to  the  tall 
vases,  jars,  and  beakers,  and  the  large  round  dislies, 
which  occupy  a prominent  place  in  most  Oriental  collec- 
tions, boldly  decorated  in  enamel  colors,  relieved  per- 
haps by  a ground  enameled  black,  green,  buff,  or  yellow, 
painted  either  over  the  white  glaze  or  on  biscuit.” 
In  spite  of  the  marks,  there  is  slender  ground  for  the 
common  practice  of  classifying  any  of  these  large  pieces 


42 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


as  Ming^  even  if  they  be  of  coarse  fabric,  rough  execu- 
tion, and  so-called  archaic  aspect. 

A few  words  on  the  writing  and  history  of  China  may 
not  be  out  of  place  here  before  proceeding  to  the  classi- 
fication and  description  of  marks  on  porcelain.  The 
Chinese  language,  I need  hardly  say,  is  monosyllabic,  and 
each  word  is  represented  by  a separate  “ character  ” in 
the  written  script.  These  characters  seem  to  have  been 
originally  pictures  of  natural  objects  which  have  been 
subsequently  combined  in  various  ways,  as  phonetics, 
and  as  determinatives  or  radicals.  The  radicals  in 
modern  use  are  214,  a number  arbitrarily  fixed  for  dic- 
tionary purposes,  as  a means  of  classifying  the  20,000  or 
more  written  characters  of  the  language,  and  of  provid- 
ing a convenient  method  of  coining  new  combinations. 
The  large  majority  of  the  characters  in  actual  use  consists 
of  the  two  parts  referred  to  above — viz.,  a radical,  which 
gives  a clew  to  the  meaning  by  indicating  the  particular 
class  of  things  or  ideas  to  which  the  combination  of 
which  it  forms  a part  belongs,  and  a phonetic,  which 
conveys  some  idea  of  the  sound. 

A few  words  of  frequent  occurrence  in  works  on 
ceramics  may  serve  as  an  illustration,  and  at  the  same 
time  afford  an  opportunity  of  defining  the  meanings  of 
the  characters.  Among  the  radicals,  those  referring 
directly  to  the  subject  are  the  98th,  wa^  a general 
name  for  earthenware,  while  was  originally  a picture  of 
a round  tile  ; the  108th,  fll,  min,  the  ancient  form  of 
which  resembled  a circular  dish  ; while  the  121st, 
foil,  applied  to  ceramic  vessels  generally,  delineated  a 
wine-jar  or  vase;  and  the  193d,  [^,  in  its  original 
form  sliowed  the  mouth,  belly,  and  crooked  legs  of  a 
three-footed  caldron,  the  upper  horizontal  line  being  the 
cover.  In  older  books  these  different  radicals  are  often 
interchanged  so  that  the  characters  p'ing,  vase,”  and 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  CHINESE  POECELAIN. 


43 


ymgj  cruse,”  may  be  written  either  with  wa^  earthen- 
ware,” or  fou^  vessel,”  prefixed  to  the  two  phonetics. 
Some  of  the  characters  had  originally  other  radicals, 
such  as  mu^  wood,”  yil^  jade,”  chin^  metal,”  or  shili^ 
stone,”  attached  to  the  phonetics,  and  a study  of  the 
ancient  forms  employed  in  writing  will  show  the  ma- 
terials of  which  these  utensils  were  made. 

Wa^  with  the  addition  of  different  phonetics, 

forms  chuan^  a brick,  applied  to  fine  terra- 

cotta ware  of  the  period  anterior  to  the  Christian  era, 

porcelain,  and  the  names  of  many  utensils,  such  as 
ying^  a cruse,  with  perforated  ears  ” for  stringing  a 
cord,  weng^  a large  earthenware  jar,  etc. 

Min^  M,  is  the  radical  of  many  kinds  of  vessels  of 
domestic  and  sacrificial  use,  such  as  chan^  winecups, 
basins,  pe%  winecups,  wan^  bowls, 
basins,  ho,  boxes,  pW,  dishes,  etc. 

Foil,  is  the  radical  of  a natural  group  of  characters 

relating  to  vases,  and  the  like,  such  as  hang,  fish- 
bowl, yao,  jar,  p’ing,  bottle,  tsun,  sacrificial 

vase,  huan,  covered  pot,  fan,  wine-jar,  etc.  It  forms 

an  integral  part  of  fao,  a very  ancient  character, 
applied  to  pottery  in  its  widest  sense,  so  as  to  include  all 
kinds  of  ware  fired  in  kilns,  and  of  yao,  a character 
of  more  recent  construction,  signifying  both  kiln  and,  as 
a secondary  meaning,  tlie  product  of  the  kiln.  Both  of 
these  words  are  used  in  modern  books  as  synonyms  of 
thu,  porcelain.  The  original  form  of  |5^,  fao,  was 
without  the  radical  ~^,fou,  place,  which  was  added 
subsequently,  and  it  is  written  tlius  in  the  ancient  diction- 
ary Shno  Wen,  wliich  defines  it  as  meaning earthen- 
ware,” “composed  of  'i^,fou,  and  pao,  the  phonetic 
being  omitted.”  It  liad  two  different  sounds,  fao  and 
yao,  both  of  which  are  preserved  in  old  names  ; Fao 
(the  modeiTi  P’ing-yaiig-fu  in  Shansi)  being  the  name  of 


44 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


one  of  the  principalities  of  the  ancient  Emperor  Yao\ 
Kao  Yao  that  of  the  upright  judge  of  the  time 

of  the  Emperor  Shun^  the  successor  of  Yao.  Originally 
meaning  kiln,”  fao  is  now  used  to  signify  “ pottery,”  in 
its  widest  sense,  including  porcelain  among  the  other 
products  of  the  potter’s  skill.  Unfortunately,  the  word 
pottery  is  often  used  by  us  in  ordinary  parlance  to  mean 
faience  and  common  earthenware,  in  contradistinction  to 
porcelain,  so  that  the  rendering  of  fao  as  pottery,”  con- 
venient as  it  is,  may  be  liable  to  some  misconception. 
The  rendering  of  tYu  as  “ porcelain  ” would  also  be  some- 
times inappropriate,  as  the  Chinese  include  in  the  term 
any  pale  stoneware  in  which  the  paste  has  been  suffi- 
ciently vitrified  to  produce  a clear  ring  on  percussion, 
although  it  may  be  too  thick  and  opaque  to  transmit 
light,  one  of  the  characteiistics  on  which  we  rely  in  our 
definition  of  porcelain. 

With  regard  to  the  transliteration  of  the  Chinese 
cliaractei's  into  English,  the  system  adopted  here  is  that 
of  Sir  Thomas  Wade,  whose  syllabary  of  the  mandarin 
dialect,  explained  in  his  Chinese  Course,  tlie  Tzu  Erh  Ch% 
is  almost  universally  followed  in  China,  and  forms  the 
basis  of  the  two  most  i*ecent  dictionaries  of  the  Chinese 
language,  the  large  work  of  Mr.  Herbert  Giles,  and  the 
small,  inexpensive  Pochet  IHcUotiarff  of  the  Rev. 
Chaiincey  Goodrich,  Peking,  1891,  which  every  one  who 
is  intei’ested  in  the  subject  ought  to  possess.  The 
20,000  characters  of  the  written  script  are  comprised 
in  a syllabary  of  some  500  sounds.  In  speaking? 
these  ai’e  differentiated  into  foui‘  “ tones,”  which, 
however,  may  be  disregarded  in  writing.  The  vowels 
and  dij)h thongs  must  be  generally  pronounced  as  in 
Italian,  the  consonants  as  in  English.  Some  consonants 
at  the  beginning  of  words  may  be  aspirated  ; such  as  c/q 
Z‘,  and  /,  when  they  have  an  apostrophe  affixed,  are 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


45 


written  cA’,  T^\  p\  t\  and  pronounced  accordingly,  fa,  for 
example,  being  read  like  hit  hard  ” with  the  first  two 
and  last  two  letters  omitted.  The  initial  Jis  is  one  of  the 
peculiarities  of  the  Peking  mandarin  dialect ; lising  is 
pronounced  somewhat  like  ‘‘  hissing  ” without  the  first  i : 
another  peculiarity  is  the  softening  of  the  initials  h and 
ts  before  certain  vowels,  by  which  the  name  of  the 
famous  emperor  of  the  last  century  has  become  CKien- 
lung,  instead  of  Iden-lung,  that  of  the  Ming  emperor 
who  reigned  1522-1566,  Chia-ching,  in  place  of  Kia- 
tsing.  This  results  from  the  same  philological  law 
which  causes  similar  changes  of  Latin  words  in  the 
Italian  and  French  of  modern  days. 

The  written  script  of  the  Chinese  has  also  become 
gradually  changed  in  course  of  time.  Its  most 
archaic  form  is  seen  in  the  inscriptions  upon  ancient 
bronze  vessels  dating  from  the  three  earliest  dynasties, 
which  have  been  discovered  at  various  times  buried  in 
tlie  ground,  and  illustrated  in  voluminous  works  by 
native  antiquarians,  such  as  the  Po  leu  fou,  which  was 
published  in  thirty  books  in  the  reign  of  Hsiian-ho 
(1119-1125),  and  the  Hsi-CIfing  hit  cliien,  the  well-known 
large  folio  catalogue  of  the  extensive  collection  of  the 
Emperor  CliHen-lung  (1736-1795).  Among  the  most 
ancient  inscribed  monuments  are  the  ten  stone  drums  of 
the  eighth  century  before  Christ,  preserved  in  the  gate- 
way of  the  Confucian  Temple  at  Peking,  which  are 
engraved  with  odes  in  praise  of  hunting  and  fishing, 
written  in  tlie  antique  script  which  was  invented  by 
Chou,  the  grand  historiographer  of  Ilsilani  Wang  (b.  c. 
827-780),  to  reydace  the  archaic  ideograyihic  characters.* 
These  are  the  ^ Clman  feV,  the  characters  in  which 
the  ancient  annals  were  written  uyion  tablets  of  bamboo 

* The  Stone  Brums  of  the  Chou  Dynasty,  by  S.  W.  Busliell,  M.  D,  Transac- 
tions of  the  North  China  Branch  of  the  Royal  Asiatic  Society,  vol.  viii,  1873. 


46 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


before  the  invention  of  paper.  In  foreign  books  they  are 
commonly  known  as  seal  characters,”  because  modern 
seals  are  usually  engraved  in  this  style.  The  seals  and 
other  marks  on  porcelain  are  often  penciled  in  this 
antique  script,  so  as  to  require  the  use  of  the  Shuo  WeUy 
an  ancient  dictionary  of  a.  d.  121,  for  their  decipherment. 
These  characters,  called  ta  cJiuan^  or  greater 

chuan,”  were  succeeded  by  the  “ lesser  chuan,”  Jisiao 
chuan,  /J^  which  w^ere  invented  by  Li  Ssii,  the 
notorious  minister  of  ChHii  SJdli  Huang^  the  emperor  of 
the  third  century  b.  c.,  who  burned  the  old  books  and 
built  the  Great  Wall  of  China. 

A pair  of  porcelain  seals  in  the  collection,  with  lion 
handles  richly  decorated  in  colors,  of  which  one  is  shown 
in  Fig.  58,  are  inscribed  with  chuan  idzu.  The  inscrip- 
tions are  seen  in  Fig.  59.  The  first,  on  the  left,  has  three 
characters  in  the  most  archaic  script,  Hsiang  Shan  Shih — 
i.  e.,  native  of  Hsiang  Shan  the  second  is  inscribed 
with  four  characters,  P^ei  Shuai-tu  Yin^  ^^seal  of  P’ei 
Shuai-tu,”  the  personal  name  of  the  individual  for  whom 
the  seal  was  made.  These  were  followed  almost  immedi- 
ately by  the  square  characters  called  1%  “ official,” 
that  were  first  used  in  writing  documents  in  the  official 
Boards,  and  were  afterward  gradually  transformed  into 
the  regular  characters  called  IcHai  shu,  which,  first 

fashioned  under  the  Chin  dynasty  (265-419),  have  sur- 
vived with  little  modification  to  the  present  day,  and  are 
employed  in  printed  books  as  well  as  in  formal  written 
manuscripts.  Two  different  cursive  scilpts  have  sur- 
vived at  the  same  time : the  ts\to  sJm^  or  grass 

hand,”  in  which  the  characters  are  contracted  and  abbre- 
viated foi‘  the  quick  writei*,  which  w^as  invented  liy  a 
eunuch  of  the  yialace  in  the  first  century  b.  c.;  and  the 
If  hsing  shuj  or  iTinning  hand,”  in  which  the  char- 
acters are  I'apidly  written  without  raising  tlie  pencil,  but 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  CHINESE  POECELAIN. 


47 


unabbreviated,  which  was  started  by  Liu  Te-sheng  in  the 
reign  of  the  Emperor  Huan  Ti  (147-167). 

Any  of  these  styles  of  writing  may  be  found  upon 
porcelain.  The  grass  hand  ” is  the  most  difficult  for 
the  uninitiated,  because  the  characters  are  contracted 
according  to  the  fancy  of  each  individual  scribe.  The 
stanzas  of  poetry  which  are  quoted  as  labels  for  pictures 
are  often  written  in  this  style ; it  is  found  also  on  the 
little  porcelain  bottles  which  have  drifted  in  such  num- 
bers from  Egypt  into  our  museums,  and  which  were 
supposed  once  to  be  of  fabulous  antiquity,  until  the 
lines  scribbled  upon  them — The  flowers  open,  and  lo  ! 
another  year,”  Only  upon  this  solitary  hill  ” — opposite 
rudely  outlined  flowers,  had  been  traced  to  poets  of  the 
T’ang  dynasty. 

Such  scraps  of  verses  are  often  written  on  small  pieces, 
and  form,  perhaps,  the  sole  decoration,  as  in  the  case  of 
a little  pair  of  hlcmc-de-ohine  winecups  fi’om  the  province 
of  Fuchien,  of  which  Fig.  60  is  one.  The  stanza  carved 
in  the  paste  under  the  velvety  glaze  of  creamy  tone 
reads : 

“ Drunken  with  wine,  I leave  in  you,  sir, 

A libation  for  the  bright  moon.” 

There  is  always  presumed  to  be  in  China  an  intimate 
connection  between  the  art  of  poesy  and  Bacchus,  and 
Luna. 

The  verses  inscribed  on  vases  are  usually  connected 
with  the  subject  of  the  decoration,  which  is  perhaps 
chosen  to  illustrate  the  verse.  The  vase,  for  example,  in 
Fig.  61  is  decorated  in  the  lower  panel  with  a 23icture  of 
a hunting  scene,  to  illustrate  an  ode  of  the  Emperor 
Ch’ien-lung’s  composition,  which  is  written  in  tlie  upper 
panel  and  signed  with  the  imperial  autograph  : 

* The  name  of  the  emperor  is  framed  in  coral-red,  the  special  color  of  the 
imperial  “vermilion  pencil.'’  The  character  Gli'ien  is  here  written  in  antique 


48 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


“ Clouds  overspread  the  vaulted  sky,  the  air  at  dawn  is  chill; 

The  ring  is  spread  for  the  hunt,  when  the  sun  is  but  three  poles 
high. 

Clad  in  warm  cloak  of  sable  fur,  it  seems  to  me  like  spring: 

How  different  for  you  all  round,  in  your  single,  unlined  coats!  ” 

Anotlier  beautiful  vase  of  tbe  same  period  (Fig.  62), 
decorated  on  one  side  with  a view  of  a picturesque  land- 
scape with  temples  on  a wooded  hill,  representing  the 
island  of  Yen  Yti  Shan,  ‘^The  Hill  of  Mist  and  Rain,”  in 
the  lake  at  the  city  of  Hangchou,  has  four  stanzas  of 
rhyming  verse  penciled  in  black  on  the  reverse  side  (J), 
perfectly  written,  and  signed  iu  antique  style  with  the 
seal  Yun  Ku,  ^‘Valley  of  the  Clouds.”  They  may  be 
rendered  : 

For  miles  round,  orioles  warble  at  dawn  in  the  rose-tinted 
trees; 

Hotli  sliore  hamlets  and  hill  forts  show  the  wine-flags  waving  in 
the  breeze. 

Here  in  the  Southern  Dynasties  stood  four  hundred  and  eighty 
fanes,  » 

And  as  many  wood-circled  spires,  all  half  hidden  by  mists  and 
rains.” 

The  coral-red  bowl  of  the  Tao-Kuang  Period  (Fig.  63), 
has  an  inscription  reserved  in  white  on  the  bright-red 
ground,  which  also  refers  to  the  subject  of  the  decora- 
tion, reserved  on  the  other  side  of  the  bowl,  consisting 
of  sprays  of  white  plum  blossoms  delicately  tinted  with 
soft  green  and  I’ed.  The  verse,  with  a fanciful  heading 
inscribed  in  a leaf-]ianel  Moon  Cut,”  is  signed  Ya  Wan^ 


script ; ill  other  similar  inscriptions,  as  in  Fig.  65,  below,  it  is  replaced  in  the 
first  small  circular  panel  by  three  parallel  unbroken  horizontal  strokes,  the  first 
of  the  eight  “ trigrams  ” of  divination,  which,  like  Ch'ien,  conveys  the  mean- 
ing of  “ heaven.” 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


49 


Literary  Toy/’  which  occurs  also  as  a ‘‘  mark,”  as  we 
shall  see  later.  It  may  be  translated  : 

The  trees,  enveloped  in  clouds  of  melting,  dawn-red  tint. 

Show  leaves  of  deepest  green  and  flowers  of  jadelike  white; 

The  buds,  like  precious  pearls,  spread  out  early  in  the  spring- 
time; ■ 

The  powder-pot  of  palace  beauty  sprinkled  into  snowy 
flowers.” 

We  will  give  one  more  inscription,  in  verse,  from  the 
pen  of  the  Emperor  Ch’ien-lung,  in  Fig.  65,  which  is 
a slightly  magnified  representation  of  the  beautiful  little 
snuff-bottle  shown  in  Fig.  64.  It  is  interesting  as 
devoted  especially  to  the  ceramic  question,  and  as  giving 
the  views  of  an  illustrious  connoisseur,  whose  poetic 
effusions,  I may  mention,  ai*e  printed  and  fill  some  tens 
of  volumes.'^'  The  other  side  of  the  snuff-bottle  (Fig. 
64)  is  decorated  in  enamel  colors  Avith  a miniature 
garden  scene  containing  a i*ockery  and  mountain  j^eonies, 
and  a boy  carrying  a basket  from  which  he  is  feeding 
a hen  and  chickens.  The  inscription  is  penciled  in 
black  and  authenticated  by  the  imperial  seal  in  red 
affixed  below  in  two  small  laliels.  There  is  also  a mark 
underneath,  written  in  one  line  of  seal  characters,  CKien- 
lung  nien  chilly  Made  in  the  reign  of  CKien-lung  ” 
(1736-1795).  The  ode  runs  : 


* Wylie,  ill  liis  Notes  on  Chinese  Literature  (London  and  Shanghai,  1867), 
says  that,  besides  several  extensive  collections  of  essays  and  discourses,  this 
monarch  left  to  posterity  a tpiadruple  collection  of  poems.  The  first,  in  forty- 
eight  books,  contains  4,150  pieces,  composed  during  the  first  twelve  years  of 
his  reign  ; the  second,  in  one  hundred  books,  contains  upward  of  8.470  pieces, 
composed  between  1748  and  1759  ; the  third,  in  one  hundred  and  twelve  books, 
contains  11,620  pieces,  written  during  the  next  twelve  years  ; and  the  fourth, 
also  in  one  hundred  and  twelve  books,  includes  9,700  pieces,  written  between 
the  years  1772  and  1789,  the  wdiole  work  comprising  about  83,950  poetical  com- 
positions.— Editor’s  Note. 


50 


ORIEOTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


“Yueh-chou  porcelain  of  the  Li  dynasty  of  T’ang  is  no  longer 
extant: ^ 

The  imperial  ware  of  the  Cliao  house  of  Sung  is  rare  as  stars  at 
dawn. 

Yet  the  ancient  ritual  vessels  of  Yin  and  Chou  abound  in  the 
present  day: 

Their  material,  bronze,  is  stronger;  vessels  of  clay  are  more 
fragile. 

But  though  strong  and  rude  they  last,  the  weak  and  polished 
perish : 

So  honest  worth  wears  well  in  daily  life,  and  should  be  ever 
prized. 

The  Chu  dynasty  of  Ming,  going  back  from  to-day,  is  not  so  far 
remote: 

And  the  artistic  gems  of  Hsiian  and  Ch’eng  may  be  seen  occa- 
sionally. 

Their  brilliant  })olish  and  their  perfect  coloring  are  universally 
lauded ; 

Aiid  among  them  the  ‘ Cliicken  Winecups’  are  the  very  crown 
of  all. 

The  Mutan  peonies  under  a bright  sun  opening  in  the  balmy 
spring; 

The  hen  and  chicken  close  together,  arid  the  cock  in  all  his  glory, 

With  golden  tail  and  ii’on  spurs,  his  head  held  straight  erect. 

In  angry  poise  ready  for  combat,  as  if  he  heard  the  call  of  Chia 
Ch’ang. 

The  clever  artist  has  I'endered  all  the  naturalistic  details 

In  a style  handed  down  from  old  time,  varying  in  each  period: 

Jbit  I will  think  only  in  m\^  own  mind  of  the  ancient  Odes  of 
Ch’i, 

And  not  dare  to  cherish  my  own  ease  when  it  is  time  to  rise  early. 

“ Composed  by  the  Emperor  Ch’ieu-liiug'  in  the  cyclical  year 
ping-shen,  and  sealed  by  him.” 

* The  Yueh  porcelain  of  the  T\ing  (618-906)  and  the  “Imperial  Ware” 
{KuatiTao)  oi  the dynasty  (960-1279)  will  be  described  presently.  The 
Tin  and  Chou  were  the  last  two  of  the  three  ancient  dynasties  b.  c.  The 
reigns  of  the  Ming  dynasty  alluded  to  are  those  of  llsaan-U  (1426-1435)  and 
CNeng-hua  (1465-1487),  both  famous  for  their  porcelain.  Chia-Ch’ang  lived 
in  the  reign  of  Ming  Tsung  (926-933),  of  the  After  Tang,  and  w^as  employed 
by  the  emperor  on  account  of  his  skill  with  lighting-cocks.  The  Ode  of  Ch’i, 
referred  to  in  the  last  stanza,  enjoins  the  sovereign  not  to  lie  in  bed  after  cock- 
crow. The  year  ping-shen  of  the  cycle  corresponds  to  a.  d.  1776. 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  CHINESE  POKCELAIN. 


51 


A pamphlet  was  published  early  in  the  nineteenth 
century  with  a translation  of  this  inscription  and  an 
illustration  of  the  winecup  from  which  it  was  taken, 
which  is  decorated  Avith  a picture  similar  to  that 
described  above.  It  is  entitled  Ly-T'^ang^  An  Imperial 
Poem  in  Chinese,  by  Kien-Liing,  with  a Translation  and 
Notes  by  Stephen  Weston,  F.  li.  S.,  F.  S.  A.,  London, 
1809.  Dedicated  to  Sir  George  Staunton,  Bart.  It  is 
quoted  in  Marks  and  Monograms  on  Fottery  and  Porce- 
lain^ by  W.  Chaffers,  1891,  seventh  edition,  pp.  310, 
312,  ‘Go  show  the  difficulty  of  translating  Chinese.” 
The  translation  certainly  differs  from  mine.  It  begins  : 

‘‘  Ly-T’ang,  idle  and  unemployed,  in  a vacant  and 
joyless  hour  spake  thus : ‘ Behold  the  sun,  star  of  the 
morning,  rise  on  my  furnace  and  illumine  my  hall  iindei* 
an  imperial  dynasty.’  Great  is  the  beauty  and  high  the 
antiquity  of  sacred  vases,”  etc.;  but  I will  refer  the 
curious  to  the  Catalogue  of  the  British  Museum,  a Avhole 
page  of  which  is  filled  with  the  titles  of  the  works  of 
Mr.  Weston,  aaTo  seems  to  haA^e  been  a leading  light  of 
the  Society  of  Antiquaries  of  the  time. 

The  mai-ks  on  Chinese  porcelain  are  AAuitten  on  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  piece.  In  the  more  ancient  speci- 
mens they  occur  generally  on  some  part  of  the  surface, 
Avritten  in  a A^ertical  or  horizontal  panel  which  forms 
part  of  the  decoration,  because  the  base  is  so  often 
left  unglazed.  Under  the  reigning  dynasty,  on  the  con- 
trary, the  mark  is  usually  either  penciled  or  impressed 
underneath  the  vase  or  boAAd.  The  inscription  generally 
marks  the  date  according  to  the  native  systems  of 
chronology,  of  Avhich  there  are  tAvo : first,  the  cycle 
of  sixty  years ; second,  the  niendiao^  or  title  of  the  reign 
of  the  emperor. 

The  cycle  of  sixty  is  indicated  by  a combination  of 
the  “Ten  Stems  ” Avith  the  “TAvelve  Branches.” 


52 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


The  ^‘Ten  Stems  ” which  compose  the  Denary  Cycle 

are 

• 

1. 

Chia 

' Corresponding  to  the  element  ^ 

2. 

2i,Yi 

1 Mu,  Wood. 

8. 

Ping  1 

Corresponding  to  the  element  ^ 

4. 

T , Ting  1 

Huo,  Fire. 

5. 

)X,  Wu  ' 

Corresponding  to  the  element 

6. 

S,  Chi 

, T\i,  Earth. 

7. 

Keng  ] 

Corresponding  to  the  element  ^ 

8. 

Hsin  1 

Chin,  Metal. 

9. 

Jen 

Corresponding  to  the  element  7jC 

10. 

Kuei  * 

r Shui,  Water. 

The  Twelve 

Branches  ” which  compose  the  Duo- 

denary  Cycle  mark  the  divisions  of  the  Chinese  zodiac, 
the  liorary  periods  of  the  day,  and  are  equivalent  to  the 
animal  cycle  adopted  from  the  Tai*tars.  They  are : 

1.  Tzu 

Sh  u,  the  Rat. 

2.  3:,  Ch’ou JViu,  the  Ox. 

3.  Yin 

Hu,  the  Tiger. 

4.  ^U,  Mao 

T'u,  the  Hare. 

5.  Ch’en Lung,  the  Dragoiu 

6.  Ssu  . 

She,  the  Serpent. 

7.  Wn 

Ma,  the  Horse. 

8.  Wei 

Yang,  the  Goat.. 

8. 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


53 


9. 

Shen  . . 

Hoii,  the  Monkey. 

10. 

m,  Yu  . . 

• • • Cock. 

11. 

Hsii 

. . Ch’^uan,  the  Dog. 

12. 

% Hai  . . 

...  1^,  CJm,  the  Pig. 

By  joining  the  first  of  the  twelve  to  the  first  of  the 
ten  signs  the  combination  ^ chia-tzu^  is  formed,  and 
so  on  in  succession  until  the  tenth  sign  is  reached,  when 
a fresh  commencement  is  made,  the  eleventh  of  the 
series  of  twelve  “ branches  ” being  next  appended  to  the 
sign  ^,^cJda,  The  sixty  combinations  thus  formed  are 
called  the  CJda  tzu  series,  commonly  known  as  the  cycle  of 
sixty.  This  has  been  employed  from  a period  of  remote 
antiquity  foi*  the  purpose  of  designating  successive  days. 
It  was  not  till  the  Han  dynasty,  in  the  century  preced- 
ing the  Christian  era,  that  it  was  applied  to  tlie  number- 
ing of  years.  The  official  chronology  stai*ts  with  the 
year  b.  c.  2637,  so  that  the  beginning  of  our  era  corre- 
sponds with  the  fifty-eighth  year  of  the  forty-fourth 
cycle.  The  following  table  shows  the  cycles  posterior 
to  the  Christian  era,  and  will  be  found  useful  for  the 
calculation  of  any  given  cyclical  date  : 


54 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


TABLE  I. 

CHINESE  CYCLES  45  TO  76,  OR  A.  D.  4 TO  1923. 


CYCLICAL  SIGNS. 

CYCLE 

COMMENCING 

CYCLICAL  SIGNS. 

CYCLE 

COMMENCING 

A.  D. 

4 

304 

604 

904 

1204 

1504 

1804 

A.  D. 

64 

364 

664 

964 

1264 

1564 

1864 

A.  D. 

124 

424 

724 

1024 

1324 

1624 

A.  D. 

184 

484 

784 

1084 

1384 

1684 

A.  D. 

244 

544 

844 

1144 

1444 

1744 

A.  D. 

4 

304 

604 

904 

1204 

1504 

1804 

A.  D. 

64 

364 

664 

964 

1264 

1564 

1864 

A.  D. 

124 

424 

724 

1024 

1324 

1624 

A.  D. 

184 

484 

784 

1084 

1384 

1684 

1 A.  D. 

1 

244 

544 

844 

1144 

1444 

1744 

04 

64 

24 

84 

44 

¥ 

34 

94 

54 

14 

1 74 

^5: 

05 

65 

25 

85 

45 

B 

35 

95 

55 

15 

: 75 

06 

66 

26 

86 

46 

n 

36 

96 

56 

16 

76 

rm 

07 

67 

27 

87 

47 

T 

m 

37 

97 

57 

17 

77 

08 

68 

28 

88 

48 

)X 

38 

98 

58 

18 

78 

B B 

09 

69 

29 

89 

49 

B 

39 

99 

59 

19 

79 

10 

70 

30 

90 

50 

40 

00 

60 

20 

80 

11 

71 

31 

91 

51 

a 

41 

01 

61 

21 

81 

12 

72 

32 

92 

52 

M 

42 

02 

62 

22 

82 

13 

73 

33 

93 

53 

m 

43 

03 

63 

23 

83 

¥ 

14 

74 

34 

94 

54 

M 

44 

04 

64 

24 

84 

15 

75 

35 

95 

55 

B 

B 

45 

05 

65 

25 

85 

16 

76 

36 

96 

56 

n 

46 

06 

66 

26 

86 

T a 

17 

77 

37 

97 

57 

T 

47 

07 

67 

27 

87 

18 

78 

38 

98 

58 

48 

08 

68 

28 

88 

BIJJ 

19 

79 

39 

99 

59 

B 

m 

49 

09 

69 

29 

89 

20 

80 

40 

00 

60 

m 

50 

10 

70 

30 

90 

^ B 

21 

81 

41 

01 

61 

% 

51 

11 

71 

31 

91 

$ 

22 

82 

42 

02 

62 

52 

12  1 

72 

32 

92 

23 

83 

43 

03 

63 

a 

53 

13 

73 

33 

93 

24 

84 

44 

04 

64 

54 

14 

74 

34 

94 

BM 

25 

85 

45 

05 

65 

B 

m 

55 

15 

75 

35 

95 

26 

86 

46 

06 

66 

n 

Ml 

56 

16 

76 

36 

96 

T^' 

27 

87 

47 

07 

67 

T 

B 

57 

17 

77 

37 

97 

28 

88 

48 

08 

68 

)k 

58 

18 

78 

38 

98 

B3J: 

29 

89 

49 

09 

69 

B 

59 

19 

79 

39 

99 

30 

90 

50 

10 

70 

m 

ilT 

60 

20 

80 

40 

00 

31 

91 

51 

11 

71 

m 

61 

21 

81 

41 

01 

32 

92 

52 

12 

72 

62 

22 

82 

42 

02 

^ B 

33 

93 

53 

13 

73 

1 

63 

23 

83 

43 

03 

CLASSIFICATION  OF  CHINESE  POKCELAIN. 


55 


It  will  be  observed  that  this  table  has  been  cut  in  two, 
and  the  parts  placed  side  by  side  in  order  to  bring  it 
within  the  limits  of  the  page.  The  second  column  of 
Chinese  characters  is  but  a continuation  of  the  first  col- 
umn of  Chinese  characters,  and  each  column  of  figures  in 
the  second  part  of  the  table  is  but  a continuation  of  the 
corresponding  column  in  the  first  part.  The  short  col- 
umns at  the  top  show  the  date  of  the  beginning  of  each 
cycle  in  regular  order,  a.  d.  4,  64,  124,  184,  244,  304, 
etc.,  followed  by  the  years  corresponding  to  the  suc- 
cessive years  of  the  cycle.  For  example,  ^ Cilia 
Tzil^  is  the  cyclical  sign  of  each  of  the  years  mentioned 
above,  while  Yi  CYou,  the  second  cyclical  sign, 

corresponds  to  the  years  5,  65,  125,  185,  245,  305,  365, 
etc.  Cilia  Wu^  the  thirty-first  sign,  coiTes|ionds 

to  the  years  34,  94,  154,  214,  etc.  Now,  if  it  be  wished 
to  ascertain  the  cyclical  year  ICeng  Hs%  of  the 

period  Tao-kuang  of  ’ the  CliHng  dynasty,  an  inspection  of 
Table  III  shows  that  the  first  year  of  Tao-kuang  was 
1821,  and  that  the  period  closed  with  1850.  Turning  to 
Table  I,  it  will  be  found  that  a cyclical  period  began 
with  1804,  and  as  it  would  end  with  1863,  the  period 
Tao-kuang  naturally  falls  within  that  cycle.  Fixing  ^ 
Hsin  Ss'Uy  as  the  first  year  of  Tao-kuang'' s reign,  and 
going  down  the  column,  we  reach  the  sign  we  are 

in  search  of,  and  identify  it  as  the  year  1850,  the  last  of 
the  reign. 

The  legendary  period  of  Chinese  history  (as  distinct 
from  tlie  purely  mytliical  ages  which  preceded,  and 
which,  according  to  the  more  extravagant  chronologers 
of  the  country,  reach  back  some  two  or  three  millions  of 
years  to  the  creation  of  the  world)  begins  with  Fu-lii^  the 
reputed  founder  of  the  monarchy,  the  first  year  of  wliose 
reign  is  placed  in  b.  c.  2852.  He  is  the  first  of  the  Wu 
Ti^  or  Five  Rulers,  who  are  succeeded  by  the  Emperors 


56 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


Yao  (b.  c.  2356)  and  Shun  (b.  c.  2255),  with  whose 
reigns  the  Shu  Ching^  or  ‘^Historical  Classic,”  opens. 
Fuh-Ms  immediate  successors  were  Shen-nung^  the 
Divine  Husbandman  (b.  c.  2737);  Huang-ti^  the  Yellow 
Emperor  (b.  c.  2697)  ; Shao-hao  (b.  c.  2597)  ; and  Ghucm 
Hsu  (b.  c.  2513).  The  Emperor  Shun  was  succeeded  by 
the  Great  Yil  (b.  c.  2205),  the  founder  of  the  first  of  the 
twenty-four  dynasties  which  have  ruled  the  empire  in 
succession  down  to  the  advent  of  the  reigning  Mancha 
dynasty  in  a.  d.  1644. 


TABLE  II. 

SUCCESSION  OF  THE  CHINESE  DYNASTIES. 


1.  Hsia 

2.  Shang 

3.  Chou 

4.  Ch’in 


A 


BEGAN 

B.  c.  2205 
. 1766 

. 1122 
255 


The  Thi  *ee  Ancient 
Dynasties. 


5.  Han 

6.  Eastern 


206 
A.  I).  25 


The  usurper  Wang 
Mang  occupied 
the  throne  a.  d. 


I 9-23. 


7.  After  Han 


8.  Chin  # . . 

9.  Eastern  Chin  ^ 


r 


221  i 


Three  Kingdoms, 
^ 0 , divided 
China,  the  ^ 
Han,  ^ Wei, 
and  ^ Wu. 


265 

317 


* In  B.  c.  1401  tlie  title  of  tliis  dynasty  was  changed  from  Shang  to  Yin^ 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


57 


10. 

Sling 

^ • 

...  420 

11. 

Ch’i 

^ • 

...  479 

12. 

Liang 

m • 

...  502 

13. 

Ch’en 

n • 

...  557 

V 


14.  Sui  15| 

589 

15.  T’ang  jg 

618 

16.  After  Liang  ^ ^ 

907  ^ 

17.  After  T’ang 

923 

18.  After  Chin 

■ 

936^ 

19.  After  Han 

mm  ■ 

947 

20.  After  Chou 

m^  ■ 

951  . 

21.  Sling 

. 

960 

22.  Soutliern  Sung  ^ . 1127  ^ 


23.  Yuan  7C  • • . • 1280  i 

24.  Ming  ^ . 1368 


This  period  is 
known  by  the 
collective  name 
of  Nan  Pei 
Ch\tOj  Northern 
and  Southern 
Dynasties,  as  the 
^ Wei  ruled 
the  north  from 
420  to  550. 


These  short-lived 
dynasties  are 
known  collec- 
tively as  the  3l 
ft  Wu  Tai,  Five 
Dynasties. 


The  Niu-chih  Tar- 
tars occupied 
North  China 
(1115-1234)  as 
the  Chm  dynas- 

ty  ^ 

Mongolian  dynasty 
founded  by  Nu- 
hlai  Khan. 


25.  Ch’ing 


1644 


The  reigning  Man- 
clin  dynasty. 


58 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


TABLE  III. 


REIGNS  OF  THE  LAST  TWO  DYNASTIES. 


EMPERORS  OF  THE 

Dynastic  Title, 

OR  MIAO  HAO. 


m 


mI 


^ 7K 
44-L 

1s:  7K 


T’ai  Tsii 
Hui  Ti  . . 
Ch’eng  Tsu 
Jen  Tsimg  . 
Hsiian  Tsung 
Ying  Tsung 
Cliing  Ti  . 

Ying  Tsung 

(resumed  government) 

Ilsien  Tsnno: 
Hsiao  Tsung 
Wu  Tsung 
Sliili  Tsung 
Mu  Tsung  . 


1 sun  Of 


Shell  Tsung 
Kuan  O' 

o o 

Hsi  Tsung  . 

^ ^ Cliumig  Lieli  Ti 


7t  7K 
'M:  TK 


MING  DYNASTY. 


Title  op  Reign, 
OR  NIEN  HAO. 


^ Hung  -wu  . 
^ Chien-wen 

^ ^ Yung-lo 
Hung-hsi 
^ Hsiian-te 


a 

IE  M Cheng-t’ung 
® # Ching-t’ai  . 
^ T’ien-slnin 


Date  of 
Accession. 

. 1368 
. 1399 
. 1403 
. 1425 
. 1426 
1436 
1450 
1457 


Cli’eng-hua 
Hung^-cliili 
Cheng-te  . 
CLia-cbing 
Lung-ch’ing 
A¥an-li  . . 

T’ai-cli’ang 
Then-ch’i  . 
Ch’ung-chen 


lEfi 

ki 

m§ 

^ St 


1465 

1488 

1506 

1522 

1567 

1573 

1620 

1621 

1628 


EMPERORS  OF  THE  ^ , THE  GREAT  CHTNG  DYNASTY. 

ifrli 

Shih  Tsu  . . . 

m m 

Shun-ehih 

. 1644 

m 

jl 

Sheng  Tsu  . 

K’ang-hsi  . 

. 1662 

S 

Sliili  Tsung  . . 

^iE 

Yung-cheng 

. 1723 

Kao  Tsung  . . 

Ch’ien-lung 

. 1736 

n 

Jen  Tsung  . 

Chia-cli’ing 

. 1796 

7K 

ITsuan  Tsung  . . 

j1  it 

Tao-kuang 

. 1821 

% 

AVen  Tsung 

Hsien-feng 

. 1851 

fS 

7K 

Mu  Tsung  . . . 

li]  ?p 

T’ung-chih 

. 1862 

The  reigning  sovereign 

itm 

Kuang-hsu 

. 1875 

CPIAPTER  IV. 


MARKS  ON  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. MARKS  OF  HATE. HALL 

MARKS. MARKS  OF  DEDICATION  AND  FELICITATION. 

MARKS  OF  COMMENDATION. MARKS  IN  THE  FORM  OF 

DEVICES. 

The  mark  ” on  porcelain  is  generally  understood  to 
be  any  inscription  or  device  indicating  the  time  at 
which  the  specimen  was  made,  or  the  make,  or  the  work- 
man, and  which  forms  no  part  of  the  decoration.  The 
Chinese  word  for  mark  ” is  ¥ucm^  Avhich  is  usually 
translated  seal,”  altliough  the  term  includes  written 
inscriptions  of  the  kind  indicated  above  as  Avell  as 
impressed  marks.  Tlie  mark  is  generally  penciled  by 
a special  writer  employed  for  the  purpose  on  the  bottom 
of  the  piece  before  it  is  fired.  Tlie  foot,  whicli  has  been 
left  a solid  mass  for  convenience  of  handling  during  the 
different  operations  of  the  potter,  is  at  last  shaved  off 
and  polished,  and  the  writer  attaches  the  seal  upon  the 
surface  of  the  unbaked  white  clay.  The  glaze  is  after- 
ward applied,  either  by  immersion,  or  by  sprinkling,  and 
the  piece  is  ready  for  the  furnace.  The  mark  is  usually 
written  in  cobalt  blue  under  the  glaze.  This  is  the  case 
not  only  in  pieces  painted  in  blue,  and  in  those  in  which 
underglaze  blue  forms  part  of  the  decoration  in  colors, 
but  also,  often,  in  those  enameled  with  single  colors,  and, 
occasionally,  in  decorated  ware  which  has  no  blue  in  its 
painted  designs.  In  other  pieces,  decorated  in  enamel 
colors,  the  mark  is  outlined  in  one  of  the  colors  of  the 
muffle-stove  from  the  palette  of  the  decorator,  such  as 
black  or  overglaze  blue;  while  those  painted  simply  in 

59 


60 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


coral  red  or  gold  have  seals  written  underneath  over  the 
glaze  in  the  same  color  as  that  employed  in  the  decora- 
tion. 

This  description  applies  especially  to  the  porceMn 
produced  at  the  imperial  manufactory  at  Ching-te-chen. 
In  the  private  manufactories  a special  writer  is  not  em- 
ployed, the  mark  being  attached  by  the  artist  who  paints 
the  decoration.  He  pencils  his  signature,  a motto,  or 
some  painted  device,  or  perhaps  a label  descriptive  of  the 
picture  he  has  painted,  on  some  part  of  the  piece.  This 
is  not  always  inscribed  underneath  the  foot,  so  that  we 
may  find  the  artist’s  monogram  in  some  cases  underneath 
the  piece,  in  others  attached  as  a signature  to  the  picture, 
or  following  the  verses  which  accompany  it.  In  this 
same  way  a descriptive  label  like  “The  mountains  are 
high,  the  rivers  long”  (Sha7i  kao  shui  cli'ang)  may  be 
written  either  at  the  head  of  the  landscape  or  under  the 
foot  of  the  vase.  In  the  latter  case  it  often  occurs,  writ- 
ten in  the  seal  character,  as  an  ordinary  mark  of  pieces 
decorated  with  landscape  paintings.  The  former  case  is 
exemplified  by  the  beautiful  little  teapot  illustrated 
in  Fig.  68,  one  of  the  most  perfect  specimens  of  the  Ku 
Yueh  Hsiian  style  in  the  collection,  which  is  marked  in 
bright  blue  enamel  underneath  Ymig  cheng  nien  chih 
“Made  in  the  reign  of  Ymig-chmg'’''  (1723-35).  It  is 
decorated  in  two  broad  panels,  framed  in  delicately  tinted 
floral  scrolls,  filled  with  landscapes,  penciled  in  overglaze 
blue,  which  are  headed  by  half  stanzas  of  verse,  written 
in  black,  with  two  carmine  seals  attached.  On  the 
reverse  side  is  a mountain  view  with  the  superscription 
“ The  echo-resounding  Southern  Mountains,”  sealed  Shmi 
hao^  “ The  hills  are  high.”  In  front  there  is  a river  scene 
labeled  “ A cotta2;e  smokin«:  far  off  on  the  Northern 
Islet,”  and  sealed  Shui  chhing^  “ The  rivers  are  long.” 
The  definition  of  a “ mark,”  quoted  above  from  the 


MASKS  ON  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


61 


T*ranks  Catalogue  of  Oriental  seems  therefore 

to  require  some  qualification  for  China,  where  the  mark 
certainly  sometimes  forms  part  of  the  decoration. 

Chinese  marks  are  written  either  in  the  antique  script 
known  as  chuan,  or  seal  character,  of  which  there  are 
several  varieties,  which  is  so  called  because  it  is  now 
principally  employed  on  seals;  or  in  the  ordinary  modern 
script,  called  Vai-shu^  used  in  printed  books  and  formal 
manu'scripts.  The  running-hand  script  called  hsing-shu 
is  rarely  employed  for  marks,  although  it  is  often  seen  in 
the  verses  written  to  accompany  the  decoration  of  vases. 
Chinese  writing,  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  say,  is  read 
from  above  downward  and  from  right  to  left ; each 
character  represents  a word  to  a Chinaman,  a Korean,  or 
a Japanese,  although  pronounced  differently  according  to 
the  locality,  just  as  Arabic  numerals  are  pronounced 
differently  in  European  countries. 

TheseTnarks  may  be  classified  as : 

1.  Marks  of  Date. 

2.  Hall  Marks. 

3.  Marks  of  Dedication  and  Felicitation. 

4.  Marks  of  Commendation. 

5.  Marks  in  the  Form  of  Devices. 

rO 

I.  Marks  of  Date. 

These  are  of  two  kinds,  the  first  indicating  the  number 
of  the  year  in  the  cycle  of  sixty,  the  second  the  year 
of  the  reigning  emperor.  The  two  methods  of  dating 
may  be  combined  in  the  same  mark,  as  in  that  given  in 
Hooper  and  Phillips’s  Manual  of  Marhs  (p.  190),  which 
reads,  T’^'iing-chih  sldh  erli  mien  kuei  yu,  or  “ The  twelfth 
year  (huei  yu)  of  T'^ung  chihC  The  eighth  emperor  of 
the  present  CKing  dynasty,  who  was  canonized  as  Mu 
Tsung^  reigned  during  the  period  1862-74  under  the 


62 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


title  {riien  had)  of  T'^ung  chih^  and  the  twelfth  year  of 
, his  reign,  a.  d.  1873,  will  be  found  on  the  Cyclical 
Table  given  above  (Table  I)  to  correspond  to  huei  yu^ 
the  tenth  year  of  the  seventy-fifth  cycle.  In  the  Manual 
it  is  erroneously  given  as  1874.  There  is  one  small  point 
to  be  noted  in  Chinese  chronology,  an  ignorance  of  which 
has  constantly  led  to  miscalculation  of  dates  in  foreign 
books : the  whole  of  the  year  in  which  an  emperor  dies 
is  always  reckoned  as  belonging  to  his  reign,  and  the 
reign  of  his  successor  does  not  begin  officially  until  the 
first  day  of  the  first  month  of  the  next  year,  when  a new 
nien  hao  is  inaugurated. 

Another  compound  ^‘mark”  of  this  kind  is  seen  in 
Fig.  38,  at  the  bottom  of  the  little  bowl-shaped  winecups 
decorated  with  the  eight  Buddhist  emblems,  displayed 
in  pairs  bound  with  waving  fillets,  of  which  the  wheel 
of  the  law  and  the  conch-shell  of  victory  are  in  the  fore- 
ground. The  mark,  penciled  underneath  in  red,  is  Tao 
huang  heng  Jtsil  nien  chih^  Made  in  the  (cyclical)  year 
heng-hsa  of  the  reign  of  Tao-huangi!'’  indicating,  as  may 
be  seen  by  reference  to  the  Tables,  the  date  of  a.  d.  1850. 

Most  of  the  cyclical  dates,  however,  are  given  without 
the  reign,  which  involves  an  uncertainty  as  to  which 
of  tlie  cycles  is  intended.  Many  of  these  would  belong  to 
the  reign  of  K\mg  hsi,  in  the  sixteenth  year  of  which 
(1677)  the  official  in  charge  of  the  potteries  issued  a 
proclamation  forbidding  the  inscription  upon  pottery  of 
the  sovereign’s  name,  or  of  any  sacred  text.  To  this 
period  is  certainly  to  l)e  referred  the  cyclical  mark,  Yit 
ledn  elPon  nien  chih.^  which  has  excited  an  interesting 
discussion.  It  av as  first  puldished  byJaequeniart  and  Le 
Blant  Qo(\  cid  P-  1^1)?  taken  from  a boAvl  in  the  Musee 
Ceramique  at  Sevres,  made  of  white  Chinese  porcelain, 
subsequently  decorated  with  flowei's  and  European 
figures  in  Gei*niany  during  the  first  half  of  the  eighteenth 


MARKS  ON  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


68 


century,  and  it  was  attributed  to  the  right  year  (1721) 
from  the  style  of  decoration,  although  the  mark  was  not 
cori-ectly  understood.  It  was  first  explained  by  Sir 
A.  W.  Franks  (loc,  cit.^  page  208)  as  meaning  ‘‘Made  in 
the  hsin-cKou  year  again  [recurring].”  The  Emperor 
K\ing-lisi  came  to  the  throne  in  the  thirty-eighth  year 
of  the  seventy-second  cycle,  a.  h.  1661,  and  died  Decem- 
ber ^0,  1722,  so  that  he  had  reigned  for  a whole  cycle 
on  the  recurrence  in  1721  of  the  thirty-eighth  year  of 
the  cycle,  an  event  unexampled  in  Chinese  history,  which 
has  thus  happened  to  be  recorded  upon  porcelain.  The 
bowl  in  the  Franks  Collection  on  which  it  occurs  is 
described  as  being  of  “ Chinese  egg-shell  porcelain^ 
painted  inside  with  a group  of  flowers  and  fruit  in 
enamel  colors,  the  outside  coated  with  a delicate  rose 
color.”  I have  seen  in  a Chinese  collection  at  Peking 
a “ rose-backed  ” saucer  dish  with  an  exactly  similar 
decoi*ation,  inscribed  underneath  wdth  the  same  mark. 
These  specimens  are  of  interest  to  us  from  another  point 
of  view,  as  a proof  of  the  employment  of  the  delicate 
enamels  of  ihe  fcmnille  rose  class  at  this  early  date. 

Another  cyclical  date,  which  reads,  Ping-hsil  nien  chilly 
“made  in  the  year^;my-/^s?l,”  is  given  by  Du  SarteD"  (p. 
95),  taken  from  an  octagonal  brushpot,  painted^ in  blue 
and  white  with  landscapes  and  verses.  He  attributes  it 
to  the  same  reign  of  I{\mg-lis%  so  that  it  would  indicate 
the  twenty-third  year  of  the  seventy-thii’d  cycle,  which 
corresponds  to  a.  d.  1706. 

Marks  of  date  of  the  second  kiiul,  referring  to  the 
reign,  give  only  the  nien  hao^  oi*  title  of  the  emperor, 
A Chinese  emperor  on  his  accession  loses  Ids  personal 
name,  and  selects  an  honorific  title  instead,  by  which 
he  continues  to  be  known  during  his  reign,  unless  he 
chooses  to  change  it.  The  new  title  is  not  adopted, 

* La  Forcelaine  de  Chine.  Par  O.  du  Sartel,  Paris,  1881. 


64 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


however,  as  explained  already,  till  the  new  year  succeed- 
ing the  death  of  his  predecessor.  After  his  death 
he  is  canonized  under  another  new  title,  the  temple 
name,  or  miao  liao,  under  which  he  is  worshiped  in  the 
ancestral  temple  and  referred  to  in  all  formal  documents 
of  subsequent  dates.  In  former  times  the  nien  liao  was 
frequently  changed  during  the  reign  to  mark  the  occur- 
rence of  any  important  event,  or  for  some  superstitious 
reason ; but  since  the  accession  of  the  Ming  dynasty 
in  1368,  the  only  instance  of  such  a change  is  that  of 
the  emperor  canonized  as  Ying  Tmng^  who  adopted  on 
his  accession  in  1436  the  title  of  CliengYung,  He  was 
taken  prisoner  by  the  Mongols  and  dethroned  in  1449, 
and  adopted  the  new  title  of  Yien-shmi  in  1457,  when 
he  recovered  the  throne  on  his  return  to  his  own  country, 
after  a captivity  of  eight  years  in  Tartary.  During  the 
interregnum  his  brother  carried  on  the  government  under 
the  title  of  Glving-f ai^  a nien  liao  signalized  by  the 
introduction  into  the  palace  workshops  of  the  Byzantine 
process  of  cloisonne  enameling  upon  metal,  which,  con- 
sequently, is  known  to  this  day  as  Cking  fai  LanG 
The  reign  mark  consists  usually  of  six  characters, 
written  in  two  columns  of  three  words,  or  in  three 
columns  of  two  words,  occasionally  in  one  line,  either 
vertically  or  -horizontally.'  The  first  character  is  Ta^ 
great,”  followed  by  tlie  name  of  the  dynasty ; the  next 
two  characters  give  the  nien  liao ; tlie  last  two  are  nien^ 
^^year”  or  “period,”  and  chilly  “made.”  The  first  two 
characters,  indicating  the  dynasty,  are  often  omitted  and 
then  the  mark  consists  of  only  four  chai*acters.  The 
dates  on  the  older  specimens  are  generally  written  in  the 
plain  character ; tliose  of  the  present  dynasty  are  often 
in  antique  script,  inclosed  within  a square  border  in  the 
form  of  a seal,  which  may  be  either  penciled  with  a 
brush  or  impressed  in  the  paste  wnth  a stamp. 


MARKS  ON  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


65 


Sung  and  Yuan  Dynasties, — It  is  recorded  in  the 
annals  of  Foii-liang-hsien  that  during  the  Sung  dynasty 
the  Emperor  Glien  Tsung,  who  founded  the  imperial 
manufactory  of  Ching-te-chen  in  the  period  CMng-te 
(1004-1007),  from  which  it  derived  its  name,  ordered 
that  the  four  characters  Cliing-te  nien  chilly  Made  in 
the  period  Cliing-te^'’  should  be  inscribed  on  the  ware 
made  for  the  palace.  The  Franks  Collection  contains 
a vase  enameled  olive-green  and  touched  with  gold  to 
imitate  patinated  bronze,  in  the  ornate  style  of  the  reign 
of  CKiendwng  with  a seal  of  tliis  period  penciled  in 
gold ; and  also  a bowl  painted  in  blue,  with  a nie7i  Jiao 
of  a later  reign  underneath,  being  marked  (see  No.  Ta 
Sung  Yuan  feng  7iien  cJiih — i.  ^.,  Made  in  the  peiiod 
Y^ian-fmg  (1078-1085)  of  the  great  Sumg^^  \ but  doubts 
are  suggested  as  to  the  authenticity  of  either  of  these 
two  pieces,  which  doubts  I would  venture  to  emphasize. 

The  period  of  Hsuari-Jio  (1119-1125)  of  the  reign  of 
Hid  Tsung^  the  eighth . empei*or  of  the  Smug  dynasty,  is 
represented,  so  far  as  its  nien  Jiao  is  concerned,  by  two 
pieces  in  the  Walters  Collection.  The  first,  a pure  white 
vase  of  fine  shape  and  perfect  technique,  illustrated  in 
Plate  XC,  with  the  decoration  worked  in  relief  and 
etched,  consisting  of  a broad  band  of  fungus  scrolls, 
traversed  by  a pair  of  horned  lizardlike  dragons,  extend- 
ing round  the  middle,  and  of  symbols  encircled  by  fillets 
above  and  below,  is  marked  in  underglaze  blue  (see  No. 
2),  Hsilan  ho  nien  chilly  Made  in  the  period  Hsuan-hoP 
The  second  (Fig.  69)  is  a small  quadrangular  vase  with 
swelling  body  and  receding  neck,  composed  of  a very 
fine,  dark- brown  paste,  invested  with  a ])urplish  mottled 
gray  glaze,  overlaid  with  a whitish  gray  overglaze,  which 
runs  down  in  a rich  unctuous  mass  not  reaching  to  the 
base  of  the  vase.  It  has  the  mark,  in  two  characters 
only,  of  Hsilan-ho,  the  same  7iien  hao^  which  is  carved  in 


66 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


the  center  underneath,  and  filled  in  with  grayish-white 
enamel.  This  comes  from  the  Brinkley  Collection.  It 
is  of  perfect  technique  and  finish — too  much  so,  indeed,^ 
to  belong  really  to  such  an  early  date — and  it  seems  to 
be  a reproduction  of  the  Kuan  Yao,  the  imperial  ware  ” 
of  the  Sung  dynasty  which  was  made  at  the  capital 
K’ai-feng-fu ; and  the  first  piece  appears  to  me  to  be 
a clever  reproduction  of  the  porcelain  made  at  Ching-te- 
chen  at  the  same  time,  which  was  described  to  resemble 
the  purest  white  jade.  I would  refer  both  pieces  to  the 
reign  of  K^ang-7isi  (1662-1722),  with  all  deference  to 
my  learned  friend  Captain  Brinkley,  in  whose  catalogue"^ 
his  piece  is  attributed  to  the  reign  of  Cliia-ching  of  the 
Ming  dynasty.  I may  just  mention  here  that  the  Jap- 
anese have  recently  gained  no  small  reputation  in  Peking 
for  their  expert  reproductions  of  ancient  Sung  porcelain. 
Tlieir  marvelous  skill  in  olden  days  in  the  decoration  of 
pottery  with  mingled  glazes  of  brilliant  tints  was  no 
doubt  likewise  of  Chinese  origin  and  inspiration. 

The  emperors  of  the  Y%ian  dynasty  (1280-1367)  gave 
no  special  patronage  to  the  porcelain  manufacture,  and 
no  nien  hao  of  this  period  is  found  among  marks  on  por- 
celain, although  the  mark  of  Cliili-clieng^  the  last  reign 
of  this  dynasty,  is  occasionally  found  on  the  foot  of 
cloisonne  enamels  on  copper,  and  the  titles  of  some 
of  the  other  reigns  on  ritual  utensils  of  bronze. 

Ming  D If  nasty, — In  the  Ming  dynasty,  which  suc- 
ceeded the  Yuari^  the  imperial  factory  was  rebuilt  at 
Ching-te-chen  by  Ihing-mu.,  the  founder  of  the  new  line, 
whose  reign  is  represented  in  collections  by  a few  pieces, 
of  somewhat  doubtful  authenticity,  inscribed  (see  No.  3) 
Ta  Ming  Hung  wii  nien  cldh,  or  simply  Hung  wu  nien 
chill,,  with  the  name  of  the  dynasty  omitted. 

Those  marked  witli  tlie  nien  hao  of  his  son,  Yung-lo 

* Rare  Chinese  Porcelains,  New  York,  1893,  p.  13. 


MARKS  ON  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


67 


(1403-1424),  the  third  of  the  line,  include  more  veri- 
table specimens,  with  marks  both  in  the  plain  character 
(see  No.  4)  and  in  an  antique  seal  script  (see  No.  5). 
The  latter  is  found  especially  on  the  white  eggshell  bowls 
characteristic  of  this  period,  with  decoration  worked  in 
relief  or  etched  in  the  paste,  of  w^hich  Fig.  70  is  an  illus- 
tration of  a remarkable  example,  which  has  the  mark 
YiMg  lo  nien  eliili  faintly  engraved  at  the  bottom  under- 
neath the  glaze.  Some  other  bowls  of  this  date  are 
described  in  Chinese  books  as  molded  in  the  same  form  as 
the  one  just  mentioned,  with  the  figures  of  two  lions, 
lightly  impressed  under  tlie  white  glaze  in  the  interior, 
playing  with  a brocaded  ball,  and  having  inside  the  ball 
the  same  seal  faintly  etched  in  the  paste  in  four  tiny 
characters,  not  nearly  so  large  as  grains  of  rice,  the  exte- 
rior of  these  bowls  beino;  decoi*ated  in  blue  and  white. 

The  reign  of  Hsilan-te  (1426-35)  is  celebrated  for  the 
excellence  of  its  blue  and  white  as  well  as  for  its  blue  and 
red  monochromes,  and  it  shares  with  tliat  of  Cheng -h/ua 
(1465-87),  which  is  famed  especially  for  its  colored  dec- 
oration, the  distinction  of  being  the  Ming  mark  most 
frequently  found  on  porcelain.  The  two  intervening 
reigns  were  occupied  by  battles  with  the  Mongols,  and 
theii*  titles  are  not  recorded  among  marks.  The  two 
nien  liao  of  Huvg-lm  (1425)  and  T\ii-cJi! ang  (1620)  are 
also  conspicuous  for  their  absence,  due  probably  to  the 
fact  that  each  lasted  less  than  a year.  All  the  other  nien 
licto  of  the  Ming  dynasty  are  represented. 

The  usual  foi*ni  of  the  mark  of  Ilman-te  (1426-35)  is 
(No.  1)  Ta  Ming  Hsilan  te  nien  chih^  Made  in  the 
period  Hsilan-te  of  the  great  Ming  [dynasty].”  This  is 
sometimes  etched  in  the  paste ; occasionally  the  last  four 
characters  are  impressed  with  a square  seal  so  as  to 
appear  in  relief.  The  seal  form  (No.  2),  which  has  been 
copied  from  the  Franks  Catalogue^  Plate  III,  Fig.  24,  is 


68 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


described  there  by  the  author  as  taken  from  a specimen 
which  is  “probably  modern.”  It  is  the  form  so  fre- 
quently found  on  the  incense  pots  of  bronze,  for  the 
manufacture  of  which  this  reign  was  specially  celebrated. 

The  mark  of  CK eng-hua  (1465-87)  is  very  common. 
It  has  been  more  frequently  forged  than  any  other,  and 
only  a very  small  proportion  of  the  pieces  so  marked  can 
be  genuine.  The  usual  form  is  (No.  3)  Ta  Ming  CKeng 
liua  nien  cMli^  “ Made  in  the  period  Cli! eng-hua  of  the 
great  Ming  [dynasty].”  The  inscription  of  (No.  4)  Ta 
Ming  CK  eng-hua  yuan  nien  yi  yu^  “The  first  year  of 
CK  eng-hua  of  the  great  Mmg  [dynasty]  yi  yu  (of  the 
cycle)  ” occurs  on  a square  vase  decorated  in  enamel 
colors  in  the  Salting  Collection,  which  fixes  the  date 
most  precisely,  in  twofold  fashion,  as  a.  d.  1465;  the 
style  and  coloring  of  the  decoration,  however,  belong  to 
the  reign  of  K\mg-hsi  (1662-1722)  of  the  Manchu 
dynasty.  The  four-character  mark  (No.  5)  CKeng  hua 
nien  chih  also  occurs,  either  penciled  or  impressed,  in 
the  plain  character  as  well  as  in  the  antique  script  shown 
in  No.  6.  Most  of  the  so-called  old  crackle  of  archaic 
type,  with  mask  handles  and  encircling  bands  of  iron- 
gray  paste  in  the  midst  of  the  stone-colored  ground  of 
the  clumsy  vase,  is  stamped  underneath  with  this  last 
form  of  the  mark,  which,  in  these  cases,  is  evidently 
fictitious. 

The  mark  (see  No.  7)  Ta  Ming  Hung  ch  ih  nien  chilly 
“ Made  in  the  period  Hung-chAh  (1488-1505)  of  the  great 
Ming  [dynasty],”  is  found  on  bowls  and  dishes  enameled 
yellow,  and  on  a few  rare  pieces  of  porcelain  of  pecu- 
liarly heavy  solid  material  decorated  in  colors  of  a very 
'archaic  type. 

The  mark  (see  No.  8)  Ta  Ming  Cheng  te  nien  chihj 
“Made  in  the  period  Cheng-te  (1506-1521)  of  the  great 
Ming  [dynasty],”  is  comparatively  rare.  It  occurs,  how- 


MARKS  OK  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


69 


ev^er,  on  bowls  decorated  with  green  dragons  as  well 
as  on  pieces  of  blue  and  white  porcelain.  It  was  in  this 
reign,  we  are  told,  that  a new  supply  of  Mohammedan 
blue  {Hui  cKing)  was  obtained  from  the  west,  and  there 
is  an  interesting  collection  of  porcelain  of  the  period  with 
Arabic  inscriptions  in  the  British  Museum.  It  is  exhib- 
ited in  a glass  case  together  with  several  sacrificial  vessels 
of  bronze,  which  are  marked  with  the  same  nien  liao^  and 
decorated  with  medallions  of  Arabic  scrolls — another 
proof  of  the  prevalence  of  the  Mohammedan  religion  in 
China  at  this  time. 

The  mark  (see  No.  1)  Ta  Ming  Cliia  eking  nien  chilly 
“Made  in  the  period  Ckia-cking  of  the  great  Ming 
[dynasty],”  represents  the  next  reign  (1522-1566),  which 
is  characterized  by  the  deep  blue  of  its  painted  decoi’a- 
tion  on  porcelain.  The  mark  often  occurs  in  a vertical 
or  horizontal  line  written  in  a panel  in  the  midst  of  the 
decoration.  In  the  large  round  dish,  three  feet  across, 
which  will  be  described  presently,  there  is  a horizontal 
panel  outside,  near  the  rim,  with  the  exceptional  inscrip- 
tion, Ta  Ming  Clim  eking  liu  nien  ekili^  “Made  in  the 
sixth  year  of  Clna-eliing'^^  (1527).  The  big  globular 
vase  illustrated  in  Plate  XLIX  has  the  ordinary  form  of 
the  mark  boldly  written  underneath  in  the  same  deep, 
strong  blue  with  which  the  jar  is  decorated. 

The  two  marks  (see  No.  2)  Ta  Ming  Lung  eKing  nien 
ekik^  “Made  in  the  period  Lung-ekHng  (1567-1572)  of 
the  great  Ming  [dynasty]  ” and  (Xo.  3)  Ta  Ming  Wan 
li  nien  eliiii,  “Made  in  the  period  Wan-li  (1573-1619) 
of  the  great  Ming  [dynasty],”  are  always  coupled 
together  by  the  Chinese  with  regard  to  their  porcelain, 
which  is  very  similar  in  type.  The  reign  of  Wan-li^ 
being  much  longer  than  that  of  his  predecessor,  is  more 
frequently  found.  The  Japanese  are  fond  of  counter- 
feiting Chinese  marks,  especially  those  of’  Wan-li  and 


70 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


Cliia-ching^  and  these  very  often  occur  on  Imari  pieces 
which  have  no  pretensions  to  be  contemporary,  and 
which  at  once  betray  their  alien  origin  by  the  peculiar 
style  in  which  the  mark  is  written. 

The  marks  (see  No.  4)  Ta  Ming  THen  cliH  nien  chilly 
Made  in  the  jDeriod  T^ien-cliH  (1621-1627),  of  the  great 
Ming  [dynasty]  ” and  (No.  5)  Ta  Ming  Clihmg  cJien 
nien  ‘‘Made  in  the  period  Clihing  chen''’’  (1628- 

1643)  of  the  great  Ming  dynasty,  are  very  rare,  and 
occur  generally  on  inferior  pieces.  The  only  exception 
that  I am  aware  of  is  in  the  case  of  a series  of  little  glob- 
ular vases  marked  underneath  with  the  single  character 
T^ien^  “ Heaven,”  said  to  be  a contraction  of  the  nien 
liao  Then  ch’i.  I have  seen  them  decorated  in  color,  as 
well  as  painted  in  blue,  and  in  both  cases  resembling 
good  specimens  of  the  preceding  reign  of  Wan-li.  There 
is  one  described  in  the  Cataloejue  of  Blue  and  White 
Oriental  Pfjrcelain  exMhited  Iny  the  Burlington  Fine 
Arts  Club  in  London  in  1895,  although  the  mark  which 
is  figured  in  Plate  III,  Fig.  22,  of  the  Catalogue^  is 
erroneously  deciphered  there  as  Taf  “ Great.”  A mark 
of  dedication  on  a temple  sacrificial  vase,  dated  the  ninth 
year  of  Chhvng  chen  (1636),  will  be  noticed  latei*.  The 
Chinese  were  too  busily  occupied  during  the  last  two 
reigns  of  the  Ming  dynasty  in  disputing  the  advance  of 
the  rising  Manchu  power  to  pay  much  attention  to  the 
porcelain  manufacture,  and  the  i*ecords  are  absolutely 
silent  on  the  subject. 

Cli  ing  Dgnasty. — Date  marks  of  the  reigning  dynasty 
are  found,  like  those  of  tlie  Ming^  consisting  either  of  six 
characters,  or  of  four  only,  w ith  the  first  two,  the  name 
of  tlie  dynasty,  omitted.  A new  fashion  of  writing  the 
characters  in  antique  script,  in  the  form  of  an  oblong  or 
squai’e  seal,  came  into  vogue  in  the  reign  of  IF angdisi^ 
and  in  the  nineteenth  century  the  majority  of  the  pieces 


MARKS  ON  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


71 


made  in  the  imperial  factories  at  Ching-te-clien  are  dated 
in  that  way.  The  mark  of  the  first  reign,  Sliun-cMh 
(1644-1661),  is  very  rare,  and  it  is  doubtful  whether  there 
is  a genuine  instance  of  a seal  mark,  although  one  is  fig- 
ured here  for  the  sake  of  completeness.  The  seal  mark  of 
K^ang-lisi^  even,  is  not  common,  although  I have  seen  it 
on  authentic  pieces.  It  was  not  till  the  reign  of  CKien- 
lung  that  the  date  came  to  be  more  often  inscribed  in  the 
seal  character  than  in  the  ordinary  plain  script. 

The  first  emperor  of  the  new  Manchu  dynasty  reigned 
eighteen  years  under  the  title  of  Sliun-cldh  (1644-1661). 
There  is  a record  of  large  fish-bowls  and  veranda  plaques 
having  been  ordered  by  him  from  Ching-te-chen  for  the 
decoration  of  the  palace  at  Peking,  such  as  had  been  sup- 
plied in  the  reign  of  Wan-li  of  the  Ming  dynasty,  but 
the  mandarins  in  charge  were  obliged  to  reply  that  it  was 
impossible  to  produce  them.  The  mark  occurs  in  the 
plain  character  (see  No.  1),  Ta  ClCing  Shun  cMli  nien 
chilly  Made  in  the  reign  oi  Shun-chih  of  the  great  CltHng 
[dynasty],”  on  small  pieces  both  of  enameled  and  of  blue 
and  white  porcelain,  decorated  in  the  style  of  the  later 
emperors  of  the  Ming.  It  is  almost  as  rare,  howevei*,  as 
the  marks  of  the  last  two  reigns  of  the  former  dynasty, 
and  without  the  maih  the  few  specimens  that  I have  seen 
could  hardly  have  been  distinguished  from  Wan-li  pro- 
ductions. With  regard  to  the  seal  mark  (see  No.  2),  it 
is  probably  always  fictitious. 

The  next  reign,  that  of  K\mg-hsi  (see  No.  3),  lasted 
for  the  long  period  of  sixty-one  years  (1662-1722).  The 
early  part  of  his  reign  was  occupied  in  consolidating 
the  Manchu  rule  in  the  soutli  of  China,  and  in  fighting 
with  the  viceroy  Wu  San-kuei,  who  had  declared  himself 
independent.  The  potteries  suffered  much  in  this  rebel- 
lion, and  the  imperial  factories  were  burned  to  the 
ground  during  the  troubles  which  lasted  from  the  twelfth 


72 


ORIEOTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


to  the  sixteenth  year.  They  were  rebuilt  in  this  last 
year  (1677),  and  a new  era  in  the  history  of  the  ceramic 
art  was  inaugurated.  Earlier  in  the  reign  the  manufac- 
tory had  been  under  the  direction  of  the  governors  of  the 
province,  among  whom  Lang  T’ing-tso  was  the  most 
celebrated,  as  the  inventor  of  the  brilliant  sang-de-boeuf 
glaze,  which  is  called  after  him,  Lang  Yao.  In  the  year 
1677  the  official  in  charge  issued  a proclamation  forbid- 
ding the  inscription  of  the  imperial  7iie7i  hao,  or  of  any 
sacred  text,  upon  porcelain,  which,  in  consequence,  had 
to  be  marked  with  the  hall-mark  of  the  manufacturer, 
with  the  signature  of  the  artist  decorator,  or  with  some 
pictorial  or  fanciful  device.  Many  of  the  finest  pieces  of 
this  time  were  not  marked  at  all,  although  a double  ring 
in  blue  is  often  found  underneath,  surviving  as  an  empty 
relic  of  the  old  mark.  We  are  not  told  when  the  decree 
was  rescinded.  The  first  imperial  commission  for  the 
porcelain  works  was  appointed  at  Peking  in  1680,  and 
arrived  in  Ching-te-chen  in  the  following  year.  One  of 
its  most  important  members  was  Ts’ang  Ying-hsiian,  who 
became  subsequently  famous  for  his  monochrome  glazes, 
shades  of  ^‘eel-skin  yellow,”  varying  from  brownish  old- 
gold  tints  to  olive,  and  ‘‘snake-skin  green,”  with  its 
brilliant  iridescent  sheen,  and  who  is  generally  credited 
with  the  invention  of  the  mottled  “peach-bloom,”  and 
the  pure  pale-blue  clai?‘  de  lune^  the  finest  pieces  of  which 
have  underneath,  the  six-character  mark  of  the  lYaiigdisi 
(see  No.  3)  period,  delicately  penciled  in  underglaze 
cobalt  blue.  The  little  eggshell  winecup  (Fig.  18)  shows 
the  ordinary  method  of  inscription  of  the  mai*k  at  this 
time,  encircled  with  a doubled  ring.  The  characters  are 
so  minute  as  almost  to  require  a lens  for  their  decipher- 
ment. The  seal  mark  also  read  (see  No.  4),  To  CYrng 
Kkmgdisl  nien  “ Made  in  the  reign  of  ICang-hsi  of 
the  great  ClPing  [dynasty  ],”  has  been  often  counterfeited. 


3IARKS  ON  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


73 


but,  as  1 have  already  observed,  I have  seen  it  on  un-‘ 
doubtedly  genuine  pieces. 

The  title  of  this  reign  means  “Peace  and  Joy,”  and  a 
quaint  mark  penciled  in  blue  under  another  eggshell 
winecup.  Fig.  71,  which  is  decorated  with  a picture  of 
lotus  plants  and  water-birds,  painted  in  blue  and  filled  in 
with  the  pure  red  and  the  deep  brilliant  greens  of  the 
•early  K\ing-lisi  period,  must  be  referred  to  it.  The 
mark  reads,  Hsi  eli'ao  cM  roan  cliih  cJien^  “ A gem  among 
rare  trinkets  of  the  reign  of  joy,”  and  was  no  doubt  writ- 
ten in  this  peculiar  way  to  avoid  the  inscription  of  the 
full  7ii€n  liao,  forbidden  by  statute  at  the  time,  lest  it 
should  be  profaned  on  the  dust  heap.  The  pair  of  man- 
darin ducks  swimming  in  the  water  and  the  kingfisher 
flying  above  are  perfect  in  their  miniature  painting.  The 
verse,  penciled  in  blue — 

“ Tlie  root  is  jade  buried  in  tlie  mud: 

In  tlie  bosom  lurk  pearls  of  liquid  dew  ” — 

is  sealed  with  the  character  Shang^  “A  Gift,”  inclosed 
in  a small  panel.  The  verse  refers  to  the  jadelike  white- 
ness of  the  lotus  root,  which  makes  a favorite  sweetmeat, 
and  to  the  pearly  drops  of  water  Avhich  collect  upon  the 
leaves,  and  are  taken  by  the  Buddhists  as  types  of  the 
sacred  “ jewel  of  the  law.” 

The  succeeding  emperor,  Yung-clieng^  reigned  from 
1723-1735.  The  porcelain  of  the  time  is  characterized 
by  its  finished  technique  as  well  as  by  its  cilsp  decora- 
tion and  delicate  coloring.  The  superintendents  of  the 
imperial  factory  were  Nien  Hsi-yao,  distinguished  for 
the  purity  of  his  monochrome  glazes,  and  T’ang  Ying, 
the  most  famous  of  all,  a fertile  inventor  and  wonderful 
reproducer  of  ancient  colors,  whose  name  we  shall  meet 
very  often  in  subsequent  pages.  The  private  kilns  of 
the  time  also  turned  out  a quantity  of  fine  work,  in 


74 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


emulation  of  the  imperial  manufactory,  as  shown  by  the 
eggshell  tea  services  and  the  beautiful  ruby-backed  / 
plates,  which  were  made  principally  for  export  to 
Europe.  The  Walters  Collection  is  rich  in  these,  and  it 
contains  some  of  the  largest  imperial  pieces  as  well,  like 
the  magnificent  round  dishes,  one  of  which  is  illustrated 
in  Plate  XLVIII,  and  the  pilgrim  bottle  shown  in  Plate 
XLVII.  Both  of  these  are  marked  in  the  ordinary 
script  (see  No.  1),  Ta  OKing  Yung-cheng  nien  cliihj 
Made  in  the  reign  of  Ywng-clieng  of  the  great  OKing 
[dynasty].”  A rare  eggshell  bowl  from  one  of  the 
private  kilns,  very  richly  decorated,  in  enamel  colors  of 
thefamille  rose  and  gilding,  Avith  a scene  of  family  life, 
surrounded  by  diapered  grounds  and  floral  brocades,  is 
seen  in  Fig.  72.  It  is  marked  in  underglaze  cobalt  blue 
with  the  six-character  inscription  written  in  stiff  archaic 
style  inside  a double  ring.  The  seal  form  of  the  same 
mark  (shown  in  No.  2),  occurs  more  rarely. 

The  reign  of  the  next  emperor,  OKien-lung^  Avas 
nearly  as  long  as  that  of  his  gi-andfather  ang-lisi^  and 
he  terminated  it  by  abdicating  after  the  completion  of  a 
full  cycle  of  sixty  years  (1736-1795).  The  porcelain  is 
generally  good  and  very  plentiful,  and  is  so  similar  to 
tlie  productions  of  Yung-cJieng  that  the  tAvo  I’eigns  are 
often  classed  together  under  the  same  heading.  The 
mark  of  Ta  OKing  OK ien-lnng  nien  chih^  Made  in  the 
reign  of  OlOien-luiig  of  tlie  great  OKing  [dynasty],” 
occurs  in  both  the  common  (see  No.  3)  and  seal  chai- 
acters,  tliougli  more  generally  in  the  latter  (see  No.  4), 
one  of  the  forms  of  Avhich  in  four  characters,  Avith  the 
name  of  the  dynasty  omitted,  is  seen  in  No.  5. 

Tlie  Emperor  Olda-clCing^  tlie  son  of  Yiing-cheng, 
reigned  1796-1820.  The  best  porcelain  of  the  earlier 
period  is  equal  to  that  of  the  preceding  reign,  but 
toward  the  end  it  indicates  a gradual  process  of  degener- 


MARKS  ON  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


75 


ation.  The  mark,  which  occurs  less  frequently  in  the 
ordinary  script  (see  No.  6),  is  Ta  CliHng  Chia-cliHng 
nien  chili,  ^^Made  in  the  reign  of  Cliia-cliHng  of  the  great 
Cli’ing  [dynasty],”  which  is  shown  in  No.  7. 

Tao-huang  succeeded  his  father  in  1821,  and  reigned 
till  1850.  Some  of  the  finest  w^ork  of  this  time  was 
lavished  upon  ordinary  table  services,  and  rice  bowls 
with  this  mark  are  eagerly  sought  by  collectors,  like  the 
medallion  bowl  with  an  etched  spiral  ground  of  crimson 
rouge  cVor,  brocaded  with  flowers  of  Fig.  73,  which  has 
underneath  it  a square  seal  penciled  in  blue  (see  No.  9), 
Ta  CKing  Tao-huang  nien  chili,  Made  in  the  reign  of 
Tao-huang  of  the  great  ChHng  [dynasty].”  Specimens 
of  the  mark  in  the  ordinary  script  (see  No.  8)  are  less 
commonly  met  with.  The  son  of  Tao-huang , \vlio  suc- 
ceeded his  father,  ]*eigiied  under  the  title  of  Ilsien-feng, 
A.  D.  1851-1861.  During  the  early  part  of  his  reign 
some  fine  work  was  produced  at  the  imperial  factory, 
which  is  usually  found  marked  in  full  (see  No.  10),  Ta 
ClPing  Ilsien-feng  nien  chili,  Made  in  the  reign  of 
Hsien-feng  of  the  great  Cli'ing  [dynasty],”  penciled  in 
red  in  the  common  script.  The  mark  from  this  time 
onward  seems,  for  the  most  part,  to  have  been  relegated 
to  the  private  potters,  and  is  usually  indifferently  pen- 
ciled (see  No.  1).  In  the  sixth  year  of  this  reign  the 
province  of  Kiangsi  was  devastated  by  the  Taiping 
rebels,  and  Ching-te-chen  especially  was  almost  de- 
populated, and  the  porcelain  industry  has  never  since 
recovered. 

The  next  emperor  ^vho  ascended  the  throne  adopted 
the  title  of  T^ung-chih,  and  reigned  1862-1874.  The 
porcelain  is  marked  (see  Nos.  2 and  3)  Ta  Cliling 
Tung  chill  nien  chili,  Made  in  the  reign  of  Tung-cliili 
of  the  great  CliHng  [dynasty].”  A good  idea  of  the 
productions  of  the  imperial  factory  is  gained  from  an 


76 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


official  list  of  the  palace  indents  of  the  year  1864,  which 
we  will  extract  presently  from  the  provincial  statistics  of 
the  time. 

This  last  emperor  was  succeeded  by  his  cousin,  who 
was  enthroned  under  the  title  of  Kuang-hsil  in  1875,  and 
is  still  reigning.  The  imperial  ware  (hnan  yad)  of  the 
present  day  is  usually  marked  in  ordinary  characters 
(see  No.  4)  Ta  ClCing  Kuang  Itsil  ^vieri  cMh,  ‘‘  Made  in 
the  reign  of  Kuang  Jim  of  the  great  Giving  [dynasty].” 
But  the  ceramic  art  is  in  these  days  at  its  lowest  ebb  in 
China,  and  its  productions  may  be  dismissed  in  the 
native  phrase  as  not  worth  collecting.”  Still  less 
worthy  of  consideration  is  the  porcelain  of  the  private 
kilns  {sm  yao)^  which  is  sometimes  marked  with  a 
rudely  outlined  seal  (see  No.  5),  usually,  however,, 
inscribed  with  a mark  of  one  of  the  older  reigns  of  the 
most  transparently  fictitious  character. 

There  is  another  form  of  this  date  mark  to  be  noticed, 
in  which  the  chai’acter  //?/,  imperial,”  is  substituted  for 
nien^  “year.”  This  form,  which  means  that  the  piece 
bearing  it  was  made  by  special  order  of  the  emperor, 
occurs  also  on  specimens  of  carved  jade  and  of  cloisonne 
enamels  on  copper  produced  in  the  imperial  works  of 
the  period  indicated.  I have  seen  the  following  four 
instances  on  porcelain,  of  which  the  second,  figured  in 
Hooper’s  Manual  (loc.  citJ),  is  given  hei*e  as  an  example 
of  the  sei'ies.  These  are  : 

1 . K\ing-hxi  y il  ch  ili  (1662-1722). 

2 . Yu  ng-cheng  y u ch  ih  (1728-1735). 

8.  ChlienG ung  yil  chili  (1786-1795). 

4.  Ch  iarcJiling  yil  i li  ih  (1796-1820). 

The  accom])anying  mark,  penciled  in  red,  is  found 
underneath  the  “ chicken-cu|)S  ” (chi  hang)  made  by 
oi'der  of  the  Emperor  CJi  ien-lung,  and  inscribed  Avith 
the  poem  of  liis  own  composition,  which  I translated  in 


77 


MARKS  OK  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 

the  last  chapter.  One  of  them  is  illustrated  in  the 
pamphlet  which  is  quoted  there,  and  the  illustration  is 
better  than  Mr.  Weston’s  grotesque  translation  of  the 
inscription.  These  are  the  most  prized  of  teacups 
among  Chinese  virtuosos  of  the  present  day,  and  the 
curio  dealers  of  Peking  ask  a hundred  taels  for  a perfect 
pair — the  same  price  that  used  to  be  asked  by  the 
dealers  of  the  last  dynasty  for  their  prototypes,  the  tiny 
eggshell  chi  hang  ^vinecups  of  the  famous  reign  of 
cm eiig-lma.  The  seal  (see  No.  7),  is  to  be  read  Ta 
CJhuig  Clhien-lung  fang  hu — i.  e.,  “ Copy  of  antique  of 
Chien-lung  (1736-1795)  of  the  great  ClCmg  [dynasty].” 
The  cups  are  decorated  in  colors,  like  the  little  snuff- 
bottle  with  the  same  inscription  in  the  Walters  Collec- 
tion, with  a picture  of  a rockery  with  peonies  growing 
u])on  it,  and  a boy  feeding  a hen  and  chickens  from  a 
basket.  See  Fig.  64. 

This  seems  to  be  the  place  for  a seal  mark  of  one 
character  of  not  infrequent  occurrence  in  collections, 
which  has  not  been  hitherto  deciphered  (see  No.  8).  It 
is  said  to  signify  Cliih,  By  Imperial  Order,”  and  is 
found  on  K\uig-hsi  porcelain  of  the  most  artistic  deco- 
ration, the  mark  varying  considerably,  however,  in  the 
shape  and  arrangement  of  the  strokes  in  different  cases. 
The  first  form  is  taken  from  a magnificent  round  dish, 
twenty-eight  inches  in  diameter,  decorated  in  brilliant 
enamel  colors  of  the  K^ing-hsi  period,  with  a party  of 
ladies  in  floats,  gathering  lotus  flowers  in  a lake,  while 
other  gayly  dressed  damsels  are  looking  on  from  a pavilion, 
the  borders  of  the  dish  being  filled  with  richly  brocaded 
diapers  interrupted  by  medallions  of  flowers.  The  sec- 
ond form  (see  No.  1),  which  is  apparently  a variation  of 
the  same  mark,  is  taken  from  a square  beaker  of  the 
same  jieriod,  decorated  on  the  four  sides  with  flowers 
i*elieved  liy  a black  ground  in  the  style  of  Plate  IX,  and 


78 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


is  a rare  instance  of  an  inscription  in  this  peculiar  class 
of  decoration,  which  is  almost  always  unmarked.'^'  The 
third  form  (see  No.  2)  is  taken  from  a large  blue  and 
white  dish  belonging  also  to  the  K'’ang-lisi  period.  This 
appears  to  me  to  be  intended  for  another  character  called 
chill,  a synonym  of  eliih,  to  make,”  which,  however,  also 
means  by  order.”  They  are  examples  of  a large  and 
vaiied  category  of  marks  introduced  at  a time  when  the 
use  of  the  proper  nien  hao  was  forbidden  by  the 
authorities. 

2.  Hall-Marks. 

The  term  hall”  is  used  here  in  its  most  comprehensive 
sense,  reaching  from  the  palace  or  pavilion  of  the  emperor 
down  to  the  shed  of  the  potter,  so  as  to  include  the  recep- 
tion hall  of  a noble,  the  lil)rary  of  a scholar,  the  studio 
of  an  artist,  and  the  shop  of  a dealer.  The  Emperor  of 
China  stamps  his  ode  with  the  seal  of  the  pavilion  in 
which  he  has  just  composed  it,  the  official  in  charge 
of  the  imperial  manufactory  attaches  his  hall  mark  to  the 
porcelain  produced  there,  the  artist  or  writer  uses  the 
name  of  his  studio  as  fxiiomde  pin  me,  i\\ii  dealer  has  his 
trading  hall-mark  inscribed  on  the  porcelain  made  for 
sale  at  his  shop,  and  the  potter  occasionally  authenticates 
his  productions  with  his  own  mark.  The  hall-mark  on 
porcelain  may  belong  to  any  one  of  these  different  classes, 
and  it  may  mean  made  for  the  ])articular  hall,  as  well  as 
at  the  hall,  the  name  of  which  is  insci'ibed  on  the  piece, 
the  clew  being  sometimes  suggested  by  the  meaning  of  the 
name.  For  example,  of  two  new  hall-marks  supplied  by 
this  collection,  the  one  Yi  yil  famj  chih  must  be  ‘‘  Made 
at  the  Ductile  Jade  Hall,”  while  the  othei’,  in  wJiich  the 

* Anotlier  form  of  this  mark,  in  which  the  first  part  of  tlie  character  is  more 
correctly  penciled,  is  given  in  the  Franks  Catalogue,  Plate  XIII,  Fig.  130.  It 
is  deciphered  there  as  “ Fan,  the  maker’s  name,”  but  the  Chinese  experts  that 
I have  consulted  refuse  to  pass  this  reading. 


MARKS  ON  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


79 


name  Ssu  han  ts'ao  fang  is  taken  from  a line  in  one  of  the 
Ancient  Odes  of  Chinese  classical  times,  would  in  all 
proJ)ability  be  ‘‘  [Made/brJ  the  Straw  [i.  e.,  thatched] 
Pavilion  on  the  River  Bank.” 

The  usual  word  employed  for  ‘‘  hall  ” is  tang^  but 
we  find  also  other  terms  of  similar  meaning  used  occa- 
sionally in  its  stead  in  inscriptions  on  porcelain,  such  as 
a palace  pavilion,”  fing^  a “ summer-house,” 
chai^  a ‘‘  studio,”  lisilan^  a “ balcony  or  railed 

terrace,”  or  a porch  projecting  beyond  the  eaves,  |lj 
slian-fang,  a mountain  retreat,  ” and  other  synonyms. 

The  mark  (see  No.  3)  Jen  ho  hucin^  ‘‘Hotel  of  Benev- 
olence and  Harmony,”  is  often  cited  as  the  earliest 
instance  on  record  of  a hall-mark,  and  it  would  appear  to 
denote  the  establishment  for  which  the  vase  was  made. 
It  is  quoted  from  the  Ni  hu  lii^  a little  book  on  anti- 
quarian subjects,  published  early  in  the  sixteenth  century, 
in  which  the  autlioi*  describes  a Ijottle-shaped  vase  of  white 
Tingchou  ]K)rce]ain  of-  the  Sung  dynasty  in  his  own 
collection,  as  “having  upon  it  this  inscription,  tired  in  the 
glaze,  in  the  handwriting  apparently  of  one  of  tlie  Ni 
family,  father  or  son,”  referring  to  two  famous  calligra- 
phists  of  the  eleventh  century. 

The  fashion  of  inscribing  upon  porcelain  made  for  the 
imperial  palace  tlie  name  of  the  [)articular  ][)avilion  for 
whicli  it  was  intended  seems  to  have  begun  in  the  reign 
of  Yung-cheng.  Of  the  two  exanq^les  which  I give,  the 
first  (see  No.  1),  lAing  yin  “Pavilion  foi*  Moonlight 
Recitation,”  occurs  on  a flower-] )ot  decorated  in  colors  of 
the  reign  of  Yung-cheng  (1723-1735),  the  second  (see 
No.  2),  Tin  sh  u ho,  “ Pavilion  for  Presentation  of  Books,” 
is  inscribed  upon  the  covers  of  a paii*  of  circular  boxes  of 
the  kind  used  foi*  holding  incense  or  chips  of  fragrant 
wood.  They  a]*e  eight  inches  in  diameter,  and  are  painted 
in  red  and  Idue  with  bats  flying  among  clouds,  and 


80 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


marked  on  the  foot  with  the  ordinary  seal  of  the  Cliia- 
cKing  period  (1796-1820). 

There  are  two  other  hall-marks  which  are  generally 
referred  by  Chinese  authorities  to  the  palace,  viz.  (see 
No.  3),  Cliing  wei  fang  chik,  Made  at  the  Hall  of 
Reverent  Awe,”  wliich  is  attributed  to  the  Clfien-Jiing 
period  (1736-1795),  and  (see  No.  4)  Shen  te  fang  cliiJu 
“ Made  at  the  Hall  for  the  Cultivation  of  Virtue,”  which 
is  said  to  have  been  the  name  of  a pavilion  founded  by 
the  Emperor  llio-hnang  (1821-1850),  and  by  him  given 
a name  chosen  from  the  classics  {The  Great  Learning^ 
chap.  X.  p.  6).  Hence  the  sovereign  will  first  take 
pains  about  his  own  virtue.”  This  mark  is  much  sought 
after  by  Chinese  collectors.  There  is  an  example  of  it 
here  in  the  bowl  (Fig.  74),  which  is  decorated  in  delicate 
enamel  colors  with  butterflies  relieved  by  a monochrome 
ground  of  soft  coral-red  tint.  It  has  been  conjectured 
that  it  might  be  the  hall  name  of  the  official  in  charge  of 
the  imperial  factory,  but  this  could  hardly  be,  as  in  China 
it  would  be  contrary  to  etiquette  for  a subject  to  select 
one  from  such  a text.  There  is  a saucer  dish  in  the 
Franks  Collection  (No.  387  in  the  catalogue)  marked 
(see  No.  5)  Slim  te  fangpo  hii  chilly  Antique  {po  htf) 
made  for  the  Shen  te  Pavilion,”  and  the  learned  author 
thinks  that  “from  peculiarities  of  make  it  is  probable 
that  this  disli  is  of  the  early  part  of  the  reign  of  Kang- 
so  that  the  “antique  ” must  be  well  executed  if  our 
account  of  tlie  oi’i^^in  of  this  mark  be  correct.  The  form 
of  the  ordinaiy  seal  of  the  reign  ^vithpo  hu  is  common 
enoiigli  on  jade  carvings  from  the  imperial  workshops, 
whicli  are  usually  fashioned  after  ancient  models,  and  are 
marked  in  this  way  to  indicate  the  fact. 

A lial  1-mark  quoted  in  Hoopei*’s  Matnad  (lac.  rit.,  p. 
205)  as  taken  from  a bowl,  one  of  a [)aii‘,  the  other  being 
maiked  as  above,  is  (see  No.  6)  Chan,  rhing  ehai  chdi, 


" MARKS  ON  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


81 


Made  for  the  Retreat  of  Quiet  Stillness,”  so  that  this 
mark  would  probably  belong  to  the  same  period  as  that 
of  Shen  te  t’ang. 

The  last  . palace  marks  which  we  will  give  here  are 
taken  from  a pair  of  beautiful  bowls,  examples  of  the 
finest  work  of  the  present  day;  infei-ior,  however,  it 
must  be  confessed,  both  in  technical  details  and  in  tone 
of  coloring,  to  the  porcelain  of  the  reign  of  CTi'ien-lung^ 
which  is  said  to  have  furnished  the  models.  These 
bowls  are  in  the  possession  of  Sir  Nicholas  O’Conor, 
K.  C.  B.,  her  Britannic  Majesty’s  late  envoy  plenipotenti- 
ary at  Peking,  who  has  kindly  permitted  me  to  copy  the 
marks.  They  are  decorated  in  enamel  colors  inside  and 
out,  with  hoi'al  sprays  of  roses  and  wistaria,  the  stems  of 
the  latter  winding  over  the  rim,  so  as  to  cover  the 
interior  of  the  bowl  with  gracefully  trailing  blossoms;  a 
single  magpie  is  perched  on  one  of  the  branches ; and  the 
whole  is  ]*elieved  by  a monochrome  ground  of  soft  gray- 
green  tint.  On  the  outer  surface  near  the  rim  is  the 
hall-mark  (see  No.  7)  Ta  Ya  Chai^  ‘‘Abode  of  Grand 
Culture,”  and  near  it,  in  a small  oval  panel  framed  by 
dragons,  the  motto  (see  No.  8)  T''ieu  fi  yi  cliia  clCun^ 
“ Spring  throughout  heaven  and  earth  as  one  family  ! 
Undei’iieath  there  is  another  mark  penciled  in  red  (see 
No.  9),  Yung  elCing  cli  aug  clCun^  “ Eternal  Prosperity 
and  Enduring  Spring  ! ” These  bowls  are  interesting 
fi'om  the  fact  that  they  are  part  of  a dinner  service  made 
specially  at  the  imperial  factory  at  Ching-te-chen  for 
the  empress  dowager,  who  has  ruled  China  for  so  many 
years,  and  who  is  noted  as  being  herself  a clever  ai*tist 
and  calligraphist.  She  is  said  to  have  sent  down  some 
bowls  and  saucer  dishes  of  the  OltUeu-lwrig  pei’iod  from 
the  palace  at  Peking  as  pattei’iis  to  be  copied  at  Ching-te- 
chen.  Ta  ya  (Jhal  is  the  name  of  one  of  the  new  pavil- 
ions in  (Jh'ang  (Jh' an  Kung,  ‘‘The  Palace  of  Enduring 


82 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


Spring/’  on  the  western  side  of  the  ^‘Prohibited  City,” 
at  Peking,  where  this  empress,  the  “Western  Buddha,” 
as  she  is  colloquially  called  by  the  Pekingese,  resided 
until  she  removed  to  the  new  palace  which  was  prepared 
for  her  at  the  termination  of  the  emperor’s  long  minority. 
The  propitious  mark  underneath  the  world-embracing 
motto  in  the  dragon  label,  and  the  decoration,  all  point 
to  spring,  of  which  season  the  Wistaria  Sinensis  is  one 
of  the  floral  emblems. 

The  ordinary  liall-niarks  are  so  numerous  that  it  would 
be  quite  useless  to  attempt  to  give  a complete  list.  They 
are  found  on  porcelain  of  the  present  dynasty  from  the 
reign  of  K\inej-hsi  downward.  It  ^vould  be  useful  to 
arrange  them  in  chronological  sequence  had  w^e  sufficient 
material  at  our  command.  At  present  it  is  only  possible 
to  make  a short  selection  for  illustration  here,  beginning 
with  the  two  unedited  marks  in  the  Waltei*s  Collection, 
that  have  l)een  already  quoted. 

The  first,  one  of  the  earliest  of  the  class  that  we  have 
met  with,  is  inscribed  on  the  bottom  of  the  square  teapot 
(Fig.  75),  which  is  decorated  with  dramatic  and  domestic 
scenes  in  blue  and  white  of  the  A period,  and  has 
rims  and  borders  of  canary  or  “ Nankin  yellow.”  The 
upright  rim  is  surrounded  by  small  panels  of  floral  sprays 
of  the  four  seasons  ; the  knob  of  the  cover  is  carved  in 
open  work,  with  the  character  lu  (“  rank  ”)  encircled  by 
a four-clawed  dragon  })enciled  in  blue  ; and  the  handle  is 
tinted  black  on  a pale-yellow  ground  to  imitate  basket 
work.  The  mark  is  (see  No.  1)  Yi  yil  t\mg  chih^  “ Made 
at  the  Ductile  Jade  Hall,”  and  is  such  as  would  be  likely 
to  be  chosen  by  a potter,  using  white  jade  as  a well-worn 
simile  foi*  fine  porcelain. 

The  other  is  a CltHen-luvg  vase  with  the  rim  and  foot 
incased  in  metal  mounts  (Fig.  76),  which  is  enameled 
with  a minutely  crackled  turquoise  glaze  of  soft,  charm- 


MARKS  ON  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


83 


ing  tone.  The  decoration,  delicately  etched  in  the  paste 
under  the  glaze,  consists  of  a pair  of  five-clawed  dragons 
pursuing  the  effulgent  disk  of  omnipotence  in  the  midst 
of  cloud  scrolls  and  lightning  flames.  The  foot,  colored 
brown  underneath,  has  the  mark  engraved  in  the  paste 
(see  No.  2),  Ssu  Jean  ts\io  t\mg^  The  Straw  (i.  e., 
thatched)  Pavilion  on  the  River  Bank.”  The  name  is 
taken  from  a text  in  the  ancient  Minor  Odes  of  the  King- 
dom^ Book  xiv.  Ode  5,  the  first  line  of  which  is,  By 
these  banks  (^Ssu  lean)  has  the  palace  risen.” 

The  above  mark  is  curious  for  the  omission  of  the  word 
ehif  ^Onade,”  in  which  it  agrees  with  the  two  hall-marks 
that  follow  (see  No.  3)  : Lu  yi  fang,  ‘‘  The  Pavilion  with 
the  Waving  Bamboos,”  and  (see  No.  4)  Feng  lisien  fang, 
‘‘The  Hall  for  the  AVorship  of  Ancestors.”  The  former 
occurs  on  K\vn(jdisi  pieces  decorated  in  colors,  with 
either  a white  or  a mazarine  blue  ground  ; the  latter  on 
more  modern  porcelain,  is  that  which  is  usually  inscribed 
on  ritual  vessels,  perhaps  as  an  indication  of  their  being 
intended  for  use  in  the  ancestral  temple. 

Another  unpublished  mark  occurs  more  than  once  in 
the  Walters  Collection,  which  must  be  included  in  this 
class,  although  the  word  “ hall  ” happens  to  be  omitted  in 
its  composition.  The  first  piece  (Fig.  67)  is  a rice-bowl 
of  lotus-flower  design,  with  an  eightfold  foliated  wavy 
rim,  and  eight  petals  molded  in  relief  round  the  foot,  dec- 
orated with  dragons  and  tiny  sprays  of  flowers  relieved 
by  a coral-red  ground.  The  second,  illustrated  in  Fig. 
77,  is  one  of  a pair  of  four-lobed  winecups,  with  indented 
rims,  painted  in  delicate  enamel  colors,  with  the  eight 
Taoist  genii  crossing  the  sea.  Chung-li  Ch’uan  and  Lii 
Tung-pin  are  seen  on  the  left  of  the  picture  mounted 
upon  a dragon,  which  is  guided  by  a damsel  swimming 
in  front,  holding  up  a flaming  jewel.  Lan  Ts’ai-ho  and 
Ho  Hsien-ku  are  still  upon  the  shore ; the  former  is  scat- 


84 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART, 


tering  flowers  from  liis  basket,  as  if  to  propitiate  the 
waves ; the  latter,  the  virgin  member  of  the  sacred  group, 
carries  a lotus  cup  upon  a stick  and  a small  branch  of 
twin  peaches  upon  her  shoulder.  A few  white  jasmine 
flowers  and  buds,  painted  in  soft  tints,  are  sprinkled  over 
the  interior  of  the  cup,  as  if  to  imbue  its  contents  with 
their  fragrance.  The  mark  in  all  three  cases  is  in  the 
seal  character,  penciled  in  red  (see  No.  1),  Hsieli  chn 
tsao,  Made  for  [or  at]  the  Hsieh  Bamboo  [Hall].” 
Compare  the  mark  figured  in  the  Franks  Catalogue 
(Plate  VI,  Fig.  72),  which  is  read  (see  No.  2),  Hsieh  chu 
ehu  jen  tsao,  ‘^Made  for  [or  by]  the  lord  [Chu  jen]  of  the 
Hsieh  Bamboos.”  Hsieh  is  the  name  of  the  valley  in 
the  Kun-lun  Mountains  where  Ling  Lun,  minister  of  the 
fabulous  Emperor  Huang  T%  is  said  to  have  cut  bamboo 
tubes  of  diffei’ent  lengths  when  he  is  supposed  to  have 
invented  the  musical  scale  and  fashioned  the  first  musi- 
cal instruments.  The  style  and  coloring  of  these  bowls 
indicate  the  reign  of  Tao-huang  (1821-50),  or  perhaps 
Chia-ch ^ing  ( 1796-1820). 

The  next  mark,  which  is  taken  from  a brush  cylinder 
(pi  thing),  carved  in  open  work  to  simulate  a clump  of 
bamboos  o^rowiim  from  rocks,  and  tinted  in  delicate 
enamel  colors  of  the  CKien-lung  period,  is  to  be  read 
(see  No.  3)  Lh  chu  shan  fang  dim  ts'^ang^  ‘OPrecious 
Treasure  of  the  Green  Bamboo  Mountain  Lodge.” 

Another  six-character  hall-mark  of  the  same  time  is 
(see  No.  4)  Cliing  lien  t\ing  fang  hu  chih^  Made  as  a 
copy  of  an  anti(pie  at  the  Ching-lien  Hall.”  This  would 
be  the  mark  of  an  official  or  scholar  posing  as  an  admirer 
of  Sung  Ching-lien,  a supporter  of  the  founder  of  the 
Ming  dynasty  in  the  fourteenth  century,  and  a distin- 
guished commentator  on  the  classics. 

A hall-niaik  indicative  of  a lover  of  flowers,  which  was 
first  piildished  by  Jacquemart  and  Le  Blant  {loc.  cit.^  p. 


MARKS  ON  CHEESE  PORCELAIN. 


85 


188),  is  Tzil  tz'a  fang  cliih^  ‘‘Made  at  the  Hall  of 
Purple  Thorn  ” (see  Ko.  5),  taken  by  them  from  a charm- 
ing vase,  decorated  with  figure  subjects,  in  the  possession 
of  M.  Holtrop,  librarian  to  the  King  of  Holland.  Thei’e 
is  another  hall-mark  (see  No.  6)  published  on  the  follow- 
ing page  of  the  same  liook,  taken  from  a bowl  enameled 
green  outside,  yellow  inside,  with  fish  and  water  plants, 
with  the  reading,  T^ien  mao  fang  chih,  “ Fahriqne  dans 
la  salle  du  del  voiled  The  second  character,  howevei*,  is 
clfang  (“  prosperity  ”),  not  mao^  which  has  an  extra 
horizontal  stroke  at  the  bottom,  so  that  ^ve  must  read 
instead,  “Hall  of  Heaven-sent  Prosperity,’-  which  is  a 
common  tradino'-hall  name  in  China. 

O 

I have  been  pennitted  to  select  four  ^^'inecups  from  my 
own  collection  to  illustrate  the  subject  of  hall-marks. 
Fig.  78  is  a cup  of  the  thinnest  eggshell  texture  and 
most  translucent  glaze,  decorated  in  colors,  wdth  pale- 
green  bamboo  and  red  dianthus  fio^vers  ; a bat,  emblem 
of  happiness,  is  flying ' across  with  chi  clf  ing,  the  jade 
symbol  of  good  fortune,  in  his  mouth ; there  is  a short 
inscription  penciled  in  black  behind,  “A  propitious 
prayer  for  a thousandfold  harvest  ” ; and  a couple  of  fra- 
grant jasmine  blossoms  are  painted  inside.  The  mark 
penciled  in  red  on  the  bottom  of  the  cup  is  Chili  lisiit 
ts\(o  fang,  “The  Straw  (i.  e.,  thatched)  Pavilion  adorned 
with  Variegated  Fungus.”  It  is  a specimen  of  the  reign 
of  ICang-hsi  (1662-1722).  The  next.  Fig.  38  {a),  del- 
icately painted  in  gold  with  sprays  of  chrysanthemum 
flowers,  is  attributed  to  the  reign  of  Ynng-clieng  (1723- 
35)  ; it  is  marked  underneath  in  red,  Ching  ssic  fang  chili, 
“Made  for  the  Pavilion  of  Classical  Bookcases.”*  The 
third  is  a tiny  cup.  Fig.  79,  of  the  reign  of  Clf  iendinig 

* There  is  a pair  of  teacups  with  this  mark  in  the  Hippisley  Collection  {Cata- 
logue, Nos.  120  and  121),  “ I'eacups  (a  pair)  with  covers,  of  thin  white  Yung 
Cheng  porcelain,  decorated  with  two  imperial  five-clawed  dragons  pursuing 


86 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


(1736-95),  decorated  in  delicate  enamel  colors  with  a 
combination  of  the  three  propitious  plants,  symbols  of 
longevity — the  hr,  bamboo,  and  blossoming  prunus 
(^Sung,  dm,  mei).  The  mark  penciled  underneath  in  red 
is  Fm  shen  dial  diih,  ‘‘Made  for  the  Retreat  where 
Virtue  is  Precious.”  The  fourth.  Fig.  80,  one  of  a pair 
of  winecups  referred  to  the  reign  of  CMa-di'mg 
1820),  which  are  covered  inside  and  out  with  hying  bats 
painted  in  red,  hfty  on  each  cup,  and  have  the  circular 
form  of  the  character  dwu  (“  longevity  ”)  emblazoned  on 
the  bottom  of  each  in  red  and  gold.  The  decoration 
conveys  the  felicitous  phrase,  Shucmg  shou  g>o  fu,  “ Two- 
fold longevity  and  the  hundred  happinesses.”  The  mark 
penciled  underneath  in  i*ed  is  Fib  diing  fang  dii\ 
“ Made  at  the  Hall  of  Happiness  and  Good  Fortune.” 

The  Chinese  potter  lavishes  some  of  his  choicest  work 
on  the  decoration  of  these  little  winecups,  and  many  more 
might  be  selected  with  other  marks,  but  space  is  limited, 
and  these  few  must  suffice  for  the  present. 

Toward  the  end  of  the  reign  of  K^ang-lisi,  glass  works 
were  founded  at  Peking  under  the  direct  patronage  of 
the  emperor,  with  the  assistance  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
missionaries.  The  production  was  known  as  Knan  liao, 
or  “ imperial  glass  ” ; it  included  pieces  colored  in  mass, 
pieces  made  of  layers  of  different  color  superimposed 
and  subsequently  carved,  and  pieces  either  of  clear  or  of 
opaque  wliite  material,  2:>ainted  with  translucent  enamels 
of  different  colors.  These  last  are  commonly  known  in 
the  present  day  as  Fu  Yueh  Ild'ian,  because  the  hall- 
mark, Kii  Yueh  liman  di  ili,  “ Made  at  the  Ancient 
Moon  Terrace,”  is  often  inscribed  underneath.  Tradition 
says  that  one  of  the  directors  of  tlie  factory  named  Ku, 


sun  amid  clouds,  all  in  deep  red,  the  clouds,  the  dragons,  and  the  scales  of 
the  latter  being  outlined  in  bright  gold  ; covers  bear  similar  decoration. 
Mark,  (Jhituj  ssh  t'ancj,  an  imperial  or  princely  hall-mark  as  yet  unidentified.” 


MARKS  ON  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


87 


whose  patronymic  was  a character  composed  of  Ku, 
‘‘‘  ancient,”  and  yueJi,  moon,”  broke  it  up  into  two  com- 
ponent parts  to  form  his  studio  name.  The  accompany- 
ing mark  is  engraved  underneath  a bowl  of  this  kind, 
which  is  fabricated  of  white  glass  and  is  colored  brown, 
the  outside  of  the  bowl  being  etched  with  a landscape  of 
hill  scenery  touched  with  the  same  brown  enamel.  The 
Emperor  Yung-clieng  is  said  to  have  been  enamored  of 
the  new  art  and  to  have  sent  down  to  Ching-te-chen  some 
of  the  finest  specimens,  to  be  reproduced  in  porcelain 
under  the  auspices  of  the  celebrated  Tang  Ying.  The 
objects  which  were  produced  in  this  and  the  succeeding 
reign  of  CTiHen-lung  are  among  the  most  precious  of 
treasures  ; they  have  a paste  of  peculiarly  vitreous  aspect, 
white,  and  fine-grained,  and  are  decorated  in  translucent 
enamels,  often  with  European  subjects.  The  variety 
is  known  as  Fang  Ku  YueTi  Hsilan^  Imitations  of  the 
Ancient  Moon  Terrace  [Work].”  The  teapot  figured  in 
the  last  chapter  is  a notable  example  of  this  beautiful 
style  of  decoration.  The  Chinese  exquisite  will  pay  in 
the  present  day  over  a hundred  taels  for  a little  CYien 
lung  snuff-bottle  of  clear  glass,  lightly  touched  with 
a design  in  colors,  authenticated  by  this  mark ; and  much 
more  for  a small  porcelain  vase  of  the  variety,  decorated 
with  a pastoral  scene  of  European  style  in  enamels  of  the 
famille  rose. 

Another  unedited  hall-mark  with  the  word  hsikni,, 
found  on  decorated  porcelain  of  the  Clkien-ltuig  period, 
is  (see  No.  1)  Chen  ting  hsilan  chih^  literally,  Made  in 
[or  for]  the  Dust-fixed  Terrace.”  ^^Dnst”  {elk mi)  is  the 
world  ” in  Buddhist  metaphor,  and  ting  immovable  ”) 
is  the  word  used  by  Buddhists  to  convey  the  idea  of 
mental  abstraction,  so  that  we  should  render  this  hall- 
name,  “ Terrace  of  abstraction  from  Mundane  Affairs.” 

Some  of  the  earliest  hall-marks  have  names  referring 


88 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


to  the  quail ty  of  the  porcelain,  distinguishing  either  the' 
fineness  of  the  paste  or  the  brilliancy  of  the  coloring.' 
One  of  those  already  given,  Hall  of  Ductile  Jade,” 
refers  to  the  fine  fabric,  while  the  accompanying  mark 
(see  No.  2)  of  the  same  early  period,  which  is  penciled 
in  blue  under*  a small  vase  with  celadon-glazed  body, 
with  a rino;  of  chocolate-bi'own  tint  i*ound  the  shoulder, 
and  having  the  neck  decorated  with  peaches  in  under- 
glaze blue  touched  with  peach-color,  refers  to  the  color- 
ing, being  Pi  yiln  thing  ‘^  Made  at  the  Hall  of  Moss- 
Green-Jade  Clouds.” 

To  the  former  class,  also,  belong  the  following  marks: 
(see  No.  3)  Chi  yil  fang  chih^  Made  at  the  Hall  of 
Rare  Jade”;  (No.  4)  Lin  yil  fang  chilly  ^‘Made  at  the 
Hall  of  Forest  Jade”;  and  (No.  5)  Yil  famg  chia  cJfi, 
Beautiful  Vessel  of  the  Hall  of  Jade,”  which  occurs 
both  in  the  ordinary  script  and  in  seals”  of  varied  style, 
of  which  one  witli  the  third  character  imperfect  is  given 
here  in  No.  6. 

Of  the  latter  class,  No.  7,  Avli  ich  I'eads,  lhai  jim  fang 
chilly  Made  at  the  Hall  of  Brilliant  Colors,”  a frequent 
mark  on  porcelain  decorated  in  enamel  colors,  is  another 
example. 

Among  other  marks  of  commercial  character,  which 
may  be  either  those  of  potters  or  of  dealers  in  the  ware,' 
are:  (No.  8)  17  yn  fang  chilt,  Made  at  the  Hall  of 
Profit  and  Advance  ” ; (No.  9)  Yang  ho  fang  chih, 
^^Made  at  the  Hall  for  the  Cultivation  of  Harmony”; 
(No.  10)  Ta  shn  fang  ehih^  ^AEade  at  the  Great  Tree 
Hall”;  and  (No.  11)  Clfii  slum  Mel  yil  fang  ehih, 
^‘Made  at  the  Beautiful  Jade  Hall  of  Riches  and  Suc- 
cess.” The  last  of  these  is  a compound  name,  of  which 
the  first  ])art,  Clfh  slrnn,  must  l)e  that  of  the  shop  or 
trading  firm,  who  eulogize  their  ^volre  under  the  title 
of  beautiful  jade,  a comparison  often  met  with. 


MARKS  ON  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


89 


The  above  hall-names  represent  generally  the  marks  of 
the  factory.  The  individual  name  of  the  potter  is  rarely 
found  attached  to  his  work  in  China,  which  differs  in 
this  respect  from  Japan.  In  the  ivory-white  porcelain 
of  the  province  of  Fuchien  it  is  sometimes  found,  etched 
in  the  paste  under  the  glaze.  In  the  colored  stoneware 
of  the  province  of  Kuang-tung  the  name  of  the  potter 
occurs  more  frequently,  being  stamped  in  the  paste 
under  the  foot  of  the  piece,  so  that  the  inscription 
appears  either  in  intaglio  or  in  relief.  The  mark  (No. 
12)  Ko  Ming  h slang  chilly  ‘^Made  by  Ko  Ming-hsiang,” 
for  instance,  is  not  uncommon  on  vases  of  reddish  paste 
from  these  potteries,  of  such  archaic  aspect  that  they 
have  been  mistaken  for  ancient  specimens  of  the  Sung 
dynasty. 

One  curious  seal,  shown  in  No.  18,  taken  from  an 
antique  crackle  vase  of  porcelain  of  gray  tone,  decorated 
with  propitious  inscriptions  worked  in  reserve  and  filled 
in  with  colored  glazes  of  tlie  Ming  period,  gives  the  name 
of  an  individual  potter.  Read  in  inverse  fashion,  from 
left  to  right,  it  is  Wu  Chen  lisien  yao — i.  e.,  Pottery 
[from  the  Kiln]  of  Wu  Chen-hsien.” 

Another  mark  which  must  not  be  omitted  from  the 
list  is  that  of  Hao  Shih-chiu,  the  celebrated  and  scholarly 
potter  who  flourished  at  Chiug-te-chen  in  the  reign  of 
Wan-U  (1573-1619) — a poet,  too,  whose  merits  were 
often  sung  in  contemporary  verse.  He  chose  as  his 
sobriquet  Hu  yin  Tao  jen^  “The  Taoist  hidden  in  a pot” 
(No.  1),  a sympathetic  device  for  a ceramic  artist,  which 
was  adopted  from  an  old  legend  of  a Taoist  recluse  who, 
according  to  an  ancient  book  on  the  Taoist  Immoifals, 
possessed  the  magic  faculty  of  concealing  himself  within 
the  pilgrim’s  gourd  which  he  carried  on  his  girdle.  This 
mark  was  inscribed  by  him  underneatli  his  delicate  egg- 
shell winecups  of  pure  white  and  dawn-red  tints,  each  of 


90 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


which  Avas  said  to  have  weighed  less  than  the  forty- 
eighth  part  of  a Chinese  ounce.  A verse  may  be  quoted 
here  which  a fellow-poet  wrote  to  him  : 

111  jour  search  after  the  pliilosopher’s  stone,  }^ou  strive  in  the 
market  place. 

Far  from  the  rustling  furs  and  changing  clouds,  your  heaven  is  a 
teapot. 

I know  you,  sir,  only  as  the  maker  of  those  dawn-red  winecups. 

Fit  to  be  launched  from  the  orchid  arbor  to  float  down  the  nine- 
bend  river.” 

The  last  stanza  refers  to  the  Lan  T''ing  or  Orchid 
Pavilion,”  where,  in  the  fourth  century  of  our  era,  a party 
of  celebrated  scholars  used  to  meet  to  drink  wine  and 
compose  verses.  The  scene  with  the  cups  floating  doAvn 
the  river  has  been  a favorite  subject  for  Chinese  pictorial 
art  ever  since. 

This  section  may  be  closed  by  two  unusually  elaborate 
hall-marks,  both  of  which  happen  to  Ije  written  in  circu- 
lar form.  The  first  (see  No.  2)  conies  fi'oni  the  foot  of  a 
large  rice-bowl,  decorated  Avith  floAvers,  fruit,  and  birds, 
in  enamel  colors  of  the  67^ period.  Our  Chinese 
Avood  engraver,  who  was  instructed  to  mark  the  top  of 
each  block  for  the  benefit  of  the  printei*,  Avas  nonplussed 
by  this  one,  and  aa  hen  asked  Avliy  he  had  omitted  the 
usual  mark,  he  exclaimed,  How  could  I tell  Avhere  to 
begin  to  read  ? ” To  obviate  this  difliculty,  Ave  have  put 
it  Avith  the  first  cliaracter  at  the  top,  and,  proceeding  in 
the  oi'dinaiy  way  to  the  left,  Ave  find  the  (piaint  inscrip- 
tion, Yuan  wen  wri  kno  rJiHi  rluii,  The  Keti*eat 
where  1 wish  to  hear  of  my  tmnsgi*essions.” 

The  second  (see  No.  8),  which  is  [lenciled  in  red 
I’ound  the  circumference  of  the  hollow  foot  of  a tazza- 
shaped  bowl,  exhibits,  in  combination,  the  nien  liao^  the 
cyclical  date,  and  the  hall-mark  of  the  maker.  It  is  read, 
Tao  kfiamj  tji  sm  nien  Kvang  yn  fang  cliili — i.  e.,, 


MARKS  ON  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


91 


Made  at  the  Hall  of  Brilliance  and  Riches,  in  the 
cyclical  year  yi-ssu  of  the  reign  of  Tao-lc^uangP  This 
year  will  be  found,  on  referring  to  the  Tables  in  the  last 
chapter,  to  correspond  to  a.  d.  1845.  The  bowl,  which 
is  mounted  upon  a tall,  hollow  stein,  spreadiug  at  the 
foot,  is  decorated  in  blue,  with  the  eight  Taoist  genii 
crossing  the  sea,  the  intervals  being  occupied  by  waving 
fillets,  and  the  stem  covered  with  sea-waves  ; the  interior 
of  the  bowl  is  painted  with  a large  circular  sliou  (“  lon- 
gevity ”)  symbol,  encircled  by  a ring  of  five  bats,  em- 
blems of  the  wu  fu,  or  five  happinesses  or  blessings, 
namely,  longevity,  riches,  peacefulness  and  serenity,  the 
love  of  virtue,  and  an  end  crowning  the  life.'^* 


8.  Marks  of  Dedication  and  Felicitation. 

This  heading  is  selected  to  comprise  all  the  marks,  not 
included  in  the  last  class  of  “ Hall-Marks,”  that  imply 
dedication  to  some  particular  institution,  individual,  or 
purpose,  as  well  as  those  expressive  of  vsdshes  of  happy 
augury  for  the  future  possessor  of  the  piece.  The  next 
heading,  Marks  of  Commendation,”  will  take  the  re- 
mainder of  the  written  marks — viz.,  those  eulogizing  the 
material  or  referring  to  the  decoration  of  the  porcelain. 
Some  of  the  hall-marks  might  have  come  under  these 
headings,  as  the  official  in  charge  of  the  imperial  manu- 
factory will  sometimes  have  a set  of  sacrificial  vases,  or  a 
dinner  service,  inscribed  with  the  hall-mark  of  the  friend 
or  patron  for  presentation  to  whom  it  was  specially 
made ; or  the  potter,  as  we  have  seen,  will  choose  a hall 
name  descriptive  of  the  jadelike  texture  of  his  porcelain 
or  the  brilliancy  of  its  color.  It  was  more  convenient, 
howevei’,  to  treat  the  hall-marks  separately. 

One  of  the  earliest  marks  of  dedication  is  that  of  (No. 

* See  Mayer’s  Chinese  Reader's  Manual,  p.  312.  __  _ 


92 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


1)  Shu  f % Imperial  palace,”  which  was  inscribed  on 
some  of  the  porcelain  made  for  the  use  of  the  emperor 
during  the  Yuan  or  Mongol  dynasty  (1280-1367).  We 
shall  find  a specimen  described  in  our  manuscript  album 
of  the  sixteenth  century,  in  which  this  mark  is  incised 
on  the  foot  of  a little  vase  underneath  the  ivory-white 
glaze.  The  decoration  of  this  vase  consists  of  dragons 
and  cloud-scrolls  lightly  etched  in  the  paste ; and  the 
author,  in  his  description  of  the  piece,  gives  us  the  inter- 
esting information  that  the  porcelain  of  this  period  was 
fashioned  on  the  lines  of  that  of  the  Ting-chou  manufac- 
ture of  the  early  Sung  dynasty,  and  that  it  in  turn  sup- 
plied models  for  the  pure  white  porcelain  which  distin- 
guished the  reigns  of  Yu7ig-lo  and  Hsuaii-te  of  his  own 
{Ming)  dynasty,  which  was  also  ornamented  with  designs 
incised  at  the  point  underneath  the  glaze. 

The  sacrificial  vessels  intended  for  use  in  religious 
worship  often  used  to  have  the  object  for  which  they 
were  designed  marked  upon  them,  like  the  white  altar 
cups  of  the  reign  of  Hsilan-te  (1426-35),  which  were 
inscribed  altar,”  according  to  the  author  of  the 

Po  mu  yao  Tan.  The  same  book  describes  sets  of  white 
altar  cups  made  at  the  imperial  factory  in  the  reign  of 
Chia-diing  (1522-66),  which  were  marked  inside  with 
the  characters  c// V, ‘Hea  ” ; ch  in.,  ^Svine  ” ; ^ 
tsao  t\mg,  ‘^decoction  of  jujubes”;  and  ^ 

/Vo/ decoction  of  ginger”;  indicating  the  dif- 
ferent offerings  presented  in  the  cups  when  the  emperor 
officiated  at  the  Taoist  altar. 

Inscriptions  of  dedication  to  pai*ticular  temples  are  not 
uncommon,  and  are  often  lengthy.  Jacquemart  quotes 
one  (Toe.  cii.,  ]>age  166)  inscribed  on  a trumpet-shaped 
vase,  which  is  composed  of  twelve  characters,  indicating 
that  it  was  a ritual  vase  ‘^made  for  the  temple  of  Fou  lou 
tsiang  in  [1636]  tlie  ninth  year  of  Ts^ungPieng,  in  sum- 


MARKS  ON  CHmESE  PORCELAIN. 


93 


mer,  on  a propitious  day.”  Marks  of  this  reign,  the  last 
of  Ming  dynasty,  are  very  rare,  and  there  is  no  little 
reason  for  regarding  them  as,  for  the  most  part,  apoc- 
ryphal. 

The  longest  I have  met  with  is  that  reproduced  above 
in  No.  2.  It  is  inscribed  on  the  base  of  a pricket  candle- 
stick of  elaborate  design,  painted  in  blue  with  conven- 
tional scrolls  and  formal  foliations,  one  of  a pair  twenty- 
eight  inches  high,  now  in  my  own  possession.  They 
were  made  in  the  year  1741  (the  sixth  of  OJiHen-liing^ 
by  T’ang  Ying,  the  famous  director  of  the  imperial  por- 
celain manufactory,  the  successor  of  the  still  more  illus- 
tiious  scholars  and  artists  Lang  and  Nien,  and  dedicated 
by  him  to  a Taoist  temple  at  Tungpa,  a town  situated  on 
the  northern  bank  of  the  canal  which  connects  T’ungchou 
with  Peking.-^ 

‘bReverently  made  by  T’ang  Ying  of  Shen-yang,  a 
Junior  Secretary  of  the  Imperial  Household,  and  Captain 
of  the  Banner,  promoted  five  honorary  grades.  Chief 
Superintendent  of  Works  in  the  palace  Yang-l^sin  Tien, 
Imperial  Commissioner  in  Charge  of  the  thi*ee  Customs 
Stations  of  Huai,  Su,  and  Hai,  in  the  province  of 
Kiangnan,  also  Director  of  the  Porcelain  Manufactory,  and 
Commissioner  of  Customs  at  Kiukiang,  in  the  province 
of  Kiangsi ; and  presented  by  him  to  the  Temple  of  the 
Holy  Mother  of  the  God  of  Heaven  at  Tungpa,  to  remain 
there  through  time  everlasting  for  offering  sacrifices  be  fore 
the  altar ; on  a fortunate  day  in  the  spring  of  the  sixth 
year  of  the  Emperor  CJiHenrlungi^ 

Among  marks  of  dedication  to  institutions  I will 


* This  temple,  like  so  many  of  those  in  the  vicinity  of  Peking,  is  now  in 
ruins.  The  candlesticks  formed  part  of  the  sacrificial  set  of  five  vessels  {Wtt 
kung)  made  for  the  principal  altar  of  the  temple.  I saw  the  two  flower  vases 
with  trumpet-shaped  mouths  belonging  to  the  set,  but  their  inscriptions  had 
been  purposely  erased.  The  tripod  incense  burner  which  once  figured  as  the 
center-piece  of  the  altar  set  had  long  before  been  broken  and  lost. 


94 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


quote  two.  One  is  a seal  mark  shown  in  No.  1 {Burling- 
ton Fine  Arts  Club  Catalogue  of  Blue  and  White,  loo.  cit., 
Plate  II,  Fig.  17),  from  a plate  with  flanged  brim 
decorated  with  eight  hoi'ses  reserved  in  white  on  a 
delicate  blue  ground,  which  is  to  be  read  Shu-cKang, 
indicating  that  it  was  made  for  the  Shu-ch’ang  Kuan, 
a college  of  the  Flanlin  Yuan,  the  national  university  at 
Peking.^  The  other  (see  No.  2)  is  a mark  in  the  plain 
character  (Franks’  Catalogue,  loo.  cit.,  Plate  XII,  Fig. 
150),  Shuai  fu  hung  yung,  For  the  public  use  of  the 
general’s  hall,”  from  an  old  bowl  painted  in  blue,  with 
four-clawed  dragons  emerging  from  the  sea  and  pursuing 
jewels  in  the  clouds. 

Two  marks  of  more  private  character  are  (No.  3) 
Sheng  yu  ya  chi,  “ For  the  Elegant  Circle  of  Revered 
Friends,”  and  (No.  4)  Yu  lai,  For  Coming  Friends  ” ; 
both  of  which  occur  on  porcelain  painted  in  blue,  of 
no  great  artistic  value. 

Porcelain  utensils  are  sometimes  ordered  from  Ching- 
te-chen  by  shops  in  different  parts  of  China  to  be 
inscribed  with  the  hall-name  of  their  firm  and  an 
advertisement  of  the  wares  sold  there,  and  we  will  give 
one  specimen  here  as  an  example.  It  is  a little  circular 
gallipot  of  fine  porcelain,  decorated  in  blue  on  the  cover, 
with  a son  offering  a present  to  his  aged  parents,  and  on 
the  sides  with  a landscape,  which  has  underneath  an 
inscription  written  in  underglaze  blue  in  five  columns,  to 
indicate  the  particular  shop  for  which  it  was  made. 
This  reads,  Ching  hi  Cheng  yang  men  ivai  Ta  shan  Ian 
hsi  foil  III  pei  Yun  hsiang  ho  lisiang  huo  shou  yao  p'u 
(see  No.  1);  which  may  be  translated,  Yun  Hsiang  Ko, 
or  ‘ Cloudy  Fragrance  Hall,’  a shop  for  scented  wai*es 
and  prepared  drugs,  at  the  west  end  of  the  Ta-shan-lan, 
on  the  north  side  of  the  street,  outside  the  Great  South 
Gate  of  the  Capital  | Peking  |.” 

* See  Mayer’s  Chinese  Government,  p,  25. 


MARKS  ON  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


95 


The  only  Mongol  mark  that  I have  ever  seen  inscribed 
on  porcelain  may  be  classed  as  a mark  of  dedication.  It 
occurs  penciled  in  surface  red  on  the  bottom  of  bowls 
and  saucer-shaped  dishes  of  three  different  sizes,  forming 
a dinner  service,  decorated  with  bright  enamel  colors  and 
gold  in  the  style  of  the  imperial  ware  of  the  Tao-huang 
period.  The  interior  contains  Buddhist  symbols  of  happy 
augiiiy  alternating  wuth  longevity  characters  ; the  exterior 
is  occupied  by  the  seven  precious  emblems  of  a chakra- 
vartin^  or  universal  sovereign,  posed  upon  lotus  thalami 
on  a floor  of  sea  waves,  and  delineated  in  the  traditional 
manner  of  the  Lama  sect.  The  inscription  written 
within  a panel  (see  No.  2)  is  Baragon  Turned^  in  Mon- 
golian script.  This  is  the  name  of  the  Right  or  Western 
Wing  of  the  Turned  Banners,  a principality  of  southern 
Mongolia.  A daughter  of  the  Emperor  Tao-kuang  was 
given  in  marriage  to  the  hereditary  prince  of  these 
Mongols,  who  was  granted  a palace  in  Peking,  and  the 
service  with  this  mark  was  no  doubt  made  at  the 
imperial  manufactory  at  the  time  as  part  of  the  wedding 
outfit. 

Marks  of  felicitation  are  veiy  common,  and  occur  on 
porcelain  of  all  periods,  more  especially  on  articles 
intended  for  presents.  One  of  the  most  common  is  the 
Sliuang  hsi^  or  ‘Owofold  joy”  symbol  (No.  8),  the 
special  emblem  of  wedded  bliss,  a combination  of  two 
lisi  joy”)  characters  placed  side  by  side.  This  symbol 
is  pasted  on  the  lintels  of  the  door  on  the  happy  occa- 
sion, and  is  also  inscribed  on  porcelain  articles  intended 
for  wedding  presents  either  as  a mark  or  as  part  of 
the  decoration.  Two  forms  of  it  are  published  in 
Hooper’s  Manval  (loc.  cit.^  P^go  198),  but  wrongly 
deciphered,  (?)  Ke^  a vessel,  vase,  ability,  capacity.” 

A curious  combination  of  a date-mark  with  a felicitous 
formula  (see  No.  4)  has  been  taken  from  the  bottom  of  a 


96 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


set  of  saucer-shaped  dishes,  decorated  in  blue  and  white 
of  the  Ming  period,  where  it  was  found  penciled  in  blue 
in  antique  script.  The  square  panel  in  the  middle 
inclosing  the  motto  Te  Ivua  dCang  cKun^  Virtue,  Culture, 
and  Enduring  Spring,”  is  surrounded  by  a circle  inclos- 
ing the  inscription  Wan  U nlen  tsao,  Made  in  the  reign 
of  Wan-W  (1573-1619). 

A mark  of  the  same  period  occurs  in  the  Franks 
Collection  (^Catalogue,  loc.  (yit.,  Plate  VI,  Fig.  74)  with 
the  inscription,  written  as  a legend  of  a medal  pierced 
with  a square  hole,  in  the  fomi  of  an  ordinary  Chinese 
‘‘cash  ” (see  No.  5),  which  reads,  01  thing  ming  fu  hueiy 
“ Long  Life,  Riches,  and  Honor.”  It  is  taken  from  a 
shallow  bowl,  five  and  a quarter  inches  in  diameter, 
which  is  described  in  the  following  words : “ In  the 
inside  is  a circular  medallion  with  a stork  amid  clouds, 
painted  in  a dark  blue  ; round  this  a broad  band  of  pale 
green,  over  whicli  is  a running  pattern  in  gold  consisting 
of  flowers  and  scrolls ; outside,  two  branches  of  flowers 
with  a bird  on  each,  painted  in  dark  blue.  The  same 
mai'k  occurs  on  a bowl  of  similar  decoration  in  a German- 
mounting  of  silver  gilt  of  the  sixteenth  century.”  We 
find  tlie  mark  in  the  Walters  Collection  upon  the  tall 
ewer  of  graceful  form  (Fig.  81)  decorated  in  the  style 
and  coloring  of  the  Wan-U  period,  with  blue  phoenixes 
and  storks  flying  among  clouds.  It  is  studded  all  over 
with  uncut  turquoises  and  garnets  arranged  alternately,, 
mounted  in  gilded  settings  of  Pei*sian  or  Indian  work- 
manshi[),  shows  ti'aces  of  gilded  rings,  and  is  fitted  at  the 
up|)e]-  and  lower  rims  and  at  the  end  of  the  spout  with 
engraved  metal  mounts.  The  mark  is  written  under- 
neath in  underglaze  blue  encii*cled  by  a double  ring. 
Among  other  marks  of  similar  meaning  are  (No.  1),  Fu 
hnei  rlOiitg  rhhin,  “ Riches,  Honor,  and  Enduring 
S|)i*ing  ” ; and  (No.  2)  Fti  hiel  dtia  cltli^  “ A Perfect  Ves- 


MARKS  ON  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


97 


sel  of  Wealth  and  Honor,”  which  is  found  on  old  speci- 
mens of  blue  and  white,  inscribed  both  in  the  ordinary 
character  and  in  the  seal  script. 

The  most  frequent  vows  of  the  Chinese  are  offered  for 
the  threefold  blessings  of  happiness,  i*anlv,  and  longevity, 
and  the  deities  who  confer  these  gifts  are  the  most 
ardently  worshiped  of  any.  We  shall  find  the  three 
gods  constantly  i*epresented  upon  porcelain,  with  their 
respective  characters,  perhaps,  in  the  background.  See, 
for  example,  the  vase  illustrated  in  Plate  XVIII,  which 
is  blazoned  with  the  two  large  characters,  Happi- 
ness,” and  Longevity,”  interrupted  by  round 

medallions  containing  pictures  of  the  corresponding 
divinities.  Sometimes  a piece  of  porcelain  is  actually 
molded  in  the  form  of  the  last  two  characters,  like  the 
\vine-pots  of  the  reign  of  K\mg-hsi  decorated  sur  hiscidt^ 
of  which  Fig.  82  offers  a conspicuous  example.  It  is 
fashioned  in  the  shape  of  the  character  Fu^  Happiness,” 
has  a cover  formed  of  the  first  ‘Clot  ” of  the  hieroglyph, 
and  is  inscribed  on  the  liandle  and  spout  with  archaic 
forms  of  the  shou  (“  longevity  ”)  charactei'.  These  forms 
are  almost  infinite,  and  a not  uncommon  decoration  of  a 
pair  of  vases  or  bowls  consists  of  a hundred  different 
forms  of  the  character balanced  by  a hundred  of  the 
shou  hieroglyphs.  A favorite  decoration  of  blue  and 
white  in  the  Ming  dynasty  consisted  of  a pair  of  dragons 
holding  up  in  their  claws  shou  characters  instead  of  the 
traditional  jewels. 

The  three  characters, lu^  shoii^  occur  constantly  also 
as  marks,  either  conjointly  or  singly.  Tlie  compound 
marks  in  one  of  the  seal  forms  (see  No.  3),  and  in  the 
ordinary  script  (see  Xo.  4),  are  appended.  The  single- 
charactei*  marks  are  found  on  porcelain  of  all  ages.  The 
little  ivory-white  plate  of  ancient  hlanc  de  Chine^  which 
is  inlaid  witli  Oriental  gold  wAU*k  set  with  uncut  rubies 


98 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


and  emeralds,  and  which  figures  as  the  oldest  piece  in 
the  Dresden  Museum,  having  been  originally  brought  to 
Europe  by  a crusader  from  Palestine,  we  are  told  by  the 
late  curator.  Dr.  Graesse,  is  inscribed  underneath  with 
the  character  fu.  One  of  the  forms  of  the  mark  lu^ 

rank,”  is  shown  here  (see  No.  5),  taken  from  a saucer- 
dish  of  brilliant  blue  and  white  attributed  to  the  K'^ang- 
Jisi  epoch.  But  of  them  all,  the  character  shou  longev- 
ity ”)  is  the  most  frequent  and  variable,  and  it  is  found 
in  an  endless  variety  of  shapes,  in  circular,  oval,  and 
diamond-shaped  medallions,  in  addition  to  the  ordinary 
oblong  forms.  One  of  the  oblong  forms  is  inscribed  on 
the  snuff-bottle  shown  in  Fio^.  102.  An  oval  form  is 
seen  in  the  right-hand  panel  upon  the  blue  and  white 
vase  (Fig.  83),  the  other  panel  in  front  displaying  the 
seal  character  cIiHen^  heaven.”  Three  of  the  circular 
medallions  are  displayed  upon  each  of  the  two  basket- 
work  bands  encircling  the  crackled  vase  (Fig.  84).  One 
of  the  oblong  forms  of  the  character  shou^  often  found  on 
good  blue  and  white  porcelain  of  the  kind  that  used  to 
be  highly  appreciated  in  Holland,  is  commonly  known 
there  as  the  spider  mark”  (see  No.  1). 

fylfot  or  svastika  symbol,  the  peculiar  variety  of 
the  cross  with  the  four  arms  bent  at  right  angles  in  the 
same  direction,  which  dates  from  prehistoric  times  and  is 
found  in  all  parts  of  the  woild,"^'  occurs  in  China  as  a 
mark  on  porcelain,  either  plain  or  inclosed  in  a lozenge 
with  looped  angles,  or  enveloped  in  a waving  fillet.  This 
symbol  is  clearly  shown  in  Plate  LXII,  in  a small  panel 
u[)on  the  swelling  neck  of  the  vase,  wliere  it  alternates 
with  the  ‘\]'ewel”  symbols.  It  is  a synonym  of  Wan^ 

10,000,”  in  Chinese,  and  two  or  four  of  these  symbols 
are  often  intervowen  symmetrically  with  the  circular 

* La  MUp'ation  des  Symboles,  par  le  Comte  Goblet  d’Alviella,  Paris,  1891,  v, 
chaj)  ii,  ])e  la  C^oix  Gammee. 


MASKS  ON  CHINESE  POKCELAIN. 


99 


form  of  the  shou  character  so  as  to  form  an  ornamental 
monogram,  to  be  read  Wan  sJiou,  For  myriads  of  ages.’^ 
This  is  the  special  birthday  vow  of  his  subjects  for  the 
Emperor  of  China,  and  it  corresponds  to  the  Pei*sian 
O King,  live  forever  ! ” The  monogram  with  two  svas~ 
tiha  symbols,  one  on  either  side,  is  displayed  prominently 
in  the  centei*  of  the  pilgrim  bottle  illustrated  in  Fig.  50, 
developed,  as  it  were,  in  the  bosom  of  a sacred  lotus 
blossom.  Fig.  85,  the  gourd-shaped  vase  enameled  in 
K'ang-lisi  colors  with  rich  designs  of  floral  brocade 
pattern,  also  exhibits  on  the  neck  a combination  of  red 
svastika  and  yellow  shou  symbols. 

Many  of  the  marks  which  are  passed  by  as  undecipher- 
able are  curious  forms  of  these  happiness  ” and  lon- 
gevity ” symbols.  The  mark  (No.  2)  which  is  found  in 
the  Burlington  Fine  Arts  Catalogue  (Jog.  oit..,  Plate  II, 
Fig.  15),  taken  from  a Chinese  basin  decorated  in  blue 
with  alternate  asters  and  lotuses,  is  strangely  deciphered 
there  as  To-da-kichi-hei,  probably  name  of  maker.”  It 
is  highly  improbable  that  any  one  with  this  curious 
name,  which  is  Japanese,  if  anything,  had  to  do  witli  the 
making  of  it.  I should  venture  to  read  the  scrawl  as 
simply  a variation  of  Fu  ‘‘  Happiness  and 

Longevity.” 

Another  vow  of  similar  meaning  is  often  found  in- 
scribed in  large  antique  characters  upon  bowls  as  part  of 
their  external  decoration,  or  put  underneath  as  a mark, 
written  either  in  the  seal  character  or  in  common  script. 
It  is  read  (see  No.  3),  Wan  shou  tvu  chiang^  May  you 
live  for]  myriads  of  ages,  never  ending!”  A second 
mark  of  tliis  kind  is  F(i  shou  shuang  cJuila/n^  IIap})iness 
and  long  life  both  complete.”  A longei*  mark  (No.  4)  is 
the  oft-repeated  formula,  Shoii  pi  nan  shan^  Fu  ju  tung 
hai^  The  longevity  of  the  southern  hills,  the  happiness 
of  the  eastern  seas.”  We  shall  And  a still  more  extended 


100 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


version  of  this  propitious  formula  directed  to  be  penciled 
upon  blue  and  white  bowls  in  the  imperial  factory  during 
the  Ming,  dynasty  in  the  reign  of  Chia-ching  (1522-66), 
viz.,  ShotL  pi  nan  sJian  cliiUj  Fu  ju  tung  liai  shen — i.  e.. 
May  your  life  be  longer  than  that  of  the  southern  hills, 
your  happiness  as  deep  as  the  eastern  seas  ! ” The  isles 
of  the  blessed  ” are  placed  by  the  Taoist  legend-mongers 
somewhere  in  the  Eastern  seas,  and  their  star  of  lon- 
gevity shines  down  from  the  southern  heavens  upon 
immemorial  hills.”  The  last  felicitous  mark  of  this 
kind  that  ^ve  will  give  is  (No.  5),  Fien  Jcuan  tz\l  fu^ 
May  the  rulers  of  heaven  confer  happiness  ! ” 

The  single  propitious  characters,  eld.  ‘‘good  for- 
tune,” “prosperity,”  and  elding^  “congratula- 

tions,” occur  as  marks ; also  the  propitious  combinations 
(No.  6),  71/  “ Great  good  fortune,”  and  (No.  7)  Cld 

hsUmg  ju  7,  “ Good  fortunes  and  wishes  fulfilled,”  the  last 
mark  being  Avritten  usually  in  the  seal  character,  as  in 
tliat  given  here. 

A mark  often  found  on  the  cylindrical  vessels,  which 
are  used  by  the  Chinese  AV]*itei‘  or  artist  as  brushpots 
(^pi-dung^^  is  Wen  ehamg  shan  tou^  “ Scholarship  equal  to 
tlie  Hills  and  the  Great  Bear”  (see  No.  1),  implyiug  the 
wish  that  the  happy  possessoi*,  ^vhen  he  wields  his  brush- 
pencil,  may  attain  tlie  exalted  heights  of  the  Tai  Shan, 
the  ancestral  mount  of  China,  and  of  the  pel  ton^  the 
polar  constellation,  the  celestial  abode  of  his  special  deity, 
the  god  of  literature,  whose  image  appears  in  Fig.  86. 
The  mark  of  ( No.  2)  Ch  uaug  guan  dii  “ May  you 
obtain  the  degree  of  cliuang-yuan  ! ” occurs  also  on  cylin- 
der vases  of  this  kind.  This  des^ree  is  the  hiorhest 
attainable  in  the  state  examinations,  and  the  chief  object 
of  ambition  for  every  candidate  as  a first  step  upon  the 
ladder  leading  to  high  official  rank. 


MARKS  ON  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


101 


4.  Marks  of  Commendation. 

This  heading  is  intended  to  comprise  the  rest  of  the 
written  marks  on  porcelain,  those  that  refer  to  the  quality 
of  the  material,  comparing  it  to  fine  jade  and  other  rare 
stones  and  jewels,  or  to  the  character  of  the  decoration 
with  which  the  piece  is  painted.  They  go  back  as  far  as 
the  Ming  dynasty,  and  are  frequently  found  penciled  in 
seal  characters,  as  well  as  in  common  script,  on  specimens 
dating  from  the  Wan-li  period  (1573-1619). 

A few  of  these  eulogistic  marks  selected  from  the 
many  are  : (No.  3)  Chi  shih  pao  ting  chili  chen,  A gem 
among  precious  vessels  of  rare  stone  ” ; (No.  4)  Chi  yii 
pao  ting  cliih  clien^  A gem  among  precious  vessels  of 
rare  jade,”  in  which  the  character  pao^  precious,”  is 
written  in  a contracted  form;  (No.  5)  Chi  clien  ju  yu^ 
^^A  gem  rare  as  jade”;  (No.  6)  Chi  wan  gu  yil^  A 
trinket  rare  as  jade”;  (No.  7)  Po  Icn  dim  waai^  A 
jeweled  trinket  of  antique  art”;  (No.  8)  Wdn  yu  pan 
ting^  A precious  vessel  of  worked  jade  ” ; (No.  9)  Nan 
dihian  chHn  yd  ‘^Brocaded  jade  of  Nan-ch’uau,”  an 
ancient  name  of  Ching-te-chen,  Avhicli  it  derived  from  its 
situation  on  the  “ southern  ” bank  of  tlie  Chaim'  river.” 
A mark  of  commendation  in  the  seal  script,  Avhich  is 
found  upon  blue  and  white  pieces,  is  (No.  10)  Jo  shen 
dien  tsdng^  To  be  treasured  like  a gem  from  the  deep  ” ; 
it  occurs  also  in  the  common  character. 

Among  two-character  marks  of  similar  signification 
are:  (No.  11)  Hsi  yil,  ^^Westei'ii  jade”;  (No.  12)  Chen 
■yd  ^‘Precious  jade”;  (No.  13)  Wa/i  yi\^  Trinket 
jade”;  (No.  14)  Chen  yd  ^ATenuine  jade”;  (No.  15) 
Yu  dim.,  ‘Made  jewel  ”;  (No.  16)  Chen  wan^  “ Precious 
trinket  ” ; (No.  17)  Ya  wan^  Artistic  trinket  ” ; (No.  18) 
Pao  sheng,  “Of  unique  value  ” ; and  (No.  19)  ICu  chen^ 
“ Antique  gem.”  A quaint  mark,  found  underneath  a 


102 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


blue  and  white  cup,  is  (No.  20)  Yung  sheng,  whicb 
means  “ Ever  full,”  if  it  refer  to  the  cup,  Ever  prosper- 
ous,” if  it  be  the  hall-name  of  the  potter. 

Any  of  the  above  characters  may  occur  singly  as  marks, 
and  we  very  often  find  Yii^  jade,”  Chen,  gem,”  Pao, 
‘^precious,”  etc.  The  mark  CYilan,  shown  in  No.  21, 
signifies  ‘^perfect,”  and  is  one  of  the  most  frequent. 
Some  services  of  porcelain  are  inscribed  underneath  with 
different  single  characters,  which  are  intended  to  be  read 
consecutively  to  form  sentences  when  the  plates  or  dishes 
are  arranged  in  proper  order.  The  copper  “ cash  ” of  the 
first  half  of  the  seventeenth  century  were  also  cast  with 
single  characters  on  the  reverse,  which  could  be  read  con- 
secutively when  a series  of  the  coins  happened  to  be 
available,  so  that  tliis  curious  practice  is  not  peculiar  to 
porcelain. 

Marks  referring  to  tlie  decoration  are  not  so  common 
as  those  praising  the  make.  Two  have  already  been 
given.  Slum  hao  shiU  ch\mg,  The  hills  are  lofty,  the 
rivers  long,”  found  on  pieces  painted  with  landscapes,  and 
the  mark  Yung  cl  (Png  ch\mg  cVun,  ‘^Ever-flourishing, 
enduring  spring,”  which  applies  to  the  floral  decoration 
of  the  bowl  as  Avell  as  to  the  name  of  the  palace  of  the 
empress  dowager  for  \vhich  the  dinner  service  on  which 
it  occurs  was  made. 

A mark  (see  No.  1 ),  Tml  eJinan  cJiih  lo,  1 1 1 know 
that  they  rejoice  in  the  Avater,”  found  upon  porcelain  dec- 
orated with  fishes  and  water-plants,  and  evidently  I'efer- 
ring  to  the  subject,  requires  a word  of  ex[)lanatiou.  It 
is  taken  from  the  works  of  Chuang  Tzii,  the  celebi*ated 
philosopher  of  the  fourth  century  b.  c.,  who  is  related  to 
have  had  the  following  discussion  Avith  Ilui  Tzu,  a rival 
phil()so])her : 

(JhiKi/ng  Tzn. — How  the  (ish  are  enjoying  themselves 
in  the  wntei*! 


MAEKS  ON  CHINESE  POEGELAIN. 


108 


Hui  Tzu, — You  are  not  a fish.  How  can  you  know  I 

Chuang  Tzu. — You  are  not  I.  How  can  you  know 
that  I do  not  know  that  the  fish  are  rejoicing  ? 

Another  mark  referring  to  the  subject  of  decoration 
occurs  upon  saucer-shaped  dishes  painted  in  colors  with 
lotus  flowers  and  reeds  (see  No.  2),  Ai  lien  clien  shang^ 
Precious  gift  for  the  lover  of  the  lotus.”  The  mark 
(No.  3)  Tan  hue%  Red  olea  fragrans,”  a floral  metaphor 
for  literary  honors  in  China,  is  found  inscribed  underneath 
bowls  decorated  inside  with  a scholar  holding  a branch 
of  this  symbolical  flower. 

The  private  seal  of  the  artist-decorator,  which  is  usually 
attached  to  the  painting  or  appended  to  the  scraps  of 
verse  which  accompany  the  picture,  like  the  seal  on  the 
beautiful  K^ang-lisi  vase  illustrated  in  Plate  VI,  which 
is  the  studio  name  or  nom  deplume  of  the  artist,  (see  No. 
4)  Wan  shill  eliil^  The  Myriad  Rock’s  Retreat,”  or  the 
seal  on  the  little  winecup  in  Fig.  71,  which  is  simply 
Shang^  “ A gift,”  is  not  infrequently  found  underneath 
the  foot  of  the  piece  as  a mark.  Sucli  marks  are  found 
on  porcelain  of  all  qualities,  and  some  of  the  finest  pieces 
of  the  K'^ang-lisi  period  are  inscribed  with  them,  espe- 
cially in  the  class  decorated  in  enamel  colors.  The 
next  mark  of  the  same  kind  (No.  5),  inscribed  Clm  sltih 
chu^  The  Red  Rock  Retreat,”  is  taken  from  a set  of 
ITang-hsl  bowls  decorated  with  agricultural  scenes,  with 
poems  attached,  celebrating  the  successive  steps  in  the 
cultivation  of  rice. 

Such  marks  are  called  by  Chinese  connoisseurs  clda 
h^uan^  or  private  marks,”  and  are  even  by  them  passed 
by  generally  as  illegible,  and  as  hardly  worth  the  trouble 
of  deciphering.  They  dorm  the  majority  of  those  marks 
found  in  every  collection  of  Chinese  porcelain  which  have 
to  be  labeled  ^Amdeciphered,”  although  a collection  of 
such  artists’  monograms  would  not  be  without  interest  if 


104 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


arranged  in  proper  chronological  order.  They  are  rarely 
found  before  the  present  dynasty,  but  M.  du  Sartel  (foe- 
cit.^  page  105)  figures  a typical  example,  “ Taken  from  a 
vase  similar  to  others  marked  with  the  period  Lung- 
eVing^^  (1567-1572). 

The  mark  numbered  6 is  attached  to  a stanza  of  verse 
written  on  the  back  of  the  charming  eggshell  vase  with 
undulatory  glaze  decorated  in  sepia  with  a spray  of 
chrysanthemum  and  a single  head  of  spiked  millet,  as 
shown  in  Fig.  87.  The  seal,  outlined  in  vermilion,  the 
only  touch  of  bright  color,  is  Ta,”  the  artist’s  name,  the 
two  characters  above  it  being  Chin  The  Grolden 

Valley,”  his  place  of  abode.  The  verse — 

A spray  plucked  from  the  garden  of  Tung-li: 

A precious  flower  rescued  from  the  frosty  blast  of  winter — 

is  a quotation  from  the  Buddhist  monk  Wu-k’o,  who 
refers  in  it  to  the  Tnng-li  garden  of  T’ao  Yuan-ming,  the 
lover  of  the  chrysanthemum.”  A pair  of  vases  of  the 
K''ang-lisi  period,  formerly  in  the  Marquis  Collection 
at  Paris,  like  the  one  in  European  mounting  illustrated 
in  Fig.  88,  which  have  a pale  cobalt-blue  monochrome 
body,  a ring  of  dark  brown  round  the  shouldei*,  and  a 
dragon  encircling  the  neck  painted  in  blue  and  dark 
brown  or  maroon,  are  marked  underneath  with  a typical 
private  mark,  a seal  (see  No.  1)  containing  two  charac- 
ters, which  look  like  a corruption  oi  fu  shou^  Happiness 
and  longevity.” 

It  may  be  useful  to  give  here  a table  of  tlie  Chinese 
numerals,  in  their  ordinary  and  more  complex  forms,  as 
an  assistance  in  deciphering  dates.  They  occur  alone, 
among  the  eai-liest  marks,  engraved  underneath  flower- 
pots, saucers,  and  other  specimens  of  the  Chiin-chou  por- 
celain of  the  Sung  dynasty,  which  is  distinguished  for 
the  brilliant  colors  of  Jlamhe  glazes. 


MARKS  ON  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


105 


Yi  - ■ - 

^ ! 
S 

1 

Erli  - - - 



2 

San  - - - 

3 

Ssii  - - - 

. , 1 
0 

m 

4 

Wii  - 

£ ; 

m 

5 

Liu  - 

-1^  1 

1^ 

6 

Ch’i  - ■ - 

m 

7 

Pa  - ■ - 

A 

m 

8 

Chiu  ■ - ■ 

X 

JA 

9 

Shih  - - - 

A 

10 

Pai  - - - 

W 

100 

Ch’ien  ■ - 

T- 

1,000 

Wau  - - 

i 

10,000 

5.  Marks  in  the  Form  of  Devices. 

This  heading  is  intended  to  comprise  all  marks  of 
pictorial  character,  whether  merely  ornamental,  or  sym- 
bolical in, their  signification.  As  examples  of  purely 
ornamental  marks,  two  may  be  selected  for  illustration. 
The  first  (see  No.  2)  is  taken  from  a small  K'^ang-hsi 
plate  of  the  finest  quality,  painted  in  blue  with  four- 
clawed  dragons.  The  second  (see  No.  3)  occurs  on  blue 
and  white,  painted  for  the  European  market,  decorated 
with  foreign  designs,  and  accompanied  by  inscriptions  in 
foreign  letters,  often  incorrectly  AFritten.  A tall  covered 
cup  and  saucer  with  this  mark  is  illustrated  by  Jacque- 
mart  and  Le  Blant  (Plate  XVI,  Fig.  1),  painted  with 
i a medallion  containing  a European  king  and  queen 
• seated,  and  with  kneeling  figures  in  panels,  which  has 


106 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


inscribed  round  the  edge,  ‘‘  L’Empire  de  la  vertu  est 
ETABLi  JUS  q’au  BOUT  DE  l’uners  [Uiiivers].”  Another 
cup  of  Oriental  porcelain  painted  in  blue,  with  the  same 
mark,  is  described  in  the  Franks  Catalogue  (No.  583)  as 
having  a copy  of  a European  pictui*e  of  the  sea,  with 
a siren  rising  from  the  waves,  and  a label  inscribed 
“ Gardes-vous  de  la  syrene  ! ” 

The  symbolical  devices  are  very  numerous,  and  of  such 
varied  origin  that  it  will  be  necessary  to  consider  them 
in  some  detail.  The  Chinese  are  very  fond  of  the  phi- 
losophy of  numbers,  and  of  arranging  all  kinds  of  objects 
in  sets  or  numerical  categories,”  and  the  symbols  of 
divination  and  of  Confucianism,  Taoism,  and  Buddhism 
are  all  grouped  in  this  way,  usually  in  sets  of  eight,  the 
number  of  the  pa  kua,  the  eight  ancient  trigrams.  The 
individual  members  of  the  different  sets  may  not  all 
occur  as  marks,  but  the  groups  are  so  constantly  used  in 
the  decoration  of  porcelain,  either  alone  or  in  combina- 
tion with  other  designs,  that  it  will  save  repetition  to  dis- 
pose of  them  here  once  for  all.  It  will  be  convenient  to 
arrange  the  devices  under  tlie  following  live  subdivisions  : 

1.  Spnbols  of  Ancient  Cldnese  Lore. — Pa  hua  and 
Yin  yang.  Pa  Yin^  “ Eight  Musical  Instruments.” 
SldJi-erh  Chang,  ‘‘Twelve  Ornaments  embroidered 
upon  ancient  sacrificial  robes.” 

2.  Bnddldst  Symbols. — Pa  Clddiskmg,  “Eight  Em- 
blems of  Happy  Augury.”  Cldi  Pao,  “ Seven  Parapher- 
nalia of  a cloAravartin,  or  universal  sovereign.” 

3.  Taoist  Syrnbols. — Pa  An  Ilsien,  “ Attributes  of  the 
Eight  Immortals,  Emblems  of  Longevity.” 

4.  The  Hundred  Antiques  {Po  ICuf — CltHn,  Clid^ 
Shn,  Hua,  “The  Four  Elegant  Accomplishments.”  Pa 
Pao,  “ The  Eight  Precious  Objects,”  etc. 

5.  Devices  intended  to  be  read  in  Pebus^\fashion. 


MARKS  ON  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


107 

1.  Symbols  of  Ancient  Chinese  Lore. 

The  most  ancient  of  these  are  the  Yin-yang  symbol  of 
dualism,  which  represents  the  creative  monad  or  ultimate 
principle,  divided  into  its  two  elements  of  darkness  fyih) 
and  light  (gyang\  and  the  Pa  hua^  the  eight  trigrams 
formed  by  different  combinations  of  broken  and  unbroken 
lines,  also  representing  respectively  the  same  two  dualis- 
tic  elements.  They  are  seen,  modeled  upon  the  four  sides 
of  t\\e  flamhe  vase  illustrated  in  Plate  XXIII,  each  of  the 
sides  of  which  displays  two  of  the  trigrams,  separated  by 
the  yin-yang  symbol.  This  last  is  represented  by  the 
circle  in  the  middle,  which  is  divided  by  a spiral  line 
into  its  two  essential  elements,  the  negative  yin  and  the 
positive  yang ; the  former,  the  darker  half,  corresponding 
to  darkness,  earth,  femininity,  etc.,  the  other  half  corre- 
sponding to  light,  heaven,  masculinity,  and  the  like.  The 
trigrams  begin  with  three  unbroken  lines  I’epresenting 
lieaven,”  and  end  with  three  broken  lines  representing 
earth,”  the  intermediate  diagrams  being  different  com- 
binations of  these  two  lines,  representing  vapor,  fire, 
thunder,  wind,  water,  and  mountains.  A ceaseless  proc- 
ess of  revolution  is  held  to  be  at  work  in  Natu]*e,  during 
which  the  various  elements  of  properties  indicated  by  the 
diao;rams  mutually  extino^uish  and  mve  birth  to  one 
another,  and  thus  produce  the  phenomena  of  existence. 
The  development  of  the  Pa  kua  is  attributed  to  Fu-lf 
the  legendary  founder  of  the  Chinese  polity,  who  is 
believed  to  have  lived  early  in  the  third  millennium  b.  c.  ; 
a dragon-horse  appeared  out  of  the  water  of  the  Yellow 
River  and  revealed  the  first  plan  to  him.  Wen  Wang, 
the  virtual  founder  of  the  Clwu,  the  third  of  the  Three 
Ancient  Dynasties,  during  his  imprisonment  at  the  hands 
of  the  tyrant  Slirm,  in  the  twelfth  century  b.  c.,  devoted 
himself  to  the  study  of  the  diagrams,  and  appended  to 


108 


OKIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


each  a short  explanatory  text.  These  explanations,  with 
certain  amplifications  by  his  son,  the  famous  Chou  Kiing^ 

Ducal  Prince  of  Chou,”  constitute  the  ancient  work 
known  as  the  Booh  of  Changes  of  the  Chou  dynasty,, 
which,  with  the  commentary  added  by  Confucius,  forms 
the  Yi  Ching^  or  Canon  of  Changes^  the  most  venerated 
of  the  Chinese  classics.  The  entire  system  of  this  work,, 
which  serves  as  a basis  for  the  philosophy  of  divination 
and  geomancy,  and  is  largely  appealed  to  as  containing 
not  only  the  elements  of  all  metaphysical  knowledge,  but 
also  a clew  to  the  secrets  of  Nature  and  of  being,  reposes 
upon  the  eight  trigrams."^ 

The  Eight  Musical  Instruments,  Pa  Yin,  of  ancient 
times,  which  were  made  of  as  many  different  materialSy 
are  found  in  the  decoration  of  porcelain  as  a complete 
set,  as  well  as  sometimes,  though  rarely,  separately,  as 
marks.  They  are : 

1.  CliHng^  “ Sounding  Stone,”  which  is  suspended  upon 
a frame  and  struck  with  a wooden  hammer.  It  is  usu- 
ally made  of  jade  carved  in  the  form  of  a mason’s  square, 
with  a hole  pierced  near  the  angle  for  suspension.  Being 
a homonym  of  ClCing^  Good  Fortune,”  it  often  figures 
with  that  meaning  on  the  rafters  of  houses,  etc. 

2.  Chung,  Bell,”  made  of  metal,  clapperless,  and 
suspended,  to  be  struck  by  a mallet.  Bells  as  well  as 
sounding  stones  are  hung  in  sets  upon  frames  to  produce 
musical  chimes. 

3.  67/Nm,  Lute,”  with  strings  of  silk.  This  often 

occurs  as  a mark,  usually  wrapped  in  its  brocaded  case. 

4.  Flute,”  made  of  bamboo. 

5.  67/ 7/ , ^Mk)x,”  made  of  ordinary  wood,  with  a metal 
hammer  inside. 

6.  Kn,  ^6Drum,”  covered  with  skin. 

* See  Mayer’s  ('kin, cm  Header’ Manual,  p.  333;  and  Legge’s  Yi  King,  in 
Kicred  Booksi  of  the  East,  vol.  xvi  (Oxford,  1882). 


MAKKS  ON  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


109 


7.  Sheng^  Reed  Oj'gan,”  a mouth  iustrumeut  dating 
from  veiy  early  times,  in  which  the  body  or  wind-chest 
is  made  of  gourd,  with  seventeen  reed  pipes  of  different 
lengths  inserted  at  the  top. 

8.  Hsilan^  Icarina,”  made  of  baked  clay,  in  the  shape 
of  a cone  pierced  with  six  holes. 

Several  of  these  musical  instruments  are  seen  inclosed 
in  small  medallions  in  the  decoration  of  the  vase  shown  in 
Fig.  89.  They  may  all  be  found  hgured  in  a learned 
paper  on  Cldnese  Music ^ by  Mr.  J.  A.  Van  Aalst,^*  wlio 
is  himself  a cultivated  musician. 

The  next  series  of  symbols  derived  from  ancient  Chinese 
lore  are  the  Twelve  Chcmg,  or  Ornaments,”  with  which 
the  sacrificial  robes  used  to  be  embroidered.  They  are 
referred  to  in  the  earliest  of  tlie  Chinese  classics,  where 
the  Emperor  Shun  desires  at  this  remote  period  to  see 
these  emblematic  figures  of  the  ancients.”f  The  robes 
of  the  emperor  liad  all  the  twelve  figures  painted  or 
embroidered  upon  them  ; the  hereditary  nobles  of  the 
first  rank  are  said  to  have  been  restricted  from  the 
use  of  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars ; those  of  the  next 
two  degrees  were  further  restricted  from  mountains  and 
dragons ; and  by  a continually  decreasing  restriction  five 
sets  of  official  robes  were  made  indicating  the  rank 
of  the  wearers.  The  figures  are  taken  from  an  official 
edition  of  the  Shu  Ching^  or  Historical  Classic,  referred 
to  below,  the  illustrations  of  which  date  from  tlie  Sung 
dynasty.  The  series  comprises  : 

1.  Jill,  the  Sun”  (No.  1),  a disk  supported  upon 
a bank  of  clouds,  with  the  three-legged  solar  bird  inside. 
In  the  works  of  Hwai  Nan  Tzu,  who  lived  in  the  second 
century  e.  c.,  this  fabulous  bird  is  alluded  to  as  inhabiting 

* China.  Imperial  Maritime  Customs.  Chinese  Music.  By  J.  A.  Van 
Aalst.  Published  by  order  of  the  Inspector  General  of  Customs,  Shanghai,  1884. 
f The  Chinese  Classics.  Translated  by  Dr.  Legge,  v.  iii.  The  Shoo  King, 

p.  80. 


110 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


the  Sim.  The  sun  in  Chinese  dualism  is  the  concrete 
essence  of  the  masculine  principle  in  Nature,  the  source 
of  brightness  and  energy. 

2.  Yueh^  the  Moon  ” (No.  2),  a disk  supported  upon 
the  clouds,  containing  a hare,  under  the  shade  of  a cassia 
tree,  occupied  with  pestle  and  mortar,  pounding  the  drugs 
of  immortality.  The  moon  is  the  concrete  essence  of  the 
feminine  principle  in  Nature  ; it  is  inhabited  by  the  hare 
and  the  three-legged  toad,  and  there  grows  the  tree 
(the  cassia)  which  confers  immortality  on  those  who  eat 
its  leaves.  The  Chinese  old  man  of  the  moon  ” (Yueh 
Lao)  is  popularly  said  to  tie  together  with  an  invisible 
cord  the  feet  of  those  who  are  predestined  to  a betrothal. 

3.  Using  Chen,  tlie  Stai*s,”  represented  by  a stellar 
constellation  of  three  stars  connected  in  Chinese  fashion 
by  straight  lines  (No.  1). 

4.  Shan,  Mountains/’  whicli  have  been  worshiped 
in  eastern  Asia  from  prehistoric  times  (No.  2). 

5.  Lung,  ‘‘  Dragons,”  a pair  of  the  fabulous  tive- 
clawed  scaly  monsters  (No.  3),  resembling  somewhat 
in  shape  the  Imge  sauiians  which  paleontologists  have 
l)rought  to  light  in  recent  years. 

6.  Hua  Chung,  the  ‘Abariegated  Animal”  (No.  4) — 
i.  e.,  the  plieasant,  or  “ liowery  fowl  ” of  tlie  Chinese. 

7.  TsungYi,  the  “Temple  Vessels  ” (No.  5),  used  in 
the  services  of  the  ancestral  temple,  of  wbich  one  was 
said  to  liave  had  the  tignre  of  a tiger  upon  it,  another 
that  of  a kind  of  monkey — animals  distinguished  for 
tlieir  filial  piety,  according  to  the  commentators  on  the 
classics. 

8.  Ts\(o,  “ Aquatic  Grass  ” (No.  3)- 

9.  IIuo,  “Fire”  (No.  7). 

10.  Feat  Mi,  “Grains  of  Itice  ” (No.  8).  These  are 
also  often  represented  on  the  j)ierced  medallions  of 
ancient  jade,  the  earliest  tokens  of  value  in  China. 


MARKS  ON  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


Ill 


11.  an  “Axe”  (No.  9). 

12.  Fii  (No.  10),  a “Symbol”  of  distinctioii,  to  which 
HO  special  signification  is  attached,  and  which  seems  to 
have  been  of  purely  ornamental  origin.  It  is  used  in  the 
sense  of  “ embroidered,”  in  modern  phraseology,  and  often 
occurs  as  a mark  on  porcelain  of  decorative  character. 

2.  Buildlnst  Symbols. 

Buddhism  was  first  heard  of  in  China  some  two  cen- 
turies before  Christ,  and  Buddhist  priests  came  from 
India  as  early  as  the  first  century  of  the  Christian 
era,  bringing  with  them  images,  pictures,  and  books,  and 
a knowledge  of  the  elaborate  symbolism  of  the  new 
religion,  much  of  which  liad  been  borrowed  from  pre- 
existing Indian  sources.  Lamaism,  the  Tibetan  form  of 
Buddhism,  was  introduced  much  later,  under  the  influ- 
ence of  the  Mongol  dynasty  A\diich  ruled  China  in  the 
thirteenth  century,  and  this  is  the  cult  wliich  is  chiefly 
affected  by  the  Manchu  Tartars  who  no\v  occupy  the 
throne  at  Pekin o\ 

o 

Of  the  Buddhist  symbols  found  U[)un  porcelain  the 
most  frequent  are  the  eight  symbols  of  good  fortune, 
kno^vn  by  the  name  of  Pa  Chi-lisianff^  j)a  meaning 
“eight,”  chi-lisiany^  “ happy  omens.”  They  were  among 
the  auspicious  signs  figured  on  the  sole  of  the  foot  of 
Buddha;  they  are  constantly  used  in  the  architectural 
decoration  of  teni])les,  and  are  displayed  in  porcelain, 
stone,  or  gilded  \\'Ood  upon  the  altar  of  every  Buddhist 
shrine.  They  are  usually  drawn  round  with  fillets,  and 
are : 

1.  The  “ Wheel  ” (Cliiuese  Lua^  Sanskiit  CliaPrci)^  the 
sacred  wheel  of  the  law,  which  appeal’s  whirling  in  the 
air  enveloped  in  flames,  as  the  sign  of  the  advent  of  a 
ChalTavartfi  Rajd^  a “ Wheel  King,”  or  universal  mon- 


112 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


arcli  (No.  1).  This  is  sometimes  replaced  by  the  large 
hanging  Bell  (Chinese  Sanskrit  Glianta\  which 

is  struck  with  a mallet  on  its  outer  i*im  during  Bud- 
dhist worship. 

2.  The  Shell  ” (Chinese  Lo^  Sanskilt  ^aiiklut)^  the 
conch-shell  trumpet  of  victory,  which  is  also  blown  dur- 
ing certain  religious  ceremonies  (No.  2). 

3.  The  ‘‘  Umbrella”  (Chinese  San^  Sanskrit  Cliattra)^ 
the  state  umbrella  (No.  3)  held  over  the  head  of  person- 
ages of  rank  throughout  the  East,  a well-known  symbol 
of  sovereignty  (‘^  Lord  of  the  White  Umbrella”). 

4.  The  Canopy  ” (Chinese  Kai,  Sanskrit  Dlivaja)^ 
hung  with  streamers  and  jeweled  tassels  (No.  4). 

5.  The  Flower  ” (Chinese  Hua^  Sanskrit  Padmci)^ 
propei'ly  the  sacred  lotus,  a rose-colored  variety  of  the 
Nelumhium  speciomm^  but  often  represented  in  China  by 
a peony  oi‘  some  other  flower  (No.  5). 

6.  The  ‘WTise  ” (Chinese  Sanskrit  Kalmd)^ 

which  may  liave  a flower  and  miniatiTre  ju-i  scepter 
placed  inside,  or  perhaps  a trio  of  peacock’s  feathei'S 
(No.  6). 

7.  The  Fish  ” (Chinese  Yu^  Sanskrit  Matsya),  the 
golden  fish,  i*epresented  in  pairs  (No.  7),  an  emblem  of 
fertility. 

8.  The  Fntrails”  (Chinese  Gluing^  Sanskrit  SAvatsa), 
The  ‘‘lucky  diagram,”  an  angular  knot  (No.  8)  formed  of 
a line  without  beginning  or  end,  an  emblem  of  longevity. 
It  was  customary  in  ancient  times  to  cut  open  the  abdo- 
men of  the  sacrificial  victim  and  to  augur  from  the  posi- 
tion of  its  entrails. 

These  Pa  Clddiming  foi-m  the  principal  motive  of  dec- 
oration of  the  blue  and  white  ritual  ^vdne-pot  in  Fig.  90, 
the  swelling  body  of  which  is  decorated  with  the  set  of 
eight,  encircled  by  waving  fillets,  and  supported  by  con- 
ventional flowers  of  Indian  lotus.  The  conch-shell,  um- 


MARKS  ON  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


113 


brella,  and  canopy  are  seen  in  the  picture.  The  same 
symbols  are  molded  in  relief  so  as  to  project  upon  the 
scrolled  background  of  the  accompanying,  snuff  bottle 
(Fig.  91),  and  one  can  distinguish  on  the  side  illustrated 
the  umbrella  and  the  flame-encircled  wheel,  flanked  by 
the  flower  upon  the  right  and  the  vase  on  the  left.  The 
large  pilgrim  bottle  shown  in  Fig.  50  has  its  circumfer- 
ence filled  with  the  same  Buddhist  emblems  of  good 
fortune,  while  the  large  round  medallions  display  at  the 
front  and  back  of  the  vase  the  eio;ht  attributes  of  the 
Taoist  genii,  with  other  symbols  of  longevity  and  happi- 
ness. This  vase  forms  altogether  a perfect  mine  of  reli- 
gious symbolism,  with  the  emblems  of  different  religions 
reposing  upon  it  side  by  side,  in  a way  that  does  not 
strike  a Chinese  mind  as  unnatural  or  inconsistent. 

The  Seven  Gems  ” (in  Chinese  6V/V  Pao^  in  Sanskrit 
Sapid  Patiui)  are  taken  fi*om  the  porcelain  service  which 
was  made  for  the  daughter  of  the  Emperor  Tao-huang^ 
who  was  given  in  marriage  to  the  Turned  Pi'ince,  and 
which  has  been  already  described  in  tlie  illustration  of 
its  Mongol  mark  of  Baragon  Turned.  They  are  the 
attributes  of  the  universal  monarch,  such  as  Prince  Sid- 
dharta  would  have  been  had  he  not  become  a Buddha, 
and  they  are  often  figured  in  Buddhist  temples  upon  the 
base  of  his  throne.  They  comprise  : 

1.  The  Golden  Wheel”  (No.  1),  CUn  Luu,  the 
victorious  jeweled  wheel  of  a thousand  spokes  Avhich 
heralds  the  advent  of  a Chakravarttl  Raja,  or  Wheel 
King.” 

2.  The  ‘CTadelike  Girl”  (No.  2),  Yil  JSfu^  the  beau- 
teous consort,  Avho  fans  her  lord  to  sleep,  and  attends 
him  with  the  constancy  of  a slave. 

3.  The  Plorse  ” (No.  3),  Ma^  which  appears  to  sym- 
bolize the  hoi’se-chariot  of  the  sun,  implying  a realm 
where  the  sun  never  sets,  as  well  as  the  celestial  steed 


114 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


which  springs  Pegasus-like  from  the  clouds  to  deliver 
the  sovereign  from  any  danger.  It  carries  on  its  back 
the  saci*ed  alms-bowl. 

4.  The  Elephant  ” (No.  4),  Hsiang^  the  white  ele- 
phant which  was  borrowed  from  Indian  Buddhism  by 
the  Buddhist  kings  of  Burmah  and  Siam,  and  which 
seems  to  be  Indra’s  elephant  Airavata.  He  carries  the 
sacred  jewel  of  the  law. 

5.  Divine  Guardian  of  the  Treasury  ” (No.  5),  Clm 
Ts\mg  Slien,  the  minister  who  regulates  the  affairs  of  the 
empire. 

6.  ‘‘  General  in  Command  of  the  Army  ” (No.  6),  (Jhu 
Ping  ClCen^  ^vith  drawn  sword  and  tiger  shield,  avIio 
conquers  all  enemies. 

7.  ‘AVonder-woiking  Jewels”  (No.  T), -A/  I Chu^  in 
Sanski'it  Chinta-mani,  fulfilling  every  wish.  They  are 
figured  here  as  a bundle  of  jeweled  wands  bound  round 
with  a cord. 

Tlie  Buddhist  symbols  wliich  occur  most  frequently  as 
marks,”  either  in  simple  outline  or  bound  with  fillets, 
or  inclosed  in  panels  of  different  form,  are  the  lotus 
fiower  (No.  8),  which  is  usually  accompanied  by  a few 
waving  reeds,  the  palm  leaf  (No.  9),  on  which  the  scrip- 
tures were  ^vritten  in  ancient  times,  the  pair  of  fish,  the 
srivcUsa.,  or  endless  knot,  and  the  svastPa  symbol.  This 
last,  which  has  been  already  referred  to,  is  a mystic  dia- 
gram of  great  anticpiity  and  wide  distribution,  mentioned 
in  the  Ramayana  and  found  in  tlie  rock  temples  of  India, 
among  all  the  Buddliistic  people  of  Asia,  and  even  as  the 
emblem  of  Thor  among  Teutonic  nations.  It  is  one  of 
tlie  sixty-five  figures  visilfie  on  every  footprint  (S/‘ipdda) 
of  Buddha.  In  China  it  is  the  symbol  of  Buddha’s  heart 
— i.  e.,  of  the  esoteric  doctiines  of  Buddliism — and  is  the 
special  mark  of  all  deities  worshiped  by  the  Lotus 
Scliool.  The  images  of  Kuan  Yin,  the  god  (or  goddess) 


MARKS  ON  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


115 


of  mercy,  have  sometimes  a lotus  flower,  sometimes  a 
svastika,  figured  on  the  breast. 

3.  Ta/jist  Symbols. 

The  Taoist  set  of  eight  symbols  ai*e  comprised  in  the 
Pa  An  Hsieri,  the  attributes  of  the  eight  Taoist  genii  or 
immortals.  They  are : 

1.  The  “Fan”  (Sluni)  carried  by  Chung-li  Ch’uan, 
with  which  he  is  said  to  revive  the  souls  of  the  dead. 

2.  The  “Sword”  (^CMen)  of  supernatural  power, 
wielded  by  Lli  Tung- pin. 

3.  The  “ Pilgrim’s  Gourd  ” {Hu-lu)  of  Li  T’ieh-kuai,, 
the  source  of  so  many  magical  appearances. 

■1.  The  “Castanets”  {Paii)  of  Ts’ao  Kuo-ch’iu,  who 
always  has  a pair  in  his  hand. 

5.  The  “ Basket  of  Flowers  ” {Hua  Lan  )^  borne  by 
Lan  Ts’ai-ho. 

6.  The  “Bamboo  Tube  and  Bods”  (15/  ^5/),  a kind 
of  miniatui’e  drum  cariled  by  Chang  Kuo. 

7.  The  “Flute”  (27),  upon  which  Han  Hsiang  Tzii 
plays. 

8.  The  “Lotus  Flower”  {Lien  Hna)  of  the  virgin 
damsel  Ho  Hsien  Ku. 

The  fan  is  sometimes  replaced  by  the  llA^-whisk  {ying 
sliuai)^  the  pilgrim’s  gourd  is  nearly  always  accompanied 
by  the  crooked  iron  staff  (Icun)  of  the  lame  beggar,  and 
the  hoover  basket  by  the  spade  {chan)  of  the  florist. 
These  Taoist  symbols  are  constantly  met  Avith  in  Chinese 
art  as  architectural  designs,  patterns  of  Avail  paper  and 
domestic  furniture,  etc.,  as  Avell  as  in  the  decoration  of 
jade,  bronze,  and  porcelain.  They  occupy  the  lai*ge 
central  medallion  on  the  tAvo  sides  of  the  ClCien-lung 
pilgrim  bottle  decorated  in  colors,  shoAvn  in  Fig.  50, 
being  represented  there  as  bound  together  in  pairs  Avith 


116 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


waving  fillets,  displayed  upon  a ground  filled  with  cloud 
scrolls  and  sprays  of  conventional  flowers.  The  palm- 
leaf  fan  and  the  sword  are  seen  tied  together,  the  casta- 
nets and  the  drum  with  its  two  rods  inside,  the  gourd, 
crooked  staif,  and  flute,  the  basket  of  flowers  and  the 
lotus. 

The  emblems  of  longevity  which  so  frequently  occur 
as  marks  are  mostly  of  Taoist  origin,  or  connected  with 
Taoist  mythological  legends,  and  they  may  consequently 
be  referred  to  here.  The  greatest  desire  of  a Chinaman  is 
for  long  life,  which  is  reckoned  as  the  first  and  chief  of  the 
five  happinesses,  and  the  Taoist  hermits,  like  the  medise- 
val  alchemists,  spend  their  time  in  the  search  after  the 
elixir  of  immortality. 

The  most  prominent  position  in  the  mystical  fancies  of 
the  Taoists  is  given  to  the  peach.  The  most  ancient 
superstitions  of  the  Chinese  attributed  magic  virtues 
to  the  twigs  of  the  peach,  and  the  fabulists  of  the 
Han  dynasty  added  many  extravagant  details  to  the 
legends  already  existing.  The  divine  ]3^^ch-tree  which 
grew  near  the  palace  of  the  goddess  Hsl  Wang  Mu, 
whose  fruit  ripened  but  once  in  three  thousand  }^ears, 
was  celebrated  by  them  as  conferring  the  gift  of  immor- 
tality. The  peach  as  an  emblem  of  longevity  is  found 
as  a mark  (No.  1)  in  combination  with  a bat,  the  homo- 
nym oif%  “happiness.” 

A still  more  common  emblem  of  longevity  is  the 
sacred  fungus  QingHdJi)^  tlie  Polyporus  lucidtis  of  bot- 
anists, distinguished  by  the  brightly  variegated  colors 
which  it  develops  in  the  ordinary  course  of  its  growth. 
When  dried  it  is  very  durable,  and  it  is  placed  upon  the 
altar  of  Taoist  tenqdes  and  often  represented  in  the  hands 
of  their  deities.  It  is  occasionally  seen  held  in  the 
mouth  of  a deer,  and  one  of  these  animals  always  accom- 
panies SJiOu  Lao,  the  longevity  god.  The  fungus  is 


MARKS  ON  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


m 


specially  valued  when  a tuft  of  grass  has  grown  through 
its  substance,  and  this  is  carefully  preserved  with  the 
dried  specimen.  The  tuft  of  grass  is  generally  found, 
too,  in  the  mark,  and  has  been  a puzzle  to  collectors,  who 
have  often  described  the  peculiar  combination  as  a cocks- 
comb or  some  other  flower,  under  the  idea  that  a fungus 
could  not  have  leaves.  In  the  mark  photographed  in 
Fig.  92,  from  the  foot  of  one  of  a pair  of  blue  and  white 
gourd-shaped  vases  of  the  K^ang-lisi  period.  Fig.  93,  the 
fungus  is  represented  in  the  middle  of  five  such  tufts  of 
grass.  In  the  other  mark  (No.  1),  a more  frequent  form, 
it  is  accompanied  by  a few  blades  only. 

Three  other  plants  which  figure  as  emblems  of  longevity 
are  the  Sung^  Cliu,  Mei,  the  Pine,  Bamboo,  and  the 
Primus,  the  first  two  because  they  are  evergreen  and 
flourish  throughout  the  winter,  the  prunus  because  it 
throws  out  flowering  twigs  from  its  leafless  stalks  up 
to  an  extreme  old  age.  The  accompanying  mark  (No.  2), 
reproduced  in  facsimile  from  a large  howl  with  flaring 
mouth,  decorated  inside  and  out  with  dramatic  scenes  in 
the  most  brilliant  blue,  of  the  K^ang-Jisi  period,  is 
composed  of  two  tiny  twigs  of  prunus  blossom  encircled 
by  the  usual  double  ring. 

Among  the  animal  emblems  of  longevity  are  the  deer, 
the  tortoise,  and  the  stork,  all  of  which  occur  occasionally 
as  marks.  The  hare  (No.  3)  is  found  more  frequently 
than  any  as  a mark.  It  is  the  animal  sacred  to  the  moon, 
where  the  Taoists  believe  it  to  live,  pounding  with  pestle 
and  mortar  the  drims  that  form  the  elixirvitw.  It  is  said 

O 

to  live  a thousand  years,  and  to  become  white  when  it 
has  reached  half  its  long  span  of  life.  The  stork,  in  the 
form  that  is  usually  figured  as  a mark,  is  seen  inclosed  in  a 
small  circular  medallion  in  the  decoration  of  the  gourd- 
sha|3ed  vase  in  Fig.  85  ; it  is  the  patriarch  of  the  feathered 
tribe,  attaining  a fabulous  age,  and  is  the  aerial  courser  of 


118 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


the  Taoist  divinities,  often  represented  bringing  from 
a paradise  in  the  clouds  the  tablets  of  human  fate  which 
it  carries  in  its  beak.  The  tortoise  is  also  sometimes  seen 
accompanying  the  longevity  god,  and  the  common  felici- 
tous phrase  Kiiei  ho  chu  i shou  means,  May  your 
longevity  equal  that  of  the  tortoise  \huei\  and  stork 
! ” As  a mark,  however,  it  is  rare  in  China,  although 
more  commonly  used  in  Japan  in  the  form  of  a tortoise 
with  a hairy  tail  composed  of  strings  of  confervoid 
growth. 


4.  The  Hundred  A ntiques  (To  Ku). 

The  expression  Po  Kii^  which  is  constantly  used  in 
the  description  of  Chinese  art,  refers  to  the  almost 
infinite  variety  of  ancient  symbols  and  emblems,  derived 
from  all  kinds  of  sources,  sacred  and  profane,  which  form 
a common  motive  in  the  decoration  of  porcelain  and  other 
art  objects.  Although  the  word  hundred  ” is  used 
vaguely  as  a noun  of  multitude,  it  is  not  a mere  figure  of 
speech,  as  it  would  not  be  a difficult  matter  to  enumei’ate 
more  than  that  number  of  antique  symbols  appertaining 
to  this  category.  These  antiques  sometimes  form  the 
sole  decoi*ation  of  vases ; sometimes  they  are  grouped  in 
panels  of  diverse  form,  as  in  the  blue  and  white  ‘^haw- 
thorn ” jars  in  which  tlie  floral  ground  is  interrupted  by 
medallions ; in  other  cases  they  are  arj-anged  singly 
within  the  bands  of  floral  brocade  or  diaper  which  en- 
circle the  borders  of  a round  dish  or  other  piece. 

The  tall  two-handled  blue  and  white  cup  illustrated  in 
Plate  XIV  is  decorated,  for  instance,  with  groups  of 
these  symbols,  the  intervals  of  the  conventional  borders 
of  foliated  design  being  filled  with  paraphernalia  of  the 
scholar  and  artist — books  on  talJes,  brushes  in  vases, 
water  receptacles,  and  scroll  pictures,  enveloped  with 


MARKS  ON  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


119 


waving  fillets  and  mixed  with  tasseled  wands  and  double 
diamonds,  symbols  of  literary  success. 

The  large  and  beautiful  plate  (Fig.  94)  painted  in 
brilliant  enamel  colors  of  the  K\mg-]isi  period,  with  a 
broad  band  of  peony  scrolls  penetrated  by  archaic 
dragons  around  the  rim,  succeeded  by  narrower  rings  of 
fret,  displays  in  the  interior  a typical  example  of  the  Po 
Ku  style  of  decoration,  artistically  cai'iied  out.  The 
center  piece  is  a tall,  graceful  vase  with  rings  hanging 
upon  open  scrolled  handles,  decorated  with  sprays  of 
lotus,  standing  upon  a tripod  pedestal,  filled  with  a 
bouquet  of  peonies,  floral  emblems  of  literary  success 
leading  to  wealth  and  honor.  A low  vase  witli  wide, 
bulging  body,  decorated  with  dragons  at  the  side,  holds 
peacocks’  feathei’s,  emblems  of  high  rank.  On  the  other 
side,  a lion-shaped  censer  upon  a four-legged  stand  is 
emitting  a cloud  of  incense  shaping  above  into  the  foi'ins 
of  a pair  of  storks,  symbols  of  long  life  and  of  conjugal 
felicity.  second  set-  of  incense-burning  apparatus,  a 
bundle  of  scroll  pictures  tied  up  in  a brocaded  wrapper, 
(“  wish-fullilling  ”)  sceptei*  oi*  wand,  a musical 
stone,  and  other  felicitous  symbols,  and  a sword  with  a 
paper-weight  in  the  foreground,  fill  in  the  picture.  Tlie 
background  is  a scroll  picture  partially  unrolled  to  show  a 
pine-clad  mountain  with  pavilions  and  temples,  a represen- 
tation of  the  Taoist  paradise,  the  immemorial  hills  (^Sltou 
Sluni)  where  their  immortal  hermits  are  wont  to  wander. 

The  Po  Ku  symbols,  like  those  of  the  Buddhist  and 
Taoist  cults,  are  also  often  arranged  in  numerical  cate- 
gories. The  sets  most  frequently  met  with  ai*e  the  Pa 
Pao  or  Eiglit  Precious  Things,”  and  the  Four  Accom- 
plishments of  the  Scholar.”  These  occasionally  occur  in 
the  ornamental  borders  of  plates  and  vases,  generally 
bound  Avith  fillets,  and  they  are  also  found  singly  as 
marks.  The  usual  set  of  the  Pa  Pao  comprises  : 


120 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


1.  A sphere  (No.  1),  representing  a jewel  or  pearl 
{chv?)j  often  drawn  with  effulgent  rays  issuing  from  its 
surface.  The  dragon  is  generally  depicted  in  pursuit  of 
such  a jewel.  It  answers  to  the  Buddhist  jewel  of  the 
law,  the  special  symbol,  also,  of  a universal  monarch, 

2.  A circle  inclosing  a square  (No.  2).  This  repre- 
sents a “cash”  (cKien)^  the  ordinary  money  of  the 
Chinese,  Avhich  is  a round  copper  coin  pierced  with  a 
square  hole  in  the  center  for  convenience  of  stringing. 
A couple  of  them  may  be  united  by  a fillet,  or  a long 
line  form  an  ornamental  border  to  a plate.  Sometimes 
the  god  of  riches  will  be  seen  emerging  from  the  clouds 
at  night,  with  a string  of  such  “ cash  ” whirling  round  his 
shoulders,  in  the  act  of  filling  a treasure  chest,  while  the 
guards  are  sleeping  beside  it. 

3.  An  open  lozenge  ( fang-sliSiuj)  with  ribbons  en- 
twined round  it  (No,  1).  This  is  a symbol  of  victory  or 
success.  A pair  of  such  objects  interlaced  make  a 
common  symbol,  a pattern  for  jewelry,  or  worn  in  the 
front  of  the  caps  of  boys,  conveying  the  idea  T\mg  lism 
fang  shmg^  or  “Union  gives  success.” 

4.  A solid  lozenge  (No.  2),  another  form  of  the  same 
symbol  {fang  slimgj),  A musical  stone  of  jade  or  a 
plaque  of  bronze  may  be  fashioned  in  this  shape. 

5.  A clfing^  or  musical  stone  of  jade  (No.  3).  Also 
cast  in  sonorous  metal.  Struck  with  a hammer,  it  is  a 
very  ancient  musical  instrument,  and  minute  dii*ections 
for  its  manufacture  are  found  in  old  l)ooks.  A set  of 
sixteen,  of  different  size  and  thickness,  form  the  irien 
eliding ^ or  “ stone  chime.”  It  is  also  a Buddhist  musical 
instrument.  On  account  of  the  similarity  of  the  sound 
of  its  name  witli  that  of  tlie  word  cKing^  which  means 
“happiness”  and  “good  luck,”  it  is  often  seen  in  sym- 
bolical decorations  on  the  rafteis  of  a liouse,  the  side  of 
a winecup,  etc. 


MARKS  ON  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


121 


6.  A pair  of  books  (shu)  strung  together  by  a ribbon 
(No.  4).  This  symbol  is  generally  found  as  one  of  the 
four  which  represent  the  elegant  accomplishments  of  the 
•Chinese  scholar,  the  other  tliree  being  ch^in,  cAV,  and  huay 
the  lyre,  the  chess-board,  and  scroll  paintings. 

7.  ChiieJi^  a pair  of  horns  (No.  5).  The  rhinoceros 
horn  used  to  be  considered  an  object  of  great  value  in 
China,  and  was  elaborately  carved  into  winecups,  girdle 
clasps,  and  many  other  things.  A horn  brimming  with 
good  things  is  emblematic  of  plenty,  like  the  cornucopia 
of  our  own  classical  times. 

8.  An  artemisia  leaf  (the  ai  yehj  shown  in  No.  6).  A 
fragrant  plant  of  good  omen,  used  from  ancient  times  for 
the  moxa.”  The  Buddhist  priest  at  his  ordination 
places  small  balls  of  the  diied  leaves  upon  his  head  and 
ignites  them  to  burn  a number  of  spots  into  the  skin. 
At  the  festival  of  new  moon  in  the  fifth  month  every 
householder  nails  to  the  posts  and  windows  of  his  house 
some  leaves  of  the  artemisia  and  sweet  Hag,  tied  together 
in  bundles,  to  dispel  noxious  influences.  . 

These  objects  are  sometimes  seen  boi*ne  by  a proces- 
sion of  fantastic  figures  representing  tribute  bearers  from 
abroad.  The  set  is  variable,  and  any  one  of  the  members 
may  be  replaced  by  a brancli  of  coral,  a silver  ingot,  a 
brush  and  cake  of  iidv,  etc.,  or  by  a svastiha  symbol,  or 
by  one  of  the  Buddhist  emblems  of  good  fortune,  such  as 
a lotus  flower,  conch  shell,  oi*  pair  of  fishes.  These  sym- 
bols, as  tlie  eiglit  aquatic  jewels  {Sh  ui  yxi  'pao\  represent 
the  ti’easures  of  the  sea,  and  are  pictured  in  combination 
with  winged  sea-horses  and  other  monstei’s  floating  iq)on 
the  weaves  of  tlie  sea — a common  decoration  of  tlie  in- 
terior of  bowls  and  dishes. 

The  ‘^Four  Accomplishments”  of  the  Chinese  scholar 
— music,  chess,  calligraphy,  and  painting — are  known  by 
tlie  collective  title  of  Cliin  CliH  Shu  Ilua^  and  are 


122 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


represented  by  the  aidicles  named  in  the  title,  viz.  : (1)  a 
lyre  wrapped  in  its  embroidered  case ; (2)  a chess-  or 
rather  ^o-board,  with  round  boxes  for  the  white  and 
black  “ men  ” ; (3)  a pair  of  books  placed  side  by  side  or 
tied  together  with  a fillet ; and  (4)  a couple  of  scroll 
pictures.  They  are  inclosed  in  panels  within  a diapered 
band  encircling  the  shoulder  of  the  vase  illustrated  in 
Fig.  95,  and  each  one  of  the  four  occupies  a prominent 
position  in  the  successive  panels  of  the  vase  shown  in 
Fig.  96,  so  that  it  is  unnecessary  to  illustrate  them 
separately.  They  all  occur,  besides,  as  marks.  The 
exercise  of  the  four  accomplishments  is  a common  motive 
of  decoration  for  figure  subjects,  and  some  of  the  finest 
vases  of  the  K^ang-lisl  period,  both  blue  and  white  and 
brilliantly  enameled  in  colors,  exhibit  bevies  of  busy 
damsels  oi*  parties  of  liter aM  gathered  in  four  groups, 
which  are  depicted  either  on  the  same  vase,  or  on  a pair 
of  bowls  of  the  same  set,  two  of  the  groups  being^ 
displayed  in  the  latter  case  on  the  sides  of  each  of 
the  bowls. 

The  vase  Just  alluded  to  (Fig.  96),  which  is  referred 
to  the  K\mg-Jisi  period,  is  decorated  in  coral  red  and 
pale  green  with  touches  of  gold,  with  fioral  brocades 
and  diapered  bands  of  varied  pattern,  surrouuding  four 
large'  panels  with  indented  comers  which  are  filled  with 
selections  of  these  Po  Ku  designs.  The  four  sides  have 
been  sepai'ately  photographed,  to  give  an  idea  of  the 
variety  of  the  devices. 

The  first  picture  (Fig.  96)  shows  the  outline  and 
decoration  of  the  vase  ; the  othej*  three  give  the  suc- 
cessive panels,  starting  from  the  first  and  ju’oceeding 
round  the  vase  from  left  to  right.  The  first  panel  has  in 
the  center  a thi-ee-legged  eensei*  of  complex  form  with 
dentated  ribs,  and  a cover  sumiounted  by  a onediorned 
grotesque  lion  ; the  corners  ai*e  occupied  by  a folding 


MARKS  ON  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


123 


chess-board,  with  two  boxes  for  the  ‘^men,”  a pair  of 
horn  cups  bound  with  fillets,  an  open  book,  and  a magic 
wand  with  its  fungus-shaped  jeweled  head,  a 

cylindrical  pot  {^pi-tung)  with  a picture  scroll,  a feather 
whisk,  and  two  brushes  inside,  and  a water  receptacle 
with  tiny  ladle  near  at  hand  ; two  cups  and  a fluted 
incense  box  with  palm-leaf  cover  fill  in  the  intervals. 

The  second  panel  (Fig.  97)  contains  a vase  of  ‘‘haw- 
thorn ” pattern  interrupted  by  bands  of  triangular  fret, 
mounted  upon  a stand,  with  an  emblematic  spray  of 
blossoming  primus  inside  ; in  the  corners  a lyre  in  its 
brocaded  case  tied  with  ribbons,  the  staff  and  fan  of  the 
mendicant  friar,  a jar  of  wine  {cJim  tsmi)  with  a ladle 
inside  and  a winecup  near  at  hand,  a censer  decollated 
with  trigrams,  and  a covered  incense  box  beside  it:  in 
the  intervals  are  a waterpot  {shut  eh"' eng),  a libation  cup, 
the  round  “ cash  ” symbol,  a lozenge  displaying  a svastiha 
symbol,  and  two  interlacing  rings,  an  archaic  form  of 
money  and  of  the  earliest  hieroglyph  representing  it. 

The  third  panel  (Fig.  98)  has  as  its  center-piece  a tripod 
censer  with  dentated  ribs  and  uj^right  loop  handles; 
two  books,  having  their  volumes  inclosed  in  the  usual 
cloth  cases,  and  a Ju-i  wand  tied  with  a fillet,  below ^ 
a sacred  alms-bowl,  the  holy  grail  of  Buddhism,  reposing 
on  a bed  of  Ficus  religiosa  leaves,  and  a paii*  of  casta- 
nets, ahove]  a palette  and  pair  of  brushes,  the  “cash” 
symbol,  a palm  leaf,  and  the  interlacing  lozenge-symbol 
(^fang-sheng)  filling  in  the  intervals. 

The  fourth  panel  (Fig.  99)  exhibits  a tall  vase  of 
graceful  form,  decorated  with  an  archaic  dragon,  con- 
taining a branch  of  coral  and  two  peacock’s  feathers, 
emblems  of  high  rank,  with  a couple  of  scroll  pictures 
tied  together  with  a cord  half  hidden  by  the  vase,  a 
bundle  of  rolls  of  silk  and  a flute,  a palm-leaf  fan  and 
Buddhist  rosary  on  either  side  of  its  neck  ; a low  table 


124 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


with  four  divisions  filled  apparently  with  nuts,  having^ 
two  teacups  in  their  saucers  beside  it,  a waterpot  and 
a foot  rule,  a third  small  cup,  and  the  interlacing  ring' 
symbol,  complete  the  emblematic  decoration. 

This  is  enough  to  show  the  great  variety  of  the  PoKu 
symbols.  Two  of  them,  which  often  occur  separately  as 
marks,  are  the  pao  ting  (No.  1),  or  precious  censer,  a 
bronze  antique  with  either  three  or  four  legs,  which  is 
often  roughly  shaped,  so  that  it  was  mistaken  by  Jacque- 
mart  for  a modeling  table ; and  fu^  the  ornamental 
symbol  (No.  2)  which  formed  one  of  the  designs  embroid^ 
ered  in  olden  times  upon  sacrificial  robes. 

5.  Devices  intended  to  he  read  in  “ Rebus  ” fashion. 

The  Chinese  language  being  monosyllabic,  and  having 
comparatively  few  vocables  to  express  the  myriads  of 
written  characters,  lends  itself  readily  to  ]3uns,  and  a 
subclass  is  necessary  for  devices  of  this  kind.  The  idea 
of  Ling  Hsien  Clm  Shou — i.  e.,  ‘^The  Sacred  Genii 
worshiping  the  Longevity  God  ” — is  involved,  for  in- 
stance, in  a fioral  device  consisting  of  interlacing  sprays 
of  polyporus  fungus,  narcissus  flowers,  bamboo  tAvigs,  and 
peach  fruit ; tlie  fungus  is  called  ling  cldf  the  narcissus, 
shui  hsien  Ima^  or  ‘‘ the  water  fairy,”  chu^  ^‘bamboo,”  is 
used  as  a i*ebus  ” for  worship,”  Avhich  has  the  same 
sound,  and  the  peach  suggests  the  deity  of  longevity,, 
whose  special  attribute  it  is.  Again,  a device  Avhich 
often  occurs  as  a mark  on  porcelain  is  composed  of  a bat, 
a peach,  and  a couple  of  cash  ” united  by  a fillet,  and  is 
read  Pu  Sit  on  Shuaug  Cldilan — i.  e.,  Happiness  and 
Longevity  both  complete”;  the  bat  {fu)  is  a homonym 
of  (/?/')  ^Miappiness  ” ; the  peach  is  tlje  sacred  fruit  of 

* Tliis  floral  device  is  carved  in  the  bottom  of  a magniticent  dish  of  white 
jade,  the  “ brush- washer  ”( of  a Chinese  writer  or  artist,  now  in- 
the  Walters  Collection. 


MARKS  ON  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


125 


longevity  (shoti),  and  cKuan^  the  ancient  term  for  cash,” 
means  also  “perfect.”  We  have  had  this  last  character 
already  as  a single  mark.  Dozens  of  such  curious  con- 
ceits might  be  cited. 

The  richly  decorated  vase  of  the  Cli'ien-lung  period 
enameled  in  colors  with  gilding,  illustrated  in  Fig.  100, 
which  has  flowers  of  the  four  seasons  in  its  four  large 
panels — the  magnolia  yulan  and  peonia  of  spring^  the 
hydrangea,  pinks  (dianthus)  and  flags  (ills)  of  mmrtier^ 
the  oak  with  acorns  and  russet  leaves  and  the  chrysan- 
themums of  autumn^  the  blossoming  plum  and  early  roses 
of  winter — has  the  two  oblong  panels  on  the  neck 
occupied  by  an  emblematical  device  of  this  kind,  which 
is  composed  of  a chain  of  symbols  hung  with  knotted 
ribbons  and  jeweled  beads.  It  suggests  the  felicitous 
motto,  Chi  ching  yu  yil — i.  e.,  “ Good  Fortune  and 
Abundance  of  Riches”;  the  hanging  musical  plaque  of 
jade  of  triangular  form  {cMwJhing^  suggests  the  homo* 
phone  “ good  fortune  ” ; and  the  pair  of  fishes  (yii) 
involves  the  idea  of  prosperity  and  abundance  (yil)^ 
which  is  fl*ead  with  the  same  vocable,  altliough  written 
with  a different  character. 

The  accompanying  mark  (No.  1 ) has  ali*eady  been 
published  in  the  Franks  Catalogue^  so  often  referred  to 
(Plate  VII,  88),  taken  from  a pair  of  circular  trays, 
which  are  decorated,  in  colors  with  gilding,  with  ladies 
engaged  in  two  out  of  the  “ four  accomplishments,”  viz., 
painting  and  chess.  The  first  exhibits  “ two  ladies,  one 
seated  at  a table  with  a brush  in  her  hand,  the  other 
(her  attendant)  standing,  with  a hand-screen  behind  the 
former,  a stand  witli  vases,  etc.”;  the  second  has  “three 
ladies  seated  on  a carpet  and  playing  at  a game  some- 
what like  chess,  in  the  background  a stand  with  vases, 
stool  with  tea  things,  etc.”  The  mark,  which  is  com- 
posed of  a pencil-brush  (j9^*),  a cake  of  ink  (ting^^  and  a 


126 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


magic  wand  {ju-i)  symbolizes  the  phrase  Pi  ting  ju-i — 
i.  e.,  May  [things]  be  fixed  as  you  wish  ! ” The  same 
mark  occurs  also  on  blue  and  white  porcelain  of,  good 
style. 

The  decoration  of  the  pair  of  eggshell  winecups,  of 
which  one  is  shown  in  Fig.  78,  includes  another  “rebus” 
in  the  shape  of  two  flying  bats  (/^^),  with  triangular 
plaques  of  jade  (clii-cKing^  in  their  mouths,  suggesting 
the  felicitous  phrase  Shuang  fit  chi  chHng — i.  e.,  “Two- 
fold Happiness  and  Good  Fortune.” 

The  magnificent  Yung-Cheng  dish,  illustrated  in  Fig. 
101,  would  also  be  suggestive  to  a Chinese  mind,  and  it 
would  imply,  from  its  floral  decoration,  the  felicitous 
sentence,  Yu  fangfu  huei^  or  “Jade  Halls  for  the  Rich 
and  Noble,”  the  three  flowers  displayed  in  the  interior  of 
the  dish  being  the  magnolia  {iju-lan\  the  double  pyrus 
(Jiai-fang^^  and  the  tree-peony,  which  is  often  called  the 
fu-huei  flower,  as  the  special  floral  emblem  of  riches  and 
high  rank.  Many  of  the  titles  of  Chinese  art  designs  are 
of  this  alliterative  character,  and  suggest  at  once  the 
conventional  details  which  make  up  the  composition. 


CHAPTER  V, 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  CHINESE  POECELAIN. PEIMITIVE  PEEIOD. 

SUNG  DYNASTY. JU  YAO. KUAN  YAO. TING  YAO. 

LUNG-Ch’uAN  YAO. KO  YAO. TUNG-CIl’lNG  YAO. CHUN 

YAO. THEEE  FACTOEIES  AT  CHI-CHOU,  CHIEN-CHOU,  AND 

TZ’U-CHOU. UTENSILS  OF  SUNG  POECELAIN. 

IT  lias  already  been  shown  in  Chapter  I,  from  the  evi- 
dence of  contemporary  writers,  that  porcelain  must 
have  been  known  in  China  at  least  as  early  as  the  T'^ang 
dynasty.  But  the  jadelike  resonant  white  ware  of  Hsin- 
p’ing,  the*  modern  Chiug-te-chen,  in  the  province  of 
Kiangsi,  and  the  cups  of  Ta-yi,  in  the  Sstichuan  province, 
so  often  celebrated  by  the  poets  of  the  period,  together 
with  the  enameled  bowls  of  Yueh-chon  and  the  other 
colored  fabrics  described  in  the  early  books  on  tea,  have 
long  since  disappeared.  Even  the  famous  porcelain  of 
the  After  Chou  dynasty,  which  reigned  a.  d.  951-960, 
known  at  the  time  as  imperial  ware,  subsequently  as 
Ch’ai  Yao,  after  the  name  of  the  reigning  emperor,  who 
decreed  that  it  should  be  produced  ‘^blue  as  the  sky, 
clear  as  a mirror,  thin  as  paper,  resonant  as  jade,”  is 
described  by  modern  collectors  as  almost  a phantom,  and 
as  being  so  rare  that  in  the  present  day  fragments  are 
set  in  gold  like  jewels,  to  be  woni  in  the  front  of  tlie 
cap.'*"'  The  author  of  the  ChHng iji  a little  book 

*Tliis  practice  of  cutting  fragments  of  broken  porcelain  into  oval  plnques 
for  mounting  into  buckles  for  girdles,  or  buttons  for  the  tobacco  pouch,  is 
useful  for  the  study  of  the  rarer  glazes,  and  for  comparison  with  any  unbroken 
specimens  which  we  have  before  us  for  classification.  They  show  the  thick- 
ness of  the  glaze  as  well  as  the  texture  of  the  paste,  both  of  which  are  impor- 
tant criteria  for  determining  the  age  of  a piece. 

127 


128 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


on  art  published  in  1595,  writes  : I have  seen  a broken 

piece  of  Ch’ai  Yao  made  into  a ring  and  worn  on  the 
girdle,  the  sky-bliie  color  and  brilliant  polish  of  which 
corresponded  to  the  description  as  given  above,  but  it 
differed  in  being  thick.”  It  seems  hardly  necessary, 
therefore,  to  include  these  different  wares  in  our  classifi- 
cation, or  to  occupy  our  space  with  any  of  the  other  less 
important  productions  which  are  described  in  the  older 
books,  but  are  not  seen  in  collections  of  the  present  day. 

It  is  different  when  we  come  to  the  Sung  dynasty, 
which  began  in  960  and  lasted  till  1280,  when  it  was 
overthrown  by  Kublai  Khan,  the  grandson  of  the  famous 
Genghis  Khan  and  the  founder  of  the  Yuan  dynasty, 
which  ruled  China  till  it  was  in  its  turn  succeeded  by 
the  native  Ming  dynasty  in  the  year  1368..  We  have 
actual  specimens  of  the  porcelain  of  these  times  in  our 
possession  and  can  compare  them  with  the  descriptions  of 
the  writers  on  ceramic  subjects.  They  agree  in  having  a 
certain  primitive  aspect,  being  invested  generally  with 
glazes  of  single  colors  of  uniform  or  mottled  tint,  with 
plain  or  crackled  surface,  so  that  the  two  dynasties  are 
justly  classed  together  by  M.  Grandidier,*'"^  whose  classifi- 
cation of  Chinese  porcelain  I propose  to  follow  here, 
arranged  as  it  is  in  clironological  order  after  a Chinese 
model : 

1.  Primitive  |)eriod,  including  the  Sung  dynasty  (960- 
1279)  and  the  Yuan  dynasty  (1280-1367). 

2.  Ming  period,  comprising  the  whole  of  the  Ming 
dynasty  (1368-1643). 

3.  K\ing-liS  period,  extending  from  the  fall  of  the 
Ming  dynasty  to  the  close  of  the  reign  of  lYang-hsi 
(1662-1722). 

4.  Yung-rlteng  and  ChHen-ln iig  period  (1723-1795).  , 

* La  Cerandque  chinoise,  avec  42  heliogravures  par  Dujardiu,  par  Ernest 
Grandidier,  Paris,  1894. 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  CHINESE  POKCELAIN. 


129 


5.  Modern  period,  from  the  beginning  of  the  reign  of 
Chia-clPing  in  1796  to  the  present  day. 

This  classification  gives  five  fairly  v^^ell  marked  ceramic 
classes,  and  as  a rule  it  will  not  be  found  difficult  to 
decide  from  the  style,  from  the  method  of  decoration,  or 
from  the  colors  employed,  to  which  of  these  classes  a 
particular  piece  should  belong. 

The  first,  or  Primitive  period,  is  named  from  the  com- 
paratively simple  character  of  its  ceramic  productions. 
This  must  be  stated  with  some  qualification,  howevei*,  as 
many  of  the  different  processes  of  decoration  were  intro 
duced,  and  it  will  be  seen  tliat  there  were  considerable 
advances  in  the  ceramic  productions,  before  the  end  of 
the  period,  when  they  are  compared  with  the  really 
primitive  porcelain  of  the  T^ang  dynasty.  At  first  the 
pieces  were  eithej*  plainly  fasliioned  on  the  wheel,  or 
molded,  and  invested  with  glazes  of  different  color,  the 
brilliance  of  which  constituted  the  chief  charm.  After- 
ward more  work  was  lavished  on  the  paste,  which  was 
worked  in  i*elief,  engraved,  or  carved  in  open-work 
designs.  The  delicacy  of  some  of  the  molded  decora- 
tion of  this  period  in  the  interior  of  the  white  bowls  and 
platters  of  the  Tiug-chou  kilns,  with  phoenixes  flying 
through  floral  scrolls,  and  other  elaborate  designs,  has, 
indeed,  hardly  been  surpassed  since. 

Among  the  monochrome  glazes  are  found  whites  of 
various  tones,  grays  of  bluish  and  purplish  tints,  greens 
from  pale  sea-green  celadon  to  deep  olive,  browns  from 
light  chamois  to  dark  tints  approaching  black,  bright 
red,  and  dark  purple.  Especially  notable  are  the  pale 
purple,  often  speckled  with  red  spots  ; the  brilliant  grass- 
greens  of  the  Limg-ch’iian  porcelain,  called  t^ung-lu^  or 

onion-green,”  by  the  Chinese ; the  yueh-pai,  or  dair  de 
hine^  a pale  gray  blue,  and  the  mihergine^  or  deep  purple 
(gdCieh  of  the  Chiin-chou  ware ; these  last  kilns  were 


180 


OEIEOTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


also  remarkable  for  the  brilliance  of  their  yao-pien^  or 

transmutation  ” mottled  tints,  due  to  the  varied  degrees 
of  oxidation  of  copper  silicates. 

Painted  decoration  was  more  sparingly  employed,  al- 
though in  the  province  of  Chihli  both  the  Ting-chou  and 
Tz’ti-chou  porcelains  were  painted  with  brown  flowers,  as 
we  learn  from  the  Ko  hu  yao  lun^  a work  published  in  the 
fourteenth  century.  The  same  book  describes  the  vases 
produced  at  Yung-ho-chen,  in  the  department  of  Lu-ling- 
hsien,  in  the  province  of  Kiangsi,  as  ornamented  with 
painted  designs.  The  potteries  here  were  closed  during 
the  wars  at  the  end  of  the  Sung  dynasty,  and  the  major- 
ity of  the  potters  fled  to  Ching-te-chen,  and  seem  to  have 
initiated  the  potters  there  in  new  methods  of  decoration. 

As  early  as  the  tenth  century  cobalt  blue,  as  we  learn 
from  the  official  annals  of  the  Sung  dynasty  (^Sung  Sliili^ 
book  490,  f.  12),  was  brought  to  China  by  the  Arabs, 
under  the  name  of  wunmng-yi.  It  had  long  been  used 
in  western  Asia  in  the  decoration  of  tiles  and  other  arti- 
cles of  faience.  It  was  first  employed  in  China,  probably, 
in  the  preparation  of  coloi*ed  glazes,  as  we  know  nothing 
of  painting  in  blue  before  the  Yuan  dynasty. 

The  decoration  of  porcelain  sur  hiscuit  with  glazes  of 
different  colors,  which  prevailed  in  the  early  part  of  the 
Ming  dynasty,  must  also  have  begun  in  the  Sung,  if  we 
are  to  accept  the  statement  quoted  in  the  T'^ao  Sliuo, 
that  the  celebrated  image  of  Kuan-yin*  enshrined  in  the 
Buddhist  temple  Pao-kuo-ssii  at  Peking  dates  from  that 
dynasty.  The  bonzes  of  the  temple  confidently  assert  it, 
claiming  also  that  it  is  a miraculous  likeness,  in  that  the 
goddess  herself  descended  into  the  furnace  while  it  was 
being  fired  and  fashioned  the  ductile  clay  in  her  own 
image  ; and  they  point  triumphantly  to  the  laudatory 
verses  composed  by  the  Emperor  CYien-lung,  which  are 


* The  Goddess  of  Mercy. 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


131 


engraved  upon  the  carved  blackwood  pedestal  of  the 
shrine,  which  supports  and  screens  the  sacred  image, 
made  by  imperial  order  in  the  palace  workshop  of  the 
Nei-wu-fu^  as  sufficient  evidence.  It  is  a finely  molded 
figure  about  a foot  high,  seated  upon  a lotus  pedestal  of 
the  same  material,  colored  crimson,  with  the  chin  sup- 
ported by  the  right  hand,  the  long  taper  fingers  drooping 
gracefully,  and  the  elbow  resting  upon  the  knee.  The 
face,  the  right  arm,  the  breast,  and  the  left  foot,  which  is 
extended  in  an  awkward  pose  to  exhibit  the  sole,  are 
bare,  covered  with  an  opaque  wliite  enamel.  From  the 
necklet,  which  is  yellow,  hangs  a square  network  of 
yellow  beads  attached  to  the  inner  garment  girdling  the 
waist,  which  is  colored  red-brown  of  charming  mottled 
hue.  Tlie  figure  is  loosely  wi*apped  in  flowing  drapery 
of  pui*est  and  bluest  turquoise  tint,  with  the  wide  sleeves 
of  the  robe  bordered  witli  black  and  turned  back  in  front 
to  show  the  yellow  lining  ; the  upper  part  of  the  cloak  is 
extended  up  behind  over  the  head  in  the  form  of  a 
plaited  hood,  which  is  also  lined  with  canary  yellow. 
The  brow  is  encircled  by  a tiara  of  gold  and  crimson, 
with  a tiny  image  inlaid  in  the  front,  and  flower  designs 
in  relief  on  either  side.  Tlie  ris^lit  hand  holds  a circular 
mii’1‘01*,  with  Sanskrit  characters  carved  in  open  work, 
enameled,  of  dark-brown  coloi*,  suiTounded  by  a halo  of 
golden  flames.'''' 

I have  had  the  privilege  of  paying  several  visits  to  the  shrine  of  this  god- 
dess, wlio  has,  somehow,  an  irresistible  fascination.  The  prior  of  the  mon- 
astery assures  me  that  his  records  show  that  the  image  has  been  there  since 
tlie  foundation  of  the  temjile  in  the  thirteenth  century,  and  I see  no  reason  to 
doubt  his  assertion.  The  colors  are  of  the  same  type  as  those  of  the  finest 
flower-pots  and  saucers  of  the  Chlin-chou  porcelain  of  the  Siu^g  dynasty.  A 
Chinese  author  of  the  Ming  period  writes  that  there  must  have  been  porcelain 
decorated  in  colors  during  the  Sung  dynasty,  basing  his  statement  on  this  very 
image  of  Kuan-yin.  Most  people  have  been  led  astray  by  its  traditional  name 
of  Yao-p’ien — i.  e.,  “ Furnace  Transmutation  ” — and  imagined,  like  Dr,  Ilirth 
that  it  was  invested  with  an  ordinary  glaze.  The  colors,  the  turquoise 

blue,  canar}^ -yellow,  brown  of  “old  gold”  and  “dead  leaf  ” tones,  crimson 


132 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


The  ordinary  decoration  of  painting  in  enamel  colors 
upon  porcelain  previously  fired,  and  subsequently  fired 
again  in  the  muffle  stove  to  fix  the  colors,  was  certainly 
unknown  at  this  period.  We  read  occasionally,  it  is 
true,  of  butterflies,  birds,  fish,  or  fabulous  beasts,  outlined 
by  some  magic  transformation  on  the  surface  of  celadon 
vases,  but  these  appear  to  be  merely  accidental  resem- 
blances of  the  colored  patches  so  often  produced  during 
the  firing  of  these  glazes.  Such  reddish  or  pui*ple  stains 
occurring  on  ancient  pieces,  from  partial  oxidation  of 
the  coloring  material,  are  specially  prized  by  collectors 
as  marks  of  authenticity,  and  an  artificial  patch  is 
usually  daubed  on  in  modern  imitations  to  deceive  the 
unwary. 

A general  idea  of  tlie  form  and  coloi*ing  of  the  por- 
celain may  be  gathered  from  the  water-color  illustrations 
of  the  album  of  the  sixteenth  century  to  which  I have 
already  briefly  referred.  It  was  described  in  a paper  read 
by  me  before  the  Peking  Oriental  Society  in  1886,  and 
published  there  in  the  Journal  of  the  Society,  which  is, 
however,  difficult  to  procure,  so  that  I may  perha])S  be 
forgiven  for  re])eating  pai*t  of  the  description.  The 
album,  bound  in  four  volumes,  l)etween  boards  of  sandal- 
wood, came  from  the  lil>rary  of  the  palace  of  the  hered- 
itary ]3rinces  of  Yi.  It  is  entitled  Li  toA  niitig  tz’u  fou 
jAu,  fti  ^ ® in mf rated  IteserqAion  of  the 

Celehrated,  LoreelaAn  e)f  Different  Dynasties.  The  writer, 
II  % it,  ii8i  ang  Yuan-p’ien,  who  himself  drew  and 
colored  by  hand  the  eighty-two  illusti’ations  copied  from 
pieces  in  his  own  collection  and  in  the  collections  of  his 
friends,  was  a native  of  Chia-hsing-fu,  in  the  province  of 

and  red-striped  j)urple,  are  laid  on  in  perfect  contrast,  and  make  one  almost 
understand  the  rhapsodies  of  some  of  the  older  ceramic  writers  about  the  bril- 
liancy of  the  colors  produced  at  the  Chun-chou  kilns.  The  image  is  con- 
sidered too  sacred  to  be  photographed  or  even  portrayed  in  colors  by  a profane 
artist. 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


133 


Chekiang,  a celebrated  connoisseur  who  lived  in  the  six- 
teenth century.  The  author  of  the  CKing  pi  ts^ang^ 
already  referred  to,  includes  his  name  in  the  list  of  col- 
lectors given  by  him  in  book  ii,  f.  3,  and  the  seal  of 
Hsiang  Yuan-p’ien  is  relied  upon  by  connoisseurs  to  this 
day  as  a guarantee  of  the  authenticity  of  a picture  to 
which  it  is  attached. 

The  first  leaf  contains  an  introduction  by  way  of  pref- 
ace, which  runs : In  ancient  times,  while  Shun  was  still 

living  in  the  midst  of  the  fields,  he  tilled  the  ground  and 
made  pottery  as  a means  of  livelihood  ; so  that  even  before 
the  Three  Ancient  Dynasties  the  art  of  molding  clay  was 
already  in  existence.  But  very  many  years  have  elapsed, 
and  his  generation  is  so  ]*emote  that  no  examples  of  his 
Avork  can  have  survived.  Passing  on  to  the  CliHn^  Han^ 
JVei,  and  Chin  dynasties,  Av^e  come  to  the  earliest  men- 
tion of  potters,  in  the  case  of  the  Avinecups  of  Chi  Shu- 
yeh  and  the  Avine- vessels  of  Hsii  Ching-shan.  Successors 
of  these  tAAm  men  in  their  daily  Avork  produced  an  abun- 
dant quantity,  doAvn  to  the  reign  of  the  house  of  ClUai^ 
Avhich  Avas  the  first  to  become  celebrated  for  its  ceramic 
Avare,  so  that  in  the  present . day  men  search  for  mere 
fragments  of  this  porcelain  Avithout  being  able  to  find 
any,  and  declare  it  to  be  but  a phantom. 

Next  to  the  Ch’ai  pottery,  Ave  liave  the  porcelains  of 
Ju,  Kuan,  Ko,  and  Ting  folloAAdng  for  inspection,  till 
finally  AA^e  come  to  oui*  OAvn  dynasty,  and  liaA^e  before  us 
porcelain  of  the  reigns  of  Yvug-Jo,  Hsuan-te,  evg-lma, 
and  Hung-chilly  to  compare  Avith  the  specimens  of  the 
Siuigy  Avhich  it  even  surpasses,  excelling  both  in  texture 
and  form  as  AA^ell  as  in  brilliancy  of  coloring. 

I haA^e  acquired  a morbid  taste  for  refuse  (literally 
^ scabs  ’),  and  delight  in  buying  choice  specimens  of  the 
Sungy  Yvcniy  and  Mingy  and  in  exhibiting  them  in  equal 
rank  Avith  the  bells,  urns,  and  sacrificial  wine-vessels  of 


134 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


bronze,  of  the  Three  Ancient  Dynasties,  the  CKm,  and 
the  Han. 

^^With  the  aid  of  two  or  three  intimate  friends,  who 
meet  constantly  both  day  and  night  for  discussion  and 
research,  I have  selected  a series  of  pieces  out  of  those 
that  I have  seen  and  that  I possess  myself  and  compiled 
this  book.  I have  painted  the  specimens  in  colors  and 
given  the  source  of  eacli  one,  so  that  I may  preserve  them 
from  being  lost  and  forgotten,  and  be  able  to  show 
them  to  my  friends.  Say  not  that  my  hair  is  scant  and 
sparse  and  yet  I make  what  is  only  fit  for  a child’s 
toy!” 

Written  l>y  Hsiang  Yuan-p’ien,  styled  Tzu-ching, 
native  of  Chia-ho.” 

The  signature  is  accompanied  by  two  seals  in  antique 
script,  impressed  in  vermilion,  The  Seal  of  Hsiang 
Yuan-p’ien,”  and  J/c  Urr  Shan  jen.,  A dweller  in  the 
hills  at  Mo-lin.”  The  author  is  described,  in  the  volu- 
minous Imperial  Cyc'lopcedia  of  Celehrated  Writers  and 
Artists^  as  a clever  calligrapliist  as  well  as  a skillful 
painter  and  collectoi*  of  objects  of  art  ” ; and  it  also  alludes 
to  him  as  signing  his  writings  with  the  literary  title  of 
Modin  chil  shih,  ^Hietired  scholar  of  Mo-lin.” 

There  are  eighty-three  illustrations  in  the  album, 
arranged  in  order  according  to  the  purpose  for  which  the 
objects  figured  are  intended  to  be  used.  They  comprise  : 

Censei’s  for  buiTiing  incense. 

Ink  Pallets,  Pen  Rests,  and  Water  Pots  for  the  library 
table. 

Vases  of  varied  forms  for  liolding  flowers. 

Jars  and  Libation  Cups  for  sacrificial  wine. 

Wine  Ewers  and  little  Cups,  Teapots  and  Teacups, 
Rice  Rowls  and  Dishes  for  oixlinary  use. 

Roime  Pots  and  Perfume  Boxes  for  the  toilet. 

O 

Pagoda  enshrining  a jade  image  of  Buddha,  and  a jade 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  CHINESE  POKCELAIN. 


135 


jar  containing  sacred  relics  from  India,  presented  by  the 
empress  to  the  Porcelain  Tower  Temple  at  Nanking. 

Oil  Lamps  and  Pricket  Candlesticks  of  elaborate  design. 

The  pieces  figured  appear  to  be  choice  examples  of  the 
different  kinds  of  porcelain  appreciated  by  collectors  at 
the  time  and  to  have  been  selected  from  the  best  avail- 
able sources.  The  forms  and  ornamental  decoration  of 
most  of  the  objects  have  been  modeled  after  the  ancient 
bronze  vessels,  which  are  dug  up  in  such  abundance  in 
China  and  have  been  figured  in  illustrated  catalogues  by 
many  collectors.  A detailed  description  of  each  piece  is 
written  on  the  opposite  page,  giving  the  size  and  color, 
the  source  of  the  design,  the  name  of  the  owner,  and  often 
the  price  he  had  paid.  The  pictures  are  usually  of  the 
natural  size,  one  on  each  leaf  ; sometimes,  when  small,  two 
on  the  page.  The  rarity  of  the  specimens  is  indicated 
by  the  high  prices  recorded  to  have  been  paid — a hun- 
dred ounces  of  silver,  for  instance,  for  a pair  of  tiny  egg- 
shell winecups,  a price  confirmed,  as  we  shall  see,  by 
printed  books  of  the  time. 

Of  the  83  objects  figured,  42  are  atti'ibuted  to  the  Sung 
dynasty,  a.  d.  960-1279,  only  1 to  the  Yiicm  (1280— 
1367),  the  remaining  40  to  the  Ming  dynasty,  of  which  five 
reigns  are  represented  : Yiing-lo  (1403-1424)  by  1 piece; 
Hsiian-te  (1426-1435)  by  20  pieces;  CYeng-hua  (1465- 
1487)  by  11  pieces;  Hung-cliili  (1488-1505)  by  4 pieces; 
and  Cheng-te  (1506-1521)  by  4 pieces.  Two  of  the 
pieces  of  the  last  reign  are  teapots  of  red  boccaro 
stoneware  from  the  potteries  which  were  founded  then 
by  Kung  Ch’un  at  Yi-hsing,  in  the  province  of  Kiang-nan  ; 
all  the  rest  of  the  Ming  pieces  come  from  the  imperial 
nianufactoiy  at  Ching-te-chen,  in  Kiangsi  province.  The 
Ynan  dynasty  piece  marked  Shu  imperial  palace,” 
comes  from  the  same  place.  The  42  Sung  specimens 
are  selected  from  several  fabrics  famous  at  the  time,  and 


136 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


comprise:  3 pieces  oi  Ju  Yao,  ‘^Ju-chou  porcelain  ” ; 10 
pieces  of  Kuan  Yao,  ‘‘Imperial  porcelain”;  12  pieces  of 
Ting  Yao^  “ Ting-cliou  porcelain,”  the  white,  purple- 
brown,  and  black  glazes  being  all  represented ; 1 of  Ko 
Yao,  and  11  of  Lung-c'liuan  Yao  from  Lung-ch’iian-hsien  ; 
1 of  Tung-cliHng  Yao^  and  4 of  Chmi  Yao,  “ Chtin-chou 
porcelain.” 

I have  arranged  the  objects  described  according  to 
their  source,  and  have  added  a brief  description  of  each 
of  the  different  kinds  of  porcelain.  The  description 
of  each  specimen  is  a literal  translation  of  the  author’s 
words. 

ik  Ju  Yao. 

The  Ju  Yao  was  the  porcelain  made  during  the  Sung 
dynasty  at  Ju-chou,  in  the  province  of  Honan,  the  modern 
Ju-chou-fu.  We  are  told  that  the  porcelain  hitherto 
sent  to  the  capital  from  Tung-chou  was  found  to  be  too 
fragile,  and  that  a supply  was  therefore  ordered  for  the 
use  of  the  court  from  Ju-chou.  The  new  porcelain 
resembled  the  celebrated  CKai  ware  of  the  preceding 
dynasty,  which  was  made  in  the  same  province,  and 
which  the  emperor  ordered  should  be  of  the  color  of  the 
clear  sky  in  the  intervals  between  the  clouds  after  rain. 
The  glaze  is  described  as  being  so  thick  as  to  run  down 
like  melted  lard,  and  as  often  ending  in  an  irregularly 
curved  line  before  reaching  the  bottom  of  the  piece. 

The  surface  was  either  crackled  or  plain,  and  the  latter 
was  preferred  if  the  color  was  perfectly  pure  and  uni- 
form. The  color  is  described  by  the  artist  as  that  of  the 
pale  azure-tinted  blossoms  of  the  Vitex  incisa,  the  “ sky- 
blue  flower  ” of  the  Chinese,  a flowering  shrub  which  is 
common  upon  the  hillsides  in  summer  thi*oughout  cen- 
tral and  northern  China ; it  is  the  yueh  ])ai,  literally 
“ moon  Yvhite,”  of  the  modern  Chinese  silk  dyer,  which 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  CHINESE  POKCELAIN. 


137 


we  know  in  ceramic  parlance  as  dair  de  lune,  and  tliis  is 
the  name  given  also  to  the  tint  of  the  Ju  or  Ju 
Glaze,”  of  the  modern  reproductions  of  the  ancient  color. 
This  is  well  shown  in  Plate  LI,  2,  an  illustration  of 
a dair  de  lune  vase  of  the  lYangdisi  period.  The  tint  of 
the  ancient  Ju  Yao  nearly  approached  that  of  the  Sung 
cup  illustrated  in  Plate  XII,  1,  only  it  was  of  brighter  hue 
and  of  purer  blue. 

Three  pieces  of  Ju  Yao  of  the  Sung  dynasty  are  illus- 
trated in  our  ancient  album,  and  described  by  the  artist : 
Vase  (Ku),  of  slender,  upright,  honilike  form,  with 
wide,  trumpet-shaped  mouth,  modeled  after  an  ancient 
bronze  design,  with  four  prominent  vertical  dentated 
ridges.  It  is  ornamented  with  grotesque  dragons’  heads 
on  a rectangular  scroll  ground  upon  the  body,  and  with 
conventional  palm  leaves  tilled  in  with  scrolls  round  the 
neck.  Specimens  of  Ju-chou  porcelain  are  extremely  rare, 
and  when  found  are  usually  plates  and  bowls,  so  that 
a perfect  unbroken  vase  like  this  is  almost  unique,  and  it 
makes,  like  other  sacriticial  wine-vessels  of  the  time,  a 
charming  receptacle  for  flowers.  Moreover,  it  excels  in 
material,  form,  and  color  both  Kuan  and  Ko  j)orcelain, 
and  is  far  more  valuable  than  either.  I saw  it  at  the 
capital,  in  the  possession  of  Huang,  General  of  the 
Guards,  who  told  me  that  he  had  given  150,000  ^ cash  ’ 
for  it.”  H.  6i  in. 

Vase  (^Ku)^  of  solid,  rounded,  beakei*-shaped  outline, 
copied  from  an  ancient  sacrificial  vessel  of  bronze,  with  a 
band  of  ogre  (pao-fieJi)  faces  on  the  body,  invested,  like 
the  last,  with  a plain  uncrackled  glaze  of  pure  vitex- 
blue  ” color.  A choice  specimen  of  this  rare  fabric,  it 
makes  also  a perfect  receptacle  for  flowers.”  H.  in. 

* The  copper  “ cash  ” of  China  has  varied  in  value  at  different  times,  but  the 
normal  rate  of  exchange  is  1,000  for  a tael,  or  Chinese  ounce  of  silver,  which 
is  worth  intrinsically  about  one  Mexican  dollar  and  one  third. 


138 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


Wine  Jar  {Fit  Tsuii),  fashioned  in  the  shape  of 
a duck,  after  an  ancient  bronze  design,  the  body  being 
hollow  to  contain  the  wine,  and  the  beak  forming  the 
spout.  From  the  back  springs  a vaselike  neck,  with 
a movable  cover,  and  a loop  handle  supported  upon  gro- 
tesque figures.  Ornamented  with  encircling  bands  of 
spiral  pattern  worked  in  the  paste  under  the  ‘ starch- 
blue’  {fencli’mg)  glaze,  wdiich  is  coarsely  crackled.  The 
perfect  finish  of  the  fabric  and  the  antique  character  of 
the  coloring  and  crackled  pattern  make  this  a rare 
specimen  of  ancient  wine-vessels.  The  duck  floats  grace- 
fully upon  the  waves,  and  men  of  old  made  wine-jars  in 
its  form,  as  a symbol  that  one  ought  to  swum  lightly  on 
the  surface,  and  not  be  drowmed  in  the  wine  like  the 
drunkard.”  H.  5i  in.,  L.  5 in. 

^ Kuan  Yao. 

The  Kuan  Yao  is  the  imperial  porcelain  ” of  the 
Sung  dynasty,  lauan  meaning  government  ” or  ^‘im- 
perial.” The  manufactory  was  founded  in  the  capital 
Pien-chou,  the  modern  K’ai-feng-fu,  in  the  beginning  of 
the  twelfth  centuiy.  A few  years  later  the  dynasty  was 
driven  southw  ard  by  the  advancing  Tartars,  and  a manu- 
factory was  founded  in  the  new^  capital,  the  modern 
Hang-chou-fu,  to  supply  the  palace  with  porcelain  of  the 
same  kind,  and  the  productions  of  the  new  kilns  founded 
in  the  city  near  the  Temple  of  Heaven  w^as  also  called 
Kuan  Yao.  The  same  name  is  used,  in  fact,  for  por- 
celain made  in  the  imperial  manufactoiy  at  Ching-te-chen 
to-day. 

The  porcelain  produced  at  the  old  cajiital  seems  to 
have  resembled  the  celebrated  Ch’ai  wuare,  which  was 
fabifcated  probably  at  the  same  place,  as  it  was  the  capi- 
tal of  the  After  Chon  dynasty  at  that  time.  The  glaze 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


139 


of  the  Kuan  Yao  was  generally  crackled,  of  various  tints, 
of  which  yueh  pai  (clair  de  lune)  was  the  most  highly 
esteemed  of  all,  followed  hj  fen  elding^  pale  blue,”  ta  1% 
emerald-green  ” (literally  gros  vert)^  and  lastly  liui  se, 
^‘gray.”  The  Hang-chou  ware  was  made  of  a reddish 
paste  covered  with  the  same  glazes,  and  we  read  of  iron- 
colored  feet  and  brown  mouths,  the  upper  rim  being 
more  lightly  covered  with  glaze  and  showing  the  color  of 
the  paste  underneath. 

There  is  a typical  example  of  this  class  in  the  little 
crackled  teacup  in  this  collection  figured  in  Plate  XII,  1, 
and  the  illustration  exhibits  very  well  the  tone  of  color 
of  the  crackled  glaze  and  the  characteristic  brown  rim 
round  the  edg'e. 

O 

The  album  contains  ten  illustrations  of  the  imperial 
porcelain  of  the  Sung  dynasty,  of  which  the  pallet  figured 
as  Xo.  8 indicates  clearly  the  red  color  of  the  fabric, 
exposed  in  the  parts  which  are  left  unglazed. 

“ Tripod  Censer  {Tiiig')^  fashioned  after  an  old  bronze 
design,  with  a rounded,  three-lobed  body  composed  of 
three  monstrous  ogre-like  faces  with  frightful  features 
and  protruding  eyes  projecting  from  a finely  etched  scroll 
ground,  three  cylindrical  feet,  and  two  upright  looped 
ears.  The  glaze  of  light  bluish  tint,  as  clear  and  lustrous 
as  a precious  emerald,  is  covered  throughout  with  a net- 
work of  icelike  crackle,  so  that  it  is  a most  choice  ex- 
ample of  the  grand  imperial  porcelain  of  the  time.  This 
piece  likewise  came  from  the  palace  at  Peking.  I saw  it 
at  Nanking,  at  the  palace  of  the  Governor  Chu  Hung, 
Grand  Tutor  of  the  Emperor.”  H.  4 in.,  D.  4 in. 

“ Censer  (Lu)^  of  depressed  globular  form,  with  two 
curved  loop  handles  and  three  mammillated  feet,  a shape 
adapted  from  the  bronze  work  of  the  THen-pao  pei*iod  of 
the  Tang  dynasty,  and  often  reproduced  in  the  celebrated 
bronze  urns  of  the  reign  of  Hsiian-te  of  our  own  dynasty. 


140 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


It  is  covered  with  an  antique  glaze  of  brilliant  depths 
pale  blue  in  color,  fissured  with  a reticulation  of  icelike 
cracks  throughout.  From  the  collection  of  Chang  Chui- 
chang  of  Su-chou.”  H.  li  in.,  D.  5 in. 

Pallet  ( F^7^),  copied  from  a pallet  used  by  the 
emperor  in  the  Hslian-ho  Palace.  The  outline  is  like 
that  of  a vase,  with  loop  handles  at  the  sides  for  passing 
a string  through  for  hanging  the  pallet  upon  the  wall.  A 
large  oval  patch  is  left  unglazed  in  the  middle  for  rub- 
bing the  cake  of  ink  upon,  leaving  the  red  paste  exposed. 
The  under  surface  (which  is  also  illustrated)  has  the 
figure  of  an  elephant  etched  upon  it,  surmounted  by  a 
hexagram,  which,  taken  with  the  vase  shape,  make  the 
^ rebus  ’ Pai  pHng  yu  lisiang,  ^ An  augury  of  great  peace.^ 
^ Like  the  upper  surface,  it  is  invested  with  a pale  bluish 
glaze  crackled  throughout,  encircled  by  a red-brown  ring 
left  unglazed.”  L.  5i  in.,  Br.  4 in. 

“ Water  Pot  {Slmd  CKeng)  of  ovoid  form,  with  a 
slightly  flaring  mouth,  and  two  small  loop  handles  from 
which  movable  rings  hang  suspended.  A band  of  cicada 
pattern  is  engraved  round  the  body,  a ring  of  palmations 
encircles  the  foot,  and  a chain  of  rectangular  scroll, 
between  two  lines  of  dots,  surrounds  the  neck.  The 
glaze  of  pale  bluish  tint  is  uniformly  crackled.”  H. 
3 in. 

Pencil  Pest  ( Yen  8han\  modeled  in  the  form  of  a 
miniature  range  of  hills  with  a high  peak  in  the  middle, 
covered  witli  a glaze  of  bluish  tint  as  bright  as  the  vitex- 
tinted  azure  sky,  crackled  throughout  with  icelike  lines. 
The  antique  color  and  the  luster  of  the  glaze  far  excel 
those  of  the  Ko  Yao  pencil  rest  figured  beside  it.  It 
cost  me  twenty  taels  of  silver  at  Peking.”  H.  3 in.,  L. 
4 1 in. 

Vase  {Fang  of  flattened  quadrangular  section, 
with  a bulging  body  and  a cover  surmounted  by  four 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  CHINESE  POECELAIN. 


141 


♦ 

spiral  projections.  Two  handles  of  grotesque  heads  sup- 
porting rings  are  worked  in  relief  on  the  front  and  back 
of  the  vase.  The  glaze  of  bright  greenish-blue  is  covered 
with  icelike  crackle.  This  vase  was  in  the  collection  of 
K’uo  Ch’ing-lo,  who  bought  it  for  fifty  taels  without  the 
cover.  The  owner,  happening  to  be  fishing  one  day, 
found  in  the  boat  a cover  which  had  been  drawn  up  in 
the  net,  and  purchased  it  for  ten  strings  of  cash.  It 
proved  to  be  the  original  cover,  and  he  wrote  some  verses 
in  commemoration.  Since  Ch’ing-lo’s  death  I know  not 
what  has  become  of  the  vase.”  H.  8 in.,  D.  4i  in. 

“ Teacup  {CliJa  Pei),  of  upright  form,  with  wavy  out- 
line and  vertically  ribbed  sides,  molded  in  the  shape  of 
a Buddha’s-hand  citron.  Invested  outside  with  a pale 
blue  glaze,  white  inside,  both  surfaces  traversed  with  a 
coarse  network  of  lines  like  crackled  ice.”  H.  3 in. 

Lihation  Gup  {Cliueli),  of  ancient  bronze  design,  with 
three  feet  and  a wide  channeled  lip.  A double  band  of 
rectangular  scroll  ornament  encircles  the  body,  which  has 
a loop  handle  on  one  side  springing  from  a dragon’s  head. 
The  glaze  is  pale  blue  Avith  icelike  crackle  throughout.” 
H.  6 in. 

^'‘Libation  Cup  {Cliueli),  of  design  someAvhat  similar  to 
the  last,  but  more  elaborately  ornamented  Avifch  projecting 
dentated  ridges  and  geometrical  scroll  patterns.  The 
glaze  of  sky-blue  color  Avithout  a single  line  of  crackle, 
and  the  delicate  and  complicated  ornamentation,  executed 
AAuthout  a blur,  make  it  a remarkable  specimen  of  this 
imperial  fabric.”  H.  4\  in. 

Saucer  {Tieh  T^o),  of  complex  form,  modeled  after  a 
red  lacquer  carved  saucer  of  the  period,  Avith  an  engraved 
decoration  executed  in  the  formal  scroll  patterns  charac- 
teristic of  lacquer  Avork.  The  glaze  is  of  the  light  bluish 
tint  of  an  egg,  and  is  marked  Avith  no  crackled  lines.” 

D.  4i  in. 


142 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


^ Ting  Yao. 

Ting  Yao  is  the  .name  applied  to  the  porcelain  fabri- 
cated in  the  Sung  dynasty  at  Ting-choip  in  the  province 
of  Chihli.  This  is  well  described  in  the  Ko  hu  yao  lun^ 
published  in  1387,  one  of  the  principal  works  on  anti- 
quarian subjects  of  the  Ming  dynasty  : 

^‘Specimens  of  ancient  Ting-chon  porcelain  in  which 
the  paste  is  finely  levigated  and  the  color  white  and  of 
rich  luster  are  valuable ; those  of  coarser  fabric  and  yel- 
lowish color  are  inferior.  Those  with  tear-drops  outside 
are  genuine.  Some  of  the  engraved  designs  are  very 
beautiful.  The  plain  pieces  are  also  good,  but  those 
ornamented  with  painted  decoration  are  less  highly 
esteemed.  The  best  belong  to  the  periods  Hsilan-ho 
(1119-25)  and  QTieng-lio  (1111-17),  but  it  is  difficult  to 
find  perfect  specimens  of  these  reigns.  There  is  a purple 
Ting-chou  porcelain,  the  color  of  which  is  purple,  and  a 
black  Ching-chou  porcelain  colored  black  like  lacquer.” 

The  white  variety  is  known  as  Pai  Ting  or  Fen  Ting, 
gxii  being  white,”  and  fe%  Hour,”  to  distinguish  it 
from  the  coarser  yellow  ware  alluded  to  above,  which  is 
called  T'’u  Ting^  from  t\i^  “ earth.”  The  red  variety  is 
often  referred  to  by  tlie  older  poets,  and  is  compared  to 
carved  red  jade  or  caiTielian.  The  black  kind  is  extremely 
rare.  Our  artist  observes  : I have  seen  over  a hundred 

specimens  of  the  white,  and  some  tens  of  the  purple- 
brown  ; but  the  black  is  so  rare  that  in  my  whole  life  I 
have  met  with  only  one  piece,  which  I figure  here.” 

Pieces  of  Ting-chou  porcelain  are  probably  more  com- 
mon in  modei'n  collections  than  those  of  any  of  the  other 
Smig  dynasty  factories.  Tlie  bowls  and  dishes  are  often 
impressed  inside  with  intricate  and  elaborate  designs, 
composed  principally  of  the  modern  peony,  lily  flowers, 
and  hying  plioenixes.  The  material  was  very  fragile,  on 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  CHINESE  POECELAIN. 


143 


which  account  it  used  to  be  the  fashion  to  bind  the  rims 
of  the  pieces  made  for  the  use  of  the  palace  with  copper 
collars  to  preserve  them  from  injury.  The  bowls  and 
dishes  seem  to  have  been  often  placed  in  the  kiln  bottom 
upward,  so  as  to  rest  upon  the  rims,  which  were  in  such 
cases  left  unglazed.  The  glaze  of  the  best  pieces  of  this 
ware  is  of  a dull  white,  when  compared  with  the  soft, 
velvety  gloss  of  the  white  porcelain  of  the  province  of 
Fuchieii.  It  is  less  translucent,  and  of  soft  ivory-white  ” 
tone. 

Northern  Ting-chou  porcelain  has  been  more  imitated, 
perhaps,  than  any  other.  First  conies  the  Nan  Ting^  or 

Southern  Ting,”  fabricated  after  the  Sicng  emperors  had 
been  driven  south  by  the  Mongols  in  1127  ; then  the 
Hsiii  Ting^  or  New  Ting,”  a name  given  to  the  vases  of 
elegant  shape  with  contracted  waist  made  in  the  Yuan 
dynasty  (1280-1367)  by  P’eng  Chun-pao,  a worker  in 
gold.  Next,  the  false  Wen  Wang  censers  of  Chou  Tan- 
ch’uan,  the  clever  potter  of  the  reign  of  Wan-li  (1573- 
1619),  who  imposed  upon  the  connoisseurs  of  his  time  by 
his  reproductions  of  the  incense  burner  which  forms  the 
first  illusti’ation  in  our  album,  and  of  others  of  the 
same  kind.*  He  worked  at  Ching-te-chen,  and  repro- 
ductions of  the  old  Ting:  Yao  are  still  made  there. 

Twelve  examples  of  the  Su7ig  dynasty  have  been 
selected  for  illustration,  including  six  of  the  white  vari- 
ety, five  of  the  purple,  and  one  black. 

Censer  (^Tmg),  of  quadangular  form  and  oblong  sec- 
tion, with  two  upright  loop  handles,  resting  on  four  legs 
curving  upward  below.  The  body,  with  eight  verti- 
cal dentated  ridges,  is  covered  with  antique  designs  carved 
in  relief.  Copied  from  a sacrificial  vessel  dedicated  to 
the  ancient  sovereign  Wen  Wang  figured  in  the  Po  leu 

*His  story  is  well  told  by  Julien  {loc.  cit.)  in  pp.  xxxiii  and  xxxiv  of  liis 
Preface  du  Traducteur. 


144 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


tou^  an  illustrated  collection  of  old  bronzes,  this  censer 
was  made  at  the  imperial  factory,  and  it  is  perfectly  fin- 
ished with  delicate  carving  fine  as  bullock’s  hair  or  floss 
silk.  It  stands  square  and  upright,  without  leaning  a 
hair’s  breadth,  and  is  exactly  proportioned  in  every  part. 
The  glaze,  uniformly  lustrous  and  translucent,  is  like 
mutton  fat  or  fine  white  jade.  It  is  a choice  specimen  of 
the  fabric  of  Ting-chou  in  Chen-ting-fu,  worthy  to  be 
placed  at  the  head  of  the  incense  burners  of  different 
factories,  and  its  equal  is  rarely,  alas  ! to  be  seen  in  the 
present  day.  It  was  shown  to  me  in  the  palace  of  the 
Prince  of  Chin,  standing  upon  a stand  of  fragrant  lign- 
aloes,  with  a cover  carved  out  of  the  same  wood  crowned 
by  a lizard  dragon  of  moss-green  jade.”  H.  4i  in.,  Br. 
Si  in. 

Censer  ( K),  in  the  foiTii  of  a shaped  bowl  of  depressed 
globular  form,  rounding  in  at  the  neck  and  slightly  expand- 
ing at  the  mouth,  resting  upon  a low  circular  foot.  The 
neck  is  encircled  by  a band  of  rectangular  scroll  pattern, 
interrupted  by  two  handles  fashioned  as  lions’  heads  in 
slight  relief.  The  glaze  of  pure  white  without  stain 
resembles  mutton  fat  or  fine  jade,  and  it  forms  a beauti- 
ful ornament  for  a scholar’s  library.  It  is  an  old  piece 
which  has  been  preserved  for  generations  in  our  family 
cabinet,  and  I now  draw  it  for  my  friends.”  H.  2 in.,  D. 
44  in. 

“ Miniatiire  Vase  {Hsiao  P’’ing)j  of  nearly  cylindrical 
form,  slightly  bulging  in  the  middle,  with  two  pointed 
open  handles  projecting  upward  from  the  shoulder.  Dec- 
ollated with  two  scroll  bands,  above  and  below,  engraved 
under  a pure  white  glaze  resembling  congealed  fat.”  H. 
3 in. 

Sacrificial  Jar  {Hsiang  Tsun\  modeled  in  the  form 
of  an  elephant,  after  an  ancient  bronze  vessel  made  for 
the  ancestral  temple.  The  body  is  hollowed  into  a jar 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  CHINESE  POKCELAIN. 


145 


for  wine,  of  which  the  uplifted  trunk  of  the  elephant 
forms  the  spout,  and  a narrow  canopy  arching  over  the 
saddle  makes  the  handle,  which  has  attached  to  it  a round 
cover  ornamented  with  geometrical  and  spiral  scroll 
borders  and  surmounted  by  a knob.  The  rope  girths 
and  ornamental  details  are  engraved  under  the  white 
glaze.  It  holds  about  a pint  of  wine.”  H.  4i  in., 
L.  5 in. 

Willow-hasket  Oiip  {Liu-tou  Pei),  molded  in  the  form 
of  a basket  of  rounded  shape  bulging  below,  with  the 
osier  twigs  bound  with  ropes  all  worked  in  the  paste 
under  the  white  glaze.  This  is  a novel  and  curious 
design  for  a wine-cup.”  H.  in. 

“ Phoenix  Candlestick  {Fmg  Teng),  of  elegant  form  and 
design,  a branched  pricket  candlestick  for  three  candles. 
A slender  pillar,  springing  from  a square,  solid,  polished 
stand,  curves  at  the  top  to  end  in  a crested  phoenix  head, 
from  the  beak  of  which  hangs  a ring  chain  with  a lotus 
suspended  upon  it.  The  stem  of  the  lotus  branches 
below  into  three  flowers  to  hold  the  candles,  which  are 
shaded  by  a large  overhanging  leaf.  The  natural  details 
are  etched  in  the  paste  under  the  white  glaze.  It  is  a 
rare  specimen  of  Ting-chou  porcelain,  which  I use  to 
light  my  own  library.”  H.  21  in. 

Tripod  Censer  (Ting),  with  plain  loop  handles  and 
feet  springing  from  grotesque  heads.  Modeled  after  an 
ancient  bronze  with  ogre  {Cao  tHeli)  faces  carved  upon 
the  body  on  the  upper  part,  a band  of  foliated  outline 
below.  The  artistic  character  of  the  design  is  executed 
in  the  spirit  of  the  Three  Ancient  Dynasties ; the  color  of 
the  glaze  is  a warm  purple  of  translucid  depth,  of  the  same 
tint  as  that  of  ripe  grapes.  Ting-chou  poi’celain  is  usually 
white,  the  purple  (pzu)  and  black  {ind)  glazes  being  much 
more  rare,  and  such  a choice  example  as  this  of  the  ^mr- 
ple  variety  is  rare  indeed.  I bought  it  for  ten  taels  of 


146 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


silver  at  Peking  from  the  stall  of  a curio  dealer  at  the 
Buddhist  temple  Pao-kuo-ssti.”  H.  34  in.,  D.  4 in. 

Water  Pot  (Slmi  CK eng),  modeled  after  a tazza- 
shaped  bronze  cup  of  the  Han  dynasty,  of  oval  form, 
with  foliated  rim  ; it  has  a fluted  body,  with  a scroll-like 
border  composed  of  coiled  silkworms,  and  a ringed  hol- 
low foot.  The  glaze  is  purple,  of  the  color  of  the  fruit 
of  the  aubergine  plant.  It  is  mounted  on  a carved  rose- 
wood stand,  with  a coral  spoon  inside,  for  use  on  the 
writino^  table.”  H.  2 in. 

Jar  {Ha),  modeled  after  an  ancient  sacrificial  wine- 
vessel  of  bronze,  of  ovoid  form  and  quadrangular  section, 
with  a lobed  body  decorated  with  a band  of  scrolled 
dragons  round  the  shoulder,  a chain  of  interrupted  fret 
encircling  the  foot.  Two  loop  handles  terminating  in 
horned  heads  project  from  the  neck  with  rings  suspended 
upon  them.  The  glaze  is  deepest  amethyst,  of  the  color 
of  very  ripe  grapes,  and  beautifully  lustrous.  I saw  it 
in  the  palace  of  the  Prince  of  Chian g-yu,  where  I painted 
the  picture  for  my  friends.”  H.  6 in. 

Small  Vase  (Hsiao  PHng),  of  the  kind  once  used 
for  divining  stalks,  adapted  for  flowers  upon  the  wu-iting 
table.  The  body,  of  square  section  slightly  expanding 
upward,  is  carved  in  a formal,  zigzag  pattern ; it  has 
a round  mouth  and  a low,  circular  foot.  The  glaze  is 
purple,  of  deepest  tone  and  beautiful  color.”  H.  4 in. 

Wine  Vessel  (Cliial),  of  a characteristic  bronze  form, 
with  three  pointed  feet,  a plain  loop  liandle  and  two  studs 
on  tlie  upper  rim.  It  is  decorated  with  bands  of  gro- 
tesque dragons’  heads  cai-ved  in  relief.  The  color  of  the 
glaze  is  purple,  like  the  aubergine  fruit,  and  the  decora- 
tion is  very  finely  carved.  I got  it  from  a fellow-citizen 
in  exchange  for  a winecup  of  jade.”  II.  4 in. 

Pnch-headed  Vase  (Pa  2su)b),  of  black  Ting-chou 
porcelain.  A ]>ottle-sha])ed  vase  with  swelling  body  and 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  CHINESE  POKCELAIN. 


147 


ringed  neck,  which  curves  over  to  end  in  a duck’s  head^ 
the  orifice  of  the  vase,  defined  by  a lip,  being  in  the  con- 
vexity of  the  curved  neck.'^'  The  black  color  painted 
upon  the  head  and  neck  gradually  fades  away  below  into 
the  body  of  the  vase,  which  is  enameled  white.  The 
black  glaze  is  of  the  greatest  rarity  in  Ting-chou  porce- 
lain. In  my  whole  life  I have  seen  over  a hundred 
specimens  of  the  ^vhite,  some  tens  of  purple,  but  only 
this  one  of  black.”  H.  6 in. 

f|  ^ LuNO-CIl’tTAN  YaO. 

The  Lung-cKuan  Yao  is  the  porcelain  that  used  to  be 
made  at  Lung-ch’iian-hsien,  in  the  prefecture  Cli’u-chou-fu, 
in  the  southern  part  of  the  province  of  Chekiang.  Dur- 
ing tlie  early  part  of  the  Sung  dynasty  the  factory  was 
at  Liu-t’ien,  some  twenty  miles  distant  from  the  walled 
city  of  Lung-ch’iian,  and  under  its  jurisdiction.  Two 
brothers  named  Chang,  who  are  said  to  have  lived  here 
in  the  tAvelfth  century  of  our  era,  are  celebrated  for  their 
productions.  The  elder,  called  for  that  reason  Chang 
Sheng  yi,  introduced  a new  glaze,  distinguished  by  its 
crackled  texture,  which  became  known  as  Ilo  Yao^  or  the 

Elder  Brother’s  Porcelain.”  Chang  Secundus,”  Chang 
Sheng  erh,  fabricated  his  ware  on  the  old  lines,  only 
improving  the  luster  and  color  of  the  green  glaze,  so  that 
his  productions  continued  to  be  called  by  the  old  name 
of  Lung-ch’lian  Yao. 

These  potteries  furnished  the  main  source  of  the  famous 
old  celadon  and  crackled  poi’celains,  which  were  exported 
at  this  time  from  China  to  all  parts  of  Asia,  as  well  as 
to  the  eastern  and  northern  coasts  of  Africa.  They 
constitute  iXi^ClCing  Tzi\  ^ the  green  porcelain,” 

* This  curious  form  is  still  in  use  in  China,  as  shown  in  Fig.  117,  which  is  a 
celadon  piece  in  the  collection  referred  to  the  K'ang-hsi  period. 


148 


OEIENTAL  CEEAMIC  AET. 


par  excellence  of  the  Chinese,  and  are  well  known  to  the 
Japanese,  who  esteem  them  very  highly  by  the  same 
name,  which  they  pronounce  Seiji.  During  the  Sung 
dynasty  there  was  considerable  commercial  intercourse 
by  sea  between  China  and  the  Mohammedan  countries, 
and  we  read  in  both  Arabian  and  Chinese  books  of  the 
time  of  green  porcelain  ” as  one  of  the  articles  of  trade. 
The  Chinese  describe  it  as  carried  as  far  as  Zanzibar,  which 
they  call  Tsangpa,  and  are  curiously  confirmed  by  the 
discovery  there  in  some  old  ruins,  during  Sir  John  Kirk’s 
residence  as  H.  B.  M.  consul-general,  of  a quantity  of 
celadon  vessels,  principally  in  fragments,  mixed  with 
Chinese  coins  of  the  Sung  dynasty. 

The  Arabs  and  Persians  call  this  peculiar  porcelain 
martahdn%  and  value  it  very  highly  from  its  fancied 
property  of  detecting  poisoned  food  by  changing  color. 
The  name  comes  from  Martaban,  one  of  the  states  of 
ancient  Siam  ; and  Prof.  Karabacek,  of  Vienna,  has  lately 
tried  to  prove  that  it  is  not  Chinese,  basing  his  theory 
mainly  upon  a passage  quoted  from  the  encyclopedist 
Hadji  Khalifa,  who  died  in  1658,  that  ^Hhe  precious 
mao:nificent  celadon  dishes  and  other  vessels  seen  in  his 
time  were  manufactured  and  exported  at  Martaban,  in 
Pegu.”  But  there  is  no  evidence  that  porcelain  was  ever 
made  at  Maulmain  (Martaban),  Rangoon,  or  elsewhere  in 
Burma.  Others  have  attributed  it,  with  as  little  success, 
either  to  Persia  or  to  Egypt,  because  so  much  has  been 
discovered  there,  but  neither  of  these  countries  produced 
true  porcelain,  although  they  excelled  in  the  decoration 
of  faience.  An  Aral^  manuscript  in  the  JBihliotheque 
Natlonale  at  Paris,  treating  of  the  life  and  exploits  of 
Saladin,  mentions  that  this  emir  presented  in  the  year 
1171  forty  pieces  of  this  kind  of  Chinese  porcelain  to 
Kur-ed-din. 

Marco  Polo,  after  his  travels  in  China  in  the  thirteenth 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  CHINESE  POKCELAIN. 


149 


century,  seems  to  have  been  the  first  in  Europe  to  use  the 
name  of  “ porcelaine  ” to  describe  this  product  of  the  far 
East.  It  had  probably  been  applied  previously  only  to 
shells,  and  Marco  Polo  applied  the  same  term  to  the 
covs^ries  w^hich  he  found  used  as  money  in  Eastern  coun- 
tries. The  crusades  were  apparently  the  earliest  means 
of  introduction  of  specimens  of  this  ware  to  the  West. 
Dr.  Graesse  relates  that  the  most  ancient  piece  in  the 
Dresden  Museum  was  brought  by  a crusader  from  Pales- 
tine. Perhaps  it  came  through  Egypt.  A present  of 
porcelain  vases  was  sent  in  1487  by  the  Sultan  of  Egypt 
to  Lorenzo  de’  Medici,  and  it  is  mentioned  about  the  same 
time  in  the  maritime  laws  of  Barcelona  as  one  of  the 
articles  imported  into  Spain  from  Egypt. 

It  is  curious  that  the  earliest  specimen  of  porcelain  that 
can  be  now  referred  to  as  brought  to  England  before  the 
Eeformation,  viz.,  the  cup  of  Archbishop  Warham,  at 
New  College,  Oxford,  is  of  the  sea-green  or  celadon 
kind. 

The  glaze  of  the  Lung-ch’iian  porcelain  is  of  a mono- 
chrome green  color,  varying  from  bright  grass-gj’een,  the 
tint  of  the  Chinese  olive,  a species  of  canarium,  through 
lighter  intermediate  shades  to  palest  sea-green.  The 
term  celadon  is  well  known  to  collectors  as  applied  to 
these  different  shades  of  color.  Celadon  was  the  name 
of  the  hero  of  the  popular  novel  L'' Astree^  written  by 
Hon  ore  d’Urfe  in  the  seventeenth  century,  who  used  to 
appear  on  the  stage  dressed  in  clothes  of  a kind  of  sea- 
green  hue  of  a gray  or  bluish  tint.  This  shade  became 
fashionable,  and  the  name  Avas  borroAved  to  describe  a 
similar  shade  in  the  color  of  Chinese  porcelain.  This 
peculiar  shade,  hoAvever,  is  specially  characteristic  of  the 
Lung-ch’uan  porcelain  of  the  Ming  period,  made  in  the 
city  of  Ch’u-chou-fu,  to  Avhich  place  the  manufactory  Avas 
remoA^ed  early  in  the  Ming  dynasty.  It  Avas  here  that 


150 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


the  characteristic  large  dishes  were  made  marked  under- 
neath with  a ferruginous  ring,  showing  the  portion  of  the 
paste  left  unglazed,  so  as  not  to  adhere  to  the  support 
in  the  kiln.  The  older  pieces  attributed  to  the  Sung 
dynasty  are  completely  covered  with  glaze  under  the 
foot,  and  are  generally  of  a more  decided  grass-green 
color,  approaching  the  emerald-green  tint  of  jadeite,  which 
seems  to  have  been  the  effect  especially  aimed  at.  The 
decoration  was  either  worked  in  relief  or  engraved  in  the 
paste,  and  its  effect  was  enhanced  by  the  different  shades 
of  color  produced  by  the  varying  depth  of  the  glaze. 
The  vessels  are  often  fluted  or  labbed,  and  with  wavy  or 
foliated  rims  ; some  have  a peony  or  a lotus  blossom, 
fish  or  dragons,  sprays  of  flowers  or  geometrical  patterns 
etched  in  the  paste.  Others  have  a pair  of  Ashes  worked 
in  relief  in  the  bottom,  or  a pair  of  rings  attached  outside 
to  handles. 

The  accompanying  illustration  (Fig.  119)  is  taken  from 
a little  dish  of  typical  Sung  celadon  in  the  Walters  Col- 
lection. The  glaze  is  crackled,  of  a greenish-brown  tone 
approaching  that  of  the  olive,  shot  and  flecked  with 
bright  grass-green,  the  tint  of  onion  sprouts.  A pair  of 
fish  are  worked  in  bold  relief  in  the  paste  underneath  the 
glaze  as  if  swimming  round  inside  the  dish.  The  rim  of 
the  foot,  unglazed,  shows  a reddish  buff  paste.  There  is 
no  ring  ” underneath. 

The  other  cut  (Fig.  120)  represents  a celadon  dish 
etched  inside  with  a spray  of  peony,  which  is  attributed 
to  the  Ming  dynasty.  The  sides  are  fluted  in  the  interior 
and  correspondingly  ribbed  underneath.  The  glaze  is  of 
sea-green  shade,  varying  in  tone  according  to  its  depth. 
T1  le  under  surface  of  the  dish,  which  is  about  a foot  in 
diameter,  has  been  photographed,  to  show  the  peculiar 
ferruginous  ring  with  its  ragged  edges,  where  the  paste,, 
left  bare,  is  tired  of  a reddish  buff  color. 


151 


CLASSIFICATIOJ^  OF  CHmESE  POECELAIN. 

Our  album  contains  eleven  specimens  of  Lung-ch’iian 
porcelain  attributed  to  the  Sung  dynasty. 

Water  Pot  {Slmi  CKeng)  for  the  writing  table,  in 
the  shape  of  a globular  tazza-like  bowl,  with  a cylindrical 
foot  slightly  spreading  at  the  base,  and  a round  cover 
with  a knob  on  the  top.  The  cover  is  etched  Avitli  a 
radiating  geometrical  pattern,  the  bowl  decorated  with 
sprays  of  chrysanthemum  flowers  alternating  with  Polyp- 
orus  fungus  heads  mingled  with  grass.  The  flowers 
stand  out  in  strong  relief  as  if  painted  in  a picture.  The 
glaze  is  bright  green,  of  the  color  of  fresh  moss  or  of  wih 
low  twigs  as  they  hang  down  in  early  springtime.”  H. 
4 in. 

Water  Pot  (Slmi  ClCeng)^  modeled  after  a bronze 
casting  of  the  Pang  dyiiasty,  of  globular  form,  with  a 
slightly  flaring  mouth  and  three  small  mammillated  feet. 
The  shoulder  has  two  handles  worked  in  relief  as  lions^ 
heads  with  curling  mane  holding  rings ; above  and 
below  them  the  body  is  circled  with  interrupted  chains 
of  rectangular  and  spiral  fret,  etched  under  the  glaze, 
which  is  translucent  and  lustrons,  of  the  color  of  moss- 
green  jade  or  nephrite.”  H.  2i  in. 

“ Vase  (JPa)j  bottle-shaped,  with  a bulging  body,  con- 
tracting to  a slender  neck,  which  swells  again  to  a 
bulbous  enlargement  to  end  in  a small  orifice  defined  by 
a light  lip.  The  narrowest  part  of  the  neck  is  marked 
by  a prominent  ring.  Vases  of  this  form,  copied  from 
an  old  bronze  figured  in  the  Po  leu  foii^  are  esteemed  for 
holding  peonies  and  orchids  of  different  kinds,  because 
the  small  mouth  prevents  the  water  giving  out  a bad 
odor.  The  glaze  is  bright  green,  of  the  color  of  young 
onion  sprouts,  so  that  the  color  is  as  beautiful  as  the 
form  is  distinguished.  It  always  stands  on  the  dining- 
table  in  my  own  house.”  H.  6 in. 

Flower  Vase  (Ilua  with  several  mouths,  of 


152 


OKIENTAL  CEKAMIC  AET. 


crackled  Lung-cb’lian  porcelain,  of  a depressed  ovoid 
form  bulging  below,  it  contracts  above  to  an  oval  mouth 
which  is  surrounded  by  four  other  smaller  tubular 
mouths  springing  from  the  shoulder  of  the  vase.  The 
color  of  the  glaze  is  as  green  as  parrots’  feathers  and 
crackled  like  broken  ice,  a rare  variety  of  this  ware, 
adapted  for  displaying  the  colors  and  mingling  the  fra- 
grance of  dilfereut  kinds  of  roses  on  a small  table.  It  is 
enshrined  in  the  Chi-hsiang-an  Temple  of  my  native 
city.”  H.  3 in.,  Br.  4i  in. 

Small  Vase  {Hsiao  of  hexagonal  form,  with 

a low  circular  foot,  and  a lip  sharply  drawn  into  a round 
mouth,  covered  with  a brilliant  glaze  of  the  color  of  a 
fresh  green  cucumber.”  H.  in. 

Min  iatiire  Vase  {Hsiao  Hing),  for  a single  flower, 
of  semiglobular  form,  flattened  below,  with  a tubular 
neck,  having  two  loop  handles  at  the  sides  strung  with 
slender  movable  rings.  Invested  with  a bright  mono- 
clirome  coat  of  green,  it  makes  a charming  receptacle  for 
a small  flower  like  a dwarf  orchid,  a balsam,  or  a sprig 
of  jasmine.”  H.  2 in.  . 

'‘‘‘Palm-Leaf  Vase  {Chiao  Yeli  P'^ingf  fashioned  in 
tlie  form  of  a whorl  of  palm  leaves  surrounding  a hollow 
stem  adapted  to  hold  water  for  flowers.  The  veining  of 
the  leaves  is  engraved  in  the  paste,  and  the  surfaces  are 
colored  green,  light  or  dark,  according  to  their  natural 
shades,  showing  that  the  ancient  workmen  spared  no 
pains  in  the  fabrication  even  of  a little  work  of  art  like 
this.”  H.  6 in. 

Pldnoceros  Jar  {So  Tsunf  a sacrificial  wine-jar  for 
the  ancestral  temple,  modeled  after  an  ancient  bronze 
vessel  figured  in  the  Po  hn  tlou.  It  is  molded  in  the 
foi*m  of  a hornless  rhinoceros,  with  the  body  hollowed 
out  to  hold  wine,  the  peaked  saddle  on  its  back  being 
hinged  in  front  to  make  the  cover  of  the  jar.  The  con- 


CLASSIFIOATIOI^  OF  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


153 


voluted  folds  of  the  skin  and  the  other  natural  details  are 
worked  in  the  paste  so  as  to  be  picked  out  in  darker 
shades  in  the  bright  green  glaze  of  the  color  of  young 
onion  sprouts.  In  the  present  day  porcelain  is  much 
used  for  sacrificial  vessels  in  place  of  gold  and  copper. 
The  altars  are  not  so  luxuriously  furnished,  but  the 
resources  of  the  people  are  not  infringed  upon,  so  that  it 
should  not  be  lightly  esteemed.^  I saw  this  jar  at  Nan- 
king, in  the  hall  of  a Taoist  temple  for  the  worship  of 
Heaven.”  H.  4i  in.,  L.  4i  in. 

Gourd-shaped  Jar  {P'^ao  Tsiui)^  molded  as  a wine- 
vessel,  in  the  form  of  a recumbent  gourd  of  elongated 
oval  shape,  curving  up  at  the  neck  to  a round  orifice, 
which  is  fitted  with  a ringed  cover.  A long,  curved 
handle,  with  a dragon’s  head  at  each  end,  is  attached  to 
the  gourd  by  ring  chains.  The  cover  and  shoulder  of 
the  jar  are  decorated  with  plain  and  foliated  bands 
picked  out  under  the  glaze,  which  is  of  the  usual  green 
color.”  L.  6 in. 

Wine-  Vessel  ( Yii)  of  the  form  of  an  ancient  bronze 
sacrificial  vessel  of  that  name,  with  the  finest  details  of 
the  metal  work  carefully  finished  to  a hair’s  breadth. 
The  body,  of  fiat  quadrangular  section,  is  contracted 
above  to  an  oval  orifice  which  is  fitted  with  a rounded 
cover.  To  the  two  loop  handles  on  the  shoulder  of  the 
vase  are  attached  ring  chains  hanging  down  from  the 
ends  of  a curved  rod  by  wdiich  the  jar  can  be  suspended. 
The  sides  are  decorated  with  foliated  panels,  the  rims 
^vith  brocaded  bands  and  formal  borders,  and  the  out- 
lines of  deer  and  dragons  of  autic][ue  design  fill  in  the 
intervals.  The  glaze  is  a bright  grass-green.”  H.  4 in. 

Oil  Lamp  ( Yu  Teng)^  copied  from  a bronze  design. 
The  lipped  saucerlike  receptacle  is  poised  on  the  tip  of  a 
leafy  branch  which  springs  from  a foliated  pedestal,  while 
from  underneath  the  branch  a second  support  curves 


154 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


down,  to  end  below  in  chicken’s  claws.  The  glaze  is  of 
the  color  of  green  onion  sprouts,  the  form  of  antique 
elegance.”  H.  4 in. 

^ Ko  Yao. 

Ko  Yao^  which  means  Elder  Brother’s  Ware,”  was 
the  name  referred  to  already  as  having  been  given  to  the 
ceramic  production  of  Chang  the  elder,  who  was  a potter 
of  Liu-t’ien,  in  Lung-ch’iian-hsien,  in  the  twelfth  century  of 
our  era.  The  porcelain  which  he  made  was  distinguished 
especially  for  its  crackled  glaze,  which  was  described  as 
having  the  appearance  of  being  broken  into  a hundred 
pieces,”  or  as  looking  ^4ike  the  roe  of  a fish.”  It  had 
also  the  iron-gray  foot  and  the  red  mouth  which  charac- 
ized  some  of  the  older  fabrics  of  the  Sung  dynasty,  and 
is  said  to  have  almost  rivaled  the  Kuan  Yao^  the  impe- 
rial porcelain  of  the  period.”  The  color  of  the  glaze 
varied  from  bluish  gray  or  celadon  to  rice  color  or  stone 
gray.^ 

This  was  the  original  Ko  Yao;  the  name  has  since 
been  extended  to  include  almost  all  kinds  of  porcelain 
covered  with  crackled  monochrome  glazes,  of  the  differ- 
ent shades  of  celadon,  gray,  and  white.  So  we  have  Ko 
Yao  of  the  Yuan  dynasty,  wliicli  was  fabricated  in  large 
quantities  at  the  same  pottery,  but  was  far  inferior  to  the 
old  porcelain  both  in  grain  and  in  color.  Specimens  of  this 
are  brousrht  to  our  museums  in  modern  times  from  Bor- 
neo  and  other  islands  of  the  Eastei*n  Archipelago  as  far 
east  as  Ceram,  among  other  old  relics  of  Chinese  porce- 
lain which  the  natives  ])i*ize  so  highly.  Mr.  Carl  Bock, 
in  his  Head-Hunters  of  B err  neo  ^ alludes  to  tliese  : “ Among 
his  I the  Dyak’s]  greatest  treasures  are  a series  of  gudgi 
hlanga^  a sort  of  glazed  jar  imported  from  China,  in  green, 
blue,  or  brown,  oi’iiamented  with  figures  of  lizards  and 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  CHINESE  POECELAIN. 


155 


serpents  in  relief.  These  pots  are  valued  at  from  one 
hundred  to  as  much  as  three  thousand  florins  (£8  to 
£240)  each,  according  to  size,  pattern,  and,  above  all,  old 
age,  combined  with  good  condition.  According  to  the 
native  legend,  these  precious  vases  are  made  of  the  rem- 
nants of  the  same  clay  from  which  Mahatara  (the 
Almighty)  made  first  the  sun  and  then  the  moon.  Medici- 
nal virtues  are  attributed  to  these  wares,  and  they  are 
regarded  as  affording  complete  protection  from  evil  spirits 
to  the  house  in  which  they  are  stored.” 

There  is  also  a modern  Ko  Yao  made  at  Ching-te-chen 
up  to  the  present  day  in  the  pattern  of  the  old  ware. 

There  is  only  one  piece  of  Ko  Yao  of  the  Sung  dynasty 
illustrated  in  the  album,  a small  pencil-rest  covered  with 
a crackled  glaze  of  purplish  celadon  which  can  hardly  be 
distinguished  from  that  of  the  Kuan  Yao,  viz. : 

“ Brush  Best  ( Yen  Shmi),  made  after  a bronze  model 
of  the  Han  dynasty,  as  a miniature  range  of  hills  with 
four  peaks  of  irregular  height,  and  covered  with  a glaze 
of  pale  bluish  celadon  crackled  like  broken  ice.  Of 
antique  form  and  lustrous  color,  it  forms  an  artistic  rest 
for  the  skilled  pen  of  the  writer.”  H.  1 in.,  L.  4 in. 

We  can  add  three  pieces  from  the  Walters  Collection 
which  are  referred  to  the  Sung  dynasty : (1)  A minia- 
ture censer  {Hsiang  Lii),  shown  in  Fig.  122,  covered 
with  a thick  grayish  speckled  glaze,  traversed  by  a 
crackled  network  of  brown  lines,  with  three  feet  of  dark 
iron-gray  color  surrounded  at  their  base  with  brown  lines 
of  stain.  (2)  A small  water  pot  {Sltui  Clieng'),  shown 
in  Fig.  128,  invested  inside  and  out,  as  well  as  under  the 
foot,  with  a thick,  unctuous  translucent  glaze  of  dark 
brownish-gray  tone  ci'ackled  throughout ; the  mouth 
tinged  copper-red,  the  foot-rim  dark  iron-gray.  (8)  A 
little  vase,  with  mask-handles  in  relief  (Fig.  124)  of  light 
gray  crackle,  covered  with  a deep  ilcli  glaze  fissui*ed  with 


156 


OEIENTAL  CEEAMIC  AET. 


a network  of  dark  lines  connected  by  a few  more  super- 
ficial lines,  and  with  the  same  glaze  under  the  foot ; the 
foot-rim  shows  a pale  iron-gray  paste. 


^ W S’  Tung-Ch’ing  Yao. 

Tuiig-clCing  Yao,  which  means  Eastern  celadon  porce- 
lain,” is  the  name  of  the  porcelain  which  was  fabricated 
at  private  factories  in  the  vicinity  of  K’ai-feng-fu,  the 
Eastern  capital,  during  the  Northern  Sung  dynasty  (a.  d. 
960-1126).  It  resembled  the  imperial  porcelain  of  the 
time,  but  was  of  coarser  make  and  paler  color,  and  it  w^as 
never  crackled. 

The  name  of  Tung-chb  ing  has  siu’vived  to  the  present 
day  as  that  of  the  typical  celadon  glaze,  so  well  illustrated 
in  Plates  VII  and  XXXVIII.  The  first  syllable  of  the 
name  is,  however,  generally  written  with  another  charac- 
ter of  the  same  sound  meaning  “ winter,”  changing  the 
expression  to  winter-green  ” or  ever-green,”  and  this  is 
the  form  used  in  the  imperial  lists  of  to-day. 

The  one  piece  of  the  Sung  dynasty  figured  here  is 
described  as  follows : 

Water  Bo  wl  (Hsi),  resembling  in  shape  an  octagonal 
fiower-pot,  with  an  eight-lobed  body  resting  on  a circular 
foot,  and  a foliated  rim  round  the  top.  It  is  decorated 
outside  in  panels  with  formal  sprays  of  fiowers,  including 
the  plum  blossom,  polyporus  fungus  and  grass,  peony  and 
bamboo,  etched  in  tlie  paste  under  the  glaze,  which  is  of 
the  color  of  plumes  of  kingfisher  feathers  painted  on  in 
several  layers,  with  its  surface  j*aised  in  faint  millet-like 
tubercles.  Made  for  washing  the  brushes  of  an  artist,  it 
is  well  adapted  for  the  decoration  of  a dinner  table  with 
an  open-work  rockery,  or  for  growing  flowering  bulbs  of 
narcissus.”  H.  5 in. 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  CHINESE  POECELAIN. 


157 


^ CiitiN  Yao. 

Chiln  Yao  is  the  name  given  to  the  porcelain  fabricated 
at  ChliiFchon  from  the  early  part  of  the  Sung  dynasty^ 
which  began  in  the  year  a.  n.  960.  This  corresponds  to 
the  modern  district  of  Yti-chon,  in  the  province  of  Honan. 
It  was  not  ranked  high  among  the  potteries  of  the  period, 
because  the  material  was  not  so  finely  levigated,  and  be- 
cause the  forms  were  generally  original,  instead  of  being 
copied  from  classical  designs.  The  glazes  were,  howevei*, 
remarkable  for  their  brilliancy  and  for  their  varieties  of 
color,  including  as  they  did  i\\^  flamle  or  transmutation 
glazes,  composed  of  fiashing  reds,  passing  through  every 
intermediate  shade  of  purple  to  pale  blue.  This  was  not 
much  appi’eciated  at  the  time,  being  described  as  a fail- 
ure in  the  firing  of  one  of  the  pure  monochromes,  but  its 
reproduction  in  the  hands  of  more  I'ecent  potters  is  uni- 
versally regarded  as  one  of  the  chief  triumphs. of  Chinese 
ceramic  art. 

The  authoi*  of  the  Po  wu  yao  lan^  one  of  the  best  of 
the  antiquarian  Avorks  published  near  the  end  of  the 
Ming  dynasty,  written  by  Ku  T’ai,  in  sixteen  books,  and 
printed  in  the  reign  of  Pien-clCi  (1621-27),  says  in  the 
fifth  book,  which  is  the  one  devoted  to  ceramics  : “ Chiin- 
chou  porcelain  includes  pieces  of  vermilion  red,  of  bright 
onion-green,  vulgarly  called  parrot-green,  and  of  aubergine 
purple.  When  these  three  colors,  the  first  red  as  mineral 
rouge,  the  second  green  as  onion  sprouts  or  kingfisher 
feathers,  and  the  third  purple  dark  as  ink-black,  are  pure 
and  Avithout  the  least  change  of  color,  they  comprise  the 
highest  class.  Undeimeath  the  piece  one  or  tAvo  numerals 
are  often  inscribed  as  marks.  The  colors  of  pig’s  liver, 
of  flaming  reel,  and  of  blues  and  greens  mingled  in 
blotches  like  a child’s  tear-stained  face,  are  due  only  to 


158 


OKIENTAL  CEEAMIC  AET. 


insufficient  firing  of  the  above  three  colors ; they  are  not 
distinct  varieties  of  glaze.  Such  vulgar  names  as  ^ nasal 
mucus  ’ and  ^ pig’s  liver  ’ only  provoke  ridicule.  The 
flowerpots  and  saucers  of  this  porcelain  are  of  great 
beauty,  but  the  other  things,  like  the  barrel-shaped  seats, 
the  censers  and  round  pots  for  incense,  the  square  vases 
and  jars  with  covers,  all  these  have  the  paste  composed 
of  yellow  sand,  so  that  they  are  of  coarser  fabric.  The 
new  pieces  made  in  the  present  day  are  all  fabricated 
out  of  Yi-hsing  clay,  so  that,  although  the  glaze  is  some- 
what similar  to  the  old,  and  the  work  as  well  finished, 
they  will  not  resist  wear  and  tear.” 

The  image  of  the  Buddhist  divinity  Kuan  Yin  in  the 
Pao  Kuo  Ssu  at  Peking,  described  already,  exhibits  a 
rare  and  brilliant  combination  of  these  different  colors  in 
the  glazes  with  which  it  is  invested.  The  flowerpots  and 
saucers  referred  to  by  the  author  quoted  above  are  the 
specimens  seen  in  modern  Chinese  collections  that  are 
valued  at  such  very  high  prices  in  their  own  country  that 
few  genuine  examples  are  exported.  There  are  two  re- 
markable examples,  however,  in  the  Walters  Collection 
which  seem  from  their  mountings  to  have  come  out  of 
one  of  the  imperial  collections  at  Peking — a pair  of 
bowl-shaped  flowerpots.  One  of  them  is  illustrated  in 
Plate  XCIV,  showing  the  stippled  gray-blue  glaze  spotted 
with  darker  tints.  The  companion  flowerpot  is  enameled 
with  a ground  color  of  darker  tone  and  more  thickly 
flecked  with  crimson  passing  into  purple.  Their  pres- 
ervation is  due  to  the  thickness  and  solidity  of  the 
material,  and  they  figure  in  the  cultured  interior  of  a 
Chinese  house  to  display  the  flowering  bulbs  of  the  narcis- 
sus or  the  dwarf  shrubs  of  the  blossoming  plum,  which 
flower  at  the  new  year,  the  one  great  national  holiday. 
The  marks  are  the  numerals  1 to  9 deeply  engraved  under- 
neath in  the  paste,  either  singly  or  repeated  ; in  the  last 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


159 


case,  for  example,  the  number  is  carved  inside  one  of 
the  feet,  as  well  as  on  the  base  of  the  flowerpot  or 
saucer. 

Fig.  125  is  a picture  of  a little  water-pot,  shvi-cli’eng^ 
of  the  ancient  Chiin  Yao  of  the  Sung  dynasty,  such  as  a 
Chinese  writer  loves  to  put  on  his  table,  and  it  is  marked 
underneath  with  the  character  san^  8,”  carved  in  the 
paste.  An  archaic  dragon  is  modeled  on  one  side  in  bold 
relief  so  as  to  lift  up  its  head  above  the  rim.  It  is  cov- 
ered with  a rich,  deep,  finely  crackled  glaze,  of  yueli-pai 
or  dair-de-lmie  color,  with  a patch  of  deep  auhergine  tint 
shaded  with  lighter  purple  round  the  edge.  It  shows  in 
miniature  two  of  the  characteristic  colors  of  the  time.  It 
had  been  shattered  into  fragments,  and  when  first  seen 
was  coated  with  lac  dating  from  the  Ming  d^masty, 
which  has  since  been  scraped  off. 

These  things  were  reproduced  with  some  success  by 
T’ang  Ying  in  the  reign  of  Yiing-cheng^  1728-85.  His 
productions  may  be  distinguished  by  their  perfect  execu- 
tion and  finish,  the  texture  being  finer  and  the  paste 
whiter  than  in  the  originals.  A beautiful  example  of  his 
work  is  seen  in  Fig.  126,  showing  a shallow  bowl  mounted 
upon  three  foliated  feet,  modeled  in  the  shape  of  one  of 
the  bowls  of  Chiin  Yao  made  in  the  Sung  dynasty  for 
the  cultivation  of  narcissus  bulbs,  and  enameled  with  a 
copper-red  glaze  of  mottled  tint  exhibiting  a pink  ground 
flecked  with  darker  red  spots.  The  bottom,  coated  with 
a grayish  glaze,  is  engraved  with  the  character  san,,  ‘‘8.” 
The  seal  of  the  period  Yung-clieng  is  impressed  in  the 
paste  in  the  middle  underneath.  This  seal  had  been 
filled  in  with  cement,  plastered  over  and  artificially 
tinted,  showing  that  the  bowl  had  been  intended  to 
figure  as  a relic  of  the  Sung  ; and  it  is  really  such  a 
perfect  reproduction  as  to  be  liable  to  deceive  the  very 
elect,  had  it  not  been  marked  with  the  reign  in  which 


160 


OEIENTAL  CEEAMIC  AET. 


T’ang  Ying  flourished,  as  well  as  with  the  numerical 
mark  of  the  older  regime. 

Our  artist  figures  four  specimens  of  Chiin-chou  por- 
celain of  the  Sung  dynasty  in  the  manuscript  album,  all 
of  darkest  purple-brown,  or  auhergime  color. 

Jar  of  ovoid  form,  slightly  expanding  above 

the  short  neck  to  a circularly  rimmed  mouth.  The  two 
handles  whicli  project  from  the  neck  are  fashioned  in 
open-work  relief  as  phoenixes,  with  crested  heads  and 
bodies  terminating  below  in  spiral  curves.  The  numeral 
ivu^  ‘ 5,’  is  inscribed  under  the  base  as  a mark.  The 
glaze  is  dark  purple-brown.  The  source  of  the  design 
can  not  be  traced,  although  the  elegance  of  the  form  and 
the  artistic  finish  of  the  work  are  such  as  no  common 
potter  could  have  executed.  Chlin-chou  used  at  the  time 
to  be  ranked  at  the  bottom  of  the  potteries  of  the  Sung 
dynasty,  yet  this  jar  in  its  perfect  form  and  beautiful 
color  makes  a receptacle  for  flowers  equal  to  any  one 
either  of  Ju^  Kuan.,  Ko^  or  Ting  porcelain.  Its  ‘ mark  ^ 
is  an  additional  proof  that  it  is  really  a Chiin  piece. 
I am  now  the  fortunate  possessoi*.”'  H.  3i  in. 

“ Minictt/ure  Vase  {Hsiao  P ’’ing'),  of  oval  form,  with  a 
bulbous  neck  shaped  like  a ^ head  ’ of  garlic.  It  is 
enameled  with  a glaze  of  mottled  blue  and  purple 
{clHng  and  is  of  the  colors  vulgaily  known  as 

‘ ass’s  liver  and  horse’s  lung.’  It  is  in  my  own  collection^ 
and  is  one  of  the  tiniest  of  vases,  little  more  than  an  inch 
high,  fit  to  hold  a single  pearl  orchid  or  a jasmine  flower.” 

Wine-Pot  {Hu?).,  of  depressed  oval  foi*m,  with  a short 
neck  ending  above  in  a circular  mouth,  a tiny  spout  at  one 
end,  and  a minute  solid  triangular  handle  at  the  other. 
It  must  originally  have  had  a small  round  cover,  which 
is  now  lost.  The  surface  is  covered  with  formal  fioi*al 
sprays  and  spiral  scrolls  worked  in  relief  under  the  glaze^ 
Avhich  is  of  auhergine  purple  color.  Specimens  of  Chun- 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  CHINESE  POECELAIN. 


161 


chou  porcelain  are  often,  like  tins  piece,  of  novel  original 
design,  as  the  potters  did  not  usually  copy  the  antique. 
Of  the  colors  used  in  its  decoration  none  excelled  the 
venniliou  red  {elm  hung)  and  the  auhergine  purple 
(cKieh  of  the  latter  pf  which  this  is  a fine  example  ; 
the  moonlight  white  (j/ueh  hsia  jpai)^  or  elair  de  lime^  and 
the  pale  gi*een  (gyu  elding)  being  both  inferior  glazes, 
when  com]:>ared  with  the  others.  It  holds  about  a pint 
of  wine.”  H.  3 in.,  D.  5 in. 

Dragon  Lamp  {Cliiao  Teng)^  molded  in  the  form  of 
a grotesque  hornless  dragon,  with  its  coiled  scaly  body 
hollowed  into  a receptacle  for  the  oil,  its  serpentlike 
head  elevated  with  protruding  tongue  and  open  mouth  to 
receive  the  wick.  The  glaze  is  bluish  purple  of  the  color 
of  ripe  grapes.  It  is  a lamp  of  rare  design,  lifelike  and 
awe-inspiring,  and  illuminates  the  whole  room  when 
lighted.”  H.  16  in. 

Magnificent  pieces  of  this  Chim-chou  fabric*  are  to  be 
seen  in  Chinese  collections,  remarkable  for  the  brilliant 
and  variegated  coloring  of  the  rich,  unctuous,  liquescent 
glaze,  which  exhibits  all  the  transmutation  tints  of 
the  copper  silicates  in  their  pristine  perfection.  The  ma- 
terial is  generally,  however,  a reddish  stoneware  rather 
than  porcelain.  I have  just  seen  a large  tripod  censer 
with  rounded  bowl  and  receding  neck  thickly  imbued 
^vith  a mottled  opalescent  glaze  of  elair-de-lune  tyjie,  con- 
trasting with  the  red  color  of  a pair  of  archaic  dragons 
worked  in  bold  relief  round  the  hollow  of  the  neck,  and 
partially  reserved  between  two  irregularly  undulating 
lines  of  glaze.  The  dragons  form  a frieze,  half  hidden, 
as  it  were,  in  azure-tinted  clouds. 


162 


OEIENTAL  CEEAMIC  AET. 


Theee  Othee  Majn^ufactoeies. 

There  were  several  other  manufactories  in  different 
parts  of  China  duilng  the  Sung  dynasty,  of  which  three 
must  not  be  omitted,  although  their  productions  are  not 
illustrated  in  our  album.  These  are  (1)  Chi-chou,  in 
the  province  of  Kiangsi,  celebrated  for  its  crackled  por- 
celain ; (2)  Chien-chou,  in  the  province  of  Fuchien, 

famous  for  its  black  teacups,  of  priceless  value  for  the 
tea  ceremonial  of  the  time  ; and  (3)  Tz’ti-chou,  in  the 
province  of  Chihli,  where  a peculiar  kind  of  stoneware, 
enameled  white  and  painted  in  brown,  is  fabricated  down 
to  the  present  day. 

(1)  The  Chi-chou  Yao^  was  made  at  Yung- 

ho-chen,  in  Chi-chou,  which  corresponds  to  the  modern 
Lu-ling-hsien  in  the  prefecture  Chi-an-fu,  in  the  province 
of  Kiangsi.^  The  Ko  hu  yao  lun  says  that  the  colors  of 
the  porcelain  were,  white  and  purple-brown,  like  that  of 
Ting-chou,  but  that  it  was  thick  and  comparatively 
coarse  in  fabric,  and  not  worth  so  much  money ; and  that 
in  the  Sung  dynasty  there  were  five  manufactories,  of 
which  that  of  the  Shu  family  was  the  most  celebrated. 
Some  of  the  smaller  pieces  were  decorated  wdth  painting, 
and  one  of  the  daughters  of  the  family,  called  Shu  Chiao, 
or  The  Fair  Shu,”  was  a skillful  artist.  The  Sui  CK'i^ 
or  crackled  vases,  were,  however,  the  most 
famous  productions  of  this  factory,  and  rivaled  the 
similar  vases  of  Ko  Yao,  which  they  resembled  in  color 
and  in  being  reticulated  with  lines  like  fissured  ice. 
Tradition  says  that  during  the  troubles  at  the  close  of 
the  Stmg  dynasty,  when  the  famous  minister  Wen  T’ien- 
hsiang  (1236-82)  came  to  this  place,  the  porcelain  was 

* Julien,  in  the  preface  of  his  work  (loc.  cit.),  places  this  factory  correctly  in 
Kiangsi  province,  but  refers  it  on  page  16  of  the  text  to  Kuangsi,  in  the  south- 
east of  China,  and  on  page  76  to  Shensi,  in  the  far  northwest. 


CLASSIFICATIOIS^  OF  OHIFTESE  POECELAI^^^. 


163 


transformed  in  the  kilns  to  jade,  and  that  the  potters  lied 
in  boats  down  the  river  to  Ching-te-chen,  where  they 
settled,  and  continued  for  generations  to  make  this 
crackled  ware. 

(2)  The  Cliien  Yao^  ^ was  the  original  porcelain 
produced  at  the  ancient  Chien-chou,  in  the  province  of 
Fuchien.  This  corresponds  to  the  modern  prefecture 
Chien-niug-fu.  The  manufactory,  which  was  established 
at  Chien-an  at  the  beginning  of  the  Sung  dynasty,  was 
moved  afterward  to  Chien-yang.  In  the  Yuan  dynasty, 
which  succeeded  the  Sung^  this  last  place  became  still 
more  famous  for  its  ceramic  production.  During  the 
Sung  the  shallow  bowls  and  cups  Avith  everted  rims, 
enameled  with  a black  glaze  speckled  with  white,  which 
sometimes  ran  doAvn  in  brown  drops,  Avere  appreciated 
above  all  others  at  the  tea  ceremonies.  They  were 
called  hare’s  fur  cups  ” or  “ partridge  cups,”  from  their 
resemblance  in  color  to  the  skin  of  the  common  hare  and 
to  the  plumage  of  the  Perdrix  cinerea.  They  Avere  thick 
and  heavy  and  kept  hot  a long  time — another  quality  for 
AA^hich  they  Avere  highly  prized  by  the  old  tea-tasters.” 

The  practice  of  the  competitors  at  these  tea  parties  Avas 
to  grind  the  tea  leaves  to  fine  dust  and  put  a little  of  the 
poAvder  into  each  of  the  cups,  to  fill  the  cup  with  boiling 
Avater,  and  stir  up  the  mixture  Avith  a bamboo  Avhisk. 
After  the  poAvder  had  subsided  the  tea  Avas  drunk,  and 
the  cup  Avas  again  filled  Avith  Avater,  the  process  being 
repeated  as  long  as  any  trace  of  tea-dust  remained  visible 
at  the  bottom  of  the  cup.  The  more  Avaters  ” the  tea 
Avould  bear  the  better  it  Avas  considered ; and  the  dark- 
colored  cups  of  Chien-an  were  valued,  for  one  reason, 
because  they  shoAved  the  slightest  trace  of  pale  yellow 
dust  as  long  as  any  of  the  tea  lasted. 

The  Chinese  ceremonial  Avas  afterward  adopted  in  Japan 
at  their  tea  clubs,  Avdiich  have  been  so  often  described. 


164 


OEIENTAL  CEKAMIC  ART. 


The  Japanese,  also  showed  an  immense  appreciation  for 
the  hare-skin  ” glaze  of  the  teacups  of  Chien-an,  which 
they  imported  for  their  own  use  and  valued  at  such  fab- 
ulous prices.  Three  cups  with  silver  rims,  attributed  to 
the  twelfth  century  a.  d.,  from  the  collection  of  the 
Japanese  archaeologist,  Ninagawa  Noritane,  are  described 
in  one  of  Captain  F.  Brinkley’s  catalogues'’^  as  being 
about  five  inches  in  diameter  and  two  and  a half  inches 
deep,  and  as  having  a lustrous  black  glaze  covered  with 
yellowish  metallic-looking  lines. 

These  potteries  have  long  been  extinct.  The  porcelain 
fabricated  in  the  province  of  Fuchien  in  the  present  day, 
and  still  known  as  Cliien  Yao,  or  Chien  Tz^u^  is  the  well- 
known  blanc-de- Chine  variety,  with  a soft-looking,  velvety 
glaze,  which  comes  from  Te-hua,  of  which  the  libation - 
cup  shown  in  Fig.  57  is  a typical  specimen. 

(3)  The  Tz’'u  Yao^  was  the  ware  produced  at 

Tz’u-chou,  which  was  formerly  under  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  prefecture  Chang-te-fu,  of  Honan  province,  but  is 
now  under  Kuang-p’ing-fu,  in  the  province  of  Chihli. 
The  ceramic  ware  is  made  out  of  a peculiar  kind  of  white 
clay  found  here,  and  is  really  an  opaque  white  stonew^are 
rather  than  porcelain,  covered  with  a dull,  white  glaze, 
and  decorated  with  fioral  and  other  designs  painted  in 
dark  brown  or  dull  blue.  The  forms  of  the  pieces  and 
the  style  of  decoration  in  the  present  day  are  of  archaic 
character,  and  are  often  wrongly  classed  as  Korean.  They 
include  figures  of  deities,  of  Taoist  and  Buddhist  saints, 
as  well  as  vases  and  jars,  and  all  kinds  of  common  uten- 
sils. At  the  present  day  these  potteries  supply  the 
coarser  articles  used  by  the  common  people  of  Peking 
and  thi’oughout  northern  China.  There  is  a general 
reseml)lance  in  the  ware  to  the  old  Ting  Yao,  which  was 

* Collection  of  Japanese,  Chinese,  and  Korean  Porcelain,  Pottery,  and 
Faience,  p.  96. 


CLASSIFICATIO^^^  OF  CHINESE  POECELAIN. 


165 


made  in  the  vicinity,  Ting-choii  being  within  the  bounds 
of  the  same  prefecture  of  Kjiang-p’ing-fu. 

The  Ko  hu  yao  lun^  referring  to  the  production  of  the 
Sung  dynasty,  says  that  good  specimens  of  Tz’u-chou 
ware  resembled  the  products  of  Ting-chou,  only  their 
glazes  exhibited  no  traces  of  tears.  They  comprised  both 
engraved  and  painted  decorations,  and  the  plain  pieces 
fetched  as  high  prices  as  those  of  Ting-chou.  He  adds, 
however,  that  the  production  of  his  own  times  (fourteenth 
century)  was  not  worthy  of  description. 

Three  modern  pieces  of  this  ware  are  reproduced  in 
Fig.  104  to  show  its  archaic  character  and  peculiar  style 
of  decoration : (a)  A Wine  Flask,  Clim  P^ing^  painted 
in  two  shades  of  brown,  with  a floral  spray,  (h)  A 
gourd-shaped  vase,  Hu-lu  P'ing^  painted  in  dark  brown, 
with  the  character happiness  ”)  above  and  a spray 
of  flowers  below^  (c)  Twdn  Figures  of  Two  Merry 
Genii,  Ho  Ho  Hrli  Hsiang^  with  a tube,  intended  to 
hold  a stick  of  incense  when  placed  upon  a Taoist  altar, 
projecting  from  the  shoulder  of  one  of  the  figures ; the 
details  of  the  costume  being  picked  out  in  lighter  and 
darker  brown. 

Some  Utensils  of  Sung  Poecelain. 

The  short  account  of  porcelain  of  the  Sung  dynasty 
given  above  may  be  supplemented  by  a list,  condensed 
from  the  fifth  book  of  the  Pao  Slmo^  of  some  of  the 
other  articles  fabricated  at  the  time  that  have  not  been 
already  alluded  to.  The  books  from  which  the  author 
usually  quotes  are  those  describing  the  artistic  furniture 
and  paraphernalia  of  the  scholar’s  library,  so  that  uten- 
sils for  the  use  and  ornament  of  the  writing-table  occur 
on  every  page  of  his  book,  in  the  same  way  as  such  things 
fill  the  greater  part  of  our  manuscript  album. 


166 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


A Vase  (P^ing)^  of  white  Ting-chou  porcelain,  which 
the  author  of  the  Ni  hit  lu  bought  at  Hsiu-chou,  with 
four  handles,  fired  with  the  inscription  Jen  ho  huaUy 
^ Hotel  of  Benevolence  and  Harmony,’  written  obliquely 
across,  in  the  handwriting  apparently  of  one  of  the  Mi 
family,  father  or  son.”  The  author  refers  here,  no  doubt, 
to  Mi  Fei,  a famous  calligraphist  of  the  eleventh  cen» 
tury  A.  D. 

Vases  {FHng)^  of  Kuan,  Ko,  and  Ting  porcelain,  the 
finest  of  which  are  the  slender  beakers  with  trumpet- 
shaped mouths,  with  a brilliant  blue  glaze  sinking  into 
the  ‘ bone,’  speckled  with  vermilion  spots  rising  in  relief ; 
the  others,  to  be  chosen  for  the  scholar’s  library,  should 
be  the  low  and  graceful  vases  shaped  like  paper  beaters, 
those  with  goose  necks,  like  aubergine  fruit,  like  flower 
jars  or  flower  bags,  the  receptacles  for  divining  stalks,  or 
the  bulrush-shaped  vases.  Vases  called  were  used 
in  ancient  times^  both  for  drawing  water  and  for  holding 
wine  ; the  Buddhist  used  them  for  ceremonial  cleansing ; 
it  was  not  till  the  Sung  dynasty  that  they  were  used  for 
flo^vers.  Flo\ver  vases  of  bronze,  which  are  not  liable  to 
breakage  by  frost,  should  be  used  in  the  winter  and 
spring,  of  porcelain  in  the  summer  and  autumn.  Large 
vases  are  preferred  for  the  hall  and  reception  room,  small 
ones  for  the  library.  Copper  and  porcelain  are  esteemed 
above  gold  and  silver,  to  cultivate  simplicity ; rings  and 
pairs  should  be  avoided,  and  rarity  be  the  quality  spe- 
cially aimed  at.  The  mouth  should  be  small,  the  foot 
thick,  so  that  the  vase  may  stand  firmly  and  not  emit 
vapor.  If  the  mouth  be  large,  a tube  of  tin  should  be 
fitted  inside,  to  hold  the  flowers  upright.” 

LJ  Pallet  {Yen)^  of  Ko  Yao,  belonging  to  Ku  Lin, 
engraved  with  a rhyming  verse  of  four  lines : ‘ Neither 
the  fine  clay  pallets  of  the  Ts’ung  Tower  nor  the  ancient 
tiles  of  the  Palace  of  Yeli,  Are  equal  to  those  of  Ko  por- 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


167 


celain  in  its  antique  elegance.  These  are  green  as  the 
waves  of  spring,  and  hold  water  most  perfectly:  So  that 
even  pallets  of  the  finest  stone  must  be  ranked  below 
them.’  ” 

“ A Pencil  Pest  {Pi  K6),  of  white  Ting-chou  porcelain^ 
molded  in  the  form  of  a boy  lying  upon  a flower.” 

Waterpots  {Slmi  CKeng)  for  the  writing-table  from 
any  of  the  different  potteries,  shaped  like  a fish-bo wl^ 
like  a Buddhist  patra  or  alms-bowl,  with  ribbed  sides^ 
in  the  form  of  a chrysanthemum  flower  with  hollow 
center,”  etc. 

Water  Pourers  {Shui  Cliu\  little  vessels  with  spouts, 
in  the  form  of  an  upright  or  recumbent  gourd,  of  a pair 
of  peaches,  of  two  lotus  capsules,  a herd-boy  lying  upon 
a cow,  or  a toad.” 

‘Parger  Waterpots  {Hu),  with  handle  and  spout, 
fashioned  like  a gourd  with  the  leafy  stem  trailing  round, 
like  an  aubergine  plant  with  the  stem  and  leaves  attached 
to  the  fruit,  like  a camel,  this  last  adapted  to  serve  also 
as  a pencil  rest,”  etc. 

^HisTies  for  washing  Britshes  {Pi  Hsi),  of  imperial 
{Kuan)  and  Ko  porcelain,  are  of  many  kinds,  being 
round  and  saucer-shaped,  of  the  form  of  an  althaea  flower,, 
with  a rim  of  the  foliated  outline  of  a Buddhist  stone 
gong,  a lotus  leaf  with  tilted  margin,  a joint  of  sugar- 
cane with  everted  mouth,”  etc. 

“Those  of  Lung-ch’iian  celadon  porcelain  comprise 
round  dishes  with  a pair  of  fishes  inside  molded  in  relief 
under  the  glaze,  chrysanthemum  flowers,  Buddhist  alms- 
bowls,  plaited  and  fluted  platters.” 

“ Among  Ting-chou  white  pieces  are  barrels  bound 
round  with  three  hoops,  vessels  molded  in  the  shape  of  a 
plum-blossom,  a girdle  ring,  or  a woven  basket  of  osier ; 
others  have  a cup  in  the  middle  to  dip  the  brush  in,  en- 
circled by  a saucerlike  rim  to  rub  it  on ; and  any  one  of 


168 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


the  numerous  small  round  dishes  of  this  ware  may  be 
selected  for  use  as  a pencil  washer.” 

Paper  Weights  {Chen  Chili) ^ molded  in  the  form  of 
coiled  dragons,  of  lions  and  drums,  of  playing  boys  and 
grotesque  monsters.” 

Seals  ( Yiri)^  with  handles  of  varied  design,  copied 
from  ancient  seals  of  jade,  gold,  and  copper.” 

Seah  Color  Boxes  {Yin-Se  Cliili)^  for  holding  ver- 
milion, include  square,  octagonal,  and  plaited  boxes  of 
Kuan  and  Ko  porcelain,  and  the  beautiful  square  caskets 
of  Ting-chou  fabrication  with  floral  designs  molded  over 
the  exterior.” 

Censers  {L%i)^  of  varied  form  and  design,  are  generally 
modeled  after  ancient  sacrificial  vessels  of  bronze.  In- 
cense was  introduced  into  China  by  the  Buddhists,  who 
used  the  censers  of  elaborate  design  called  Po-shan  Im. 
The  Chinese,  however,  used  these  outside  the  temple,  but 
made  their  censers  for  private  use  after  indigenous  de- 
signs of  bronze.  The  porcelain  censers  of  the  Sung 
dynasty  in  turn  furnished  models  for  the  bronze  censers 
of  the  reign  of  Hsuan-te  (1426-35),  which  are  well  known 
in  collections.  The  incense-burning  apparatus  in  ordinary 
use  consists  of  three  pieces,  comprising  a box  with  cover 
to  hold  the  incense,  and  a vase  to  hold  the  miniature 
poker,  tongs,  and  shovel,  which  are  made  of  metal,  in 
addition  to  the  censer.  The  Vases  {Chu  PHng)  selected 
for  this  purpose  must  be  low  and  solid,  so  as  to  stand 
firmly  without  being  overbalanced.  The  Incense  Boxes 
{Hsiang  Ho)  of  white  Ting-chou  porcelain  and  the  pro- 
ductions of  Ching-te-chen  are  preferred,  those  from  Chiin- 
chou  being  usually  of  comparatively  coarser  fabric. 
Sometimes  they  are  nested,  the  outer  box  inclosing  one 
or  more  smaller  ones.” 

Paste  Pots  {Hu  Tori)  include  tall  jars  of  Chien-chou 
porcelain,  black  outside,  white  within ; jars  of  Ting- 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  CHINESE  POECELAIN. 


169 


choii  porcelain  of  oval  form,  fasliioned  in  the  shape  of  a 
bulb  of  garlic  or  of  a bulrush  head  ; and  square  vessels 
of  Ko  Yao,  like  a corn  measure,  v^dth  a horizontal  bar 
stretched  across  the  top  as  a handle.” 

Of  Reading  Lamps  {Shu  Teng^  the  best  are  the  oil 
lamps  with  three  nozzles  of  white  Ting-chou  porcelain.” 
Porcelain  Pillows  {Tz^u  Cheii)  were  much  used  in 
summer  during  the  Sung  dynasty,  being  supposed  to  be 
good  for  preserving  the  eyesight.  The  palace  of  the 
Emperor  Ning  Tsung  (1195-1224)  is  described  as  having 
been  full  of  them.  Pillows  of  smaller  size  were  made 
for  supporting  the  head  of  the  dead  body  in  the  coffin, 
and  these  are  often  discovered  in  old  tombs.  For  this 
reason  the  author  of  the  ICao  p^an  yu  sliili  prescribes 
that  only  those  pillows  of  ancient  porcelain  that  are  two 
and  a half  feet  lono;  and  over  six  inches  broad  should  be 
used,  and  he  insists  firmly  on  the  injunction  that  the 
corpse  pillows,”  which  were  generally  only  one  foot  in 
length,  even  if  made  of  the  finest  Ting-chou  ware,  and 
most  elaborately  decorated  with  molded  designs,  must  be 
ruthlessly  discarded.  One  of  these  pillows,  dug  up  from 
an  ancient  tomb,  is  described  as  having  had  the  well- 
known  verse  of  the  poet  Tu  inscribed  upon  it  in  four 
stanzas,  beginning  Wearing  a girdle  studded  with  a 
hundred  jewels.” 

Watering  Pot  (^Hua  Cliiao)^  of  imperial  porcelain 
i^Kuan  Yao\  with  the  inscription  upon  it : ^ Ked  oh  ! as 
dawn-liued  drops  scattered  by  fishes’  tails  : Rich  oh  ! as 
early  rain  sprinkling  the  pear  blossoms.’  These  similes 
might  refer  either  to  the  fabric,  of  rich  red  paste,  or  to 
the  glaze,  the  most  highly  appreciated  tone  of  which  was 
a pale  purple  fiecked  with  red  spots.” 

Mottled  Hare- Fur  Teacups  (^T'u-maodiua  CKa-ou)^  of 
Ting-chou  porcelain,  are  often  referred  to  in  books  on  tea 
of  the  Sung  dynasty  as  specially  suitable  for  use  at  the 


170 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


competitive  tea-tasting  parties  ; they  were  covered  with 
an  iron-gray  glaze.  In  an  oft-quoted  line  in  his  ode  on 
boiling  tea  in  the  examination-hall,  the  poet  Su  Tung-p’o, 
who  wrote  in  the  eleventh  century,  alludes  to  teacups 
from  the  same  factory  enameled  red  : In  flowered  por- 

celain of  Ting-chou,  like  carved  red  jade.” 

The  Hare-Fivr  Cups  {T''u-mao  Climi),  of  Chien-an,  in 
Fuchien  province,  were  first  described  by  Ts’ai  Hsiang^ 
a native  of  that  province,  in  his  account  of  the  tea-plant^ 
entitled  CKa  Lu^  which  was  written  in  the  eleventh  cen- 
tury. He  says:  ^^Tea  being  of  a pale  whitish  tint,  black 
is  the  most  suitable  color  for  cups.  Those  made  at 
Chien-an  are  of  a soft  black  color,  spotted  like  the  fur  of 
a hare.  These  cups  are  rather  thick  and  retain  the  heab 
so  that  they  cool  very  slowly  when  once  warmed.  For 
these  reasons  they  are  highly  prized,  and  there  is  nothing 
produced  at  any  of  the  other  potteries  to  rival  them.” 

Face  Cup^  {Jen-mien  Pei),  a wine-cup  molded  in 
the  form  of  a man’s  face,  of  imperial  porcelain  of  the 
Sung  dynasty,  is  alluded  to  by  the  author  of  the  Ni  hu 
lu  as  being  in  the  collection  of  Hsiang  Yuan-tu.”  This 
collector  seems  to  have  been  the  brother  of  Hsiang  Yuan« 
j)’ien,  the  author  of  our  manuscript  Album.  The  Ni  leu 
lu,  a book  on  objects  of  art,  was  written  by  Ch’en  Chi-ju 
in  the  sixteenth  century,  so  that  the  author  and  our  artist 
must  have  been  contemporaries. 

A Double  Wedding  Cup  {Ho-Clieng  Pei)  of  Ko  Yao 
is  also  described  in  the  work  just  quoted,  as  molded  in 
the  form  of  twin  peaches,  standing  in  a saucer  of  the 
same  material  hollowed  out  in  the  center  for  their  recep- 
tion. The  peaches  were  detached  for  use  as  winecups. 
At  the  marriage  ceremony  in  China  the  bride  and  bride- 

* A cup  of  this  peculiar  form,  of  pale  blue,  uncrackled  Ju-cliou  porcelain  of 
the  Sung  dynasty,  is  mentioned  among  the  things  sent  from  the  palace  at 
Peking  by  the  Emperor  Yung-cheng  as  a model  for  T’ang  Ying  to  reproduce 
at  Ching-t^-ch^n. 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  CHINESE  POECELAIN. 


171 


groom  must  eacli  drink  in  succession  three  cups  of  wine. 
The  vessels  are  mentioned  in  the  ancient  ritual  books, 
which  prescribe  that  a wine-jar  (tsun)  filled  with  wine 
should  be  placed  upon  the  altar  on  the  east  side  of  the 
door,  with  a basket  tray  upon  its  south  holding  four 
single  cups  (chuo)  of  the  shape  of  the  old  libation  cups, 
and  one  double  cup  (Jw-cKeng)  which  was  a split  gourd. 
In  ancient  times  these  cups  were  carved  out  of  shell,  as 
well  as  split  from  gourds  ; in  modern  times  they  are  made 
of  porcelain,  gold,  silver,  and  copper,  or  of  hard  stone. 
Some  of  the  jade  cups  are  beautifully  carved  and  orna- 
mented outside  with  appropriate  symbols  in  open-work 
relief ; a composite  cup,  for  example,  fashioned  in  the 
form  of  two  interlacing  lozenges,  or  a pair  of  linked  hol- 
low rings,  emblems  of  union  and  success,  overlaid  with 
peaches  and  bats,  symbols  of  longevity  and  happiness, 
and  with  the  shuang  hsiy  or  double  joy  ” hieroglyphs, 
special  attributes  of  wedded  bliss,  displayed  upon  their 
surface. 

A Stem  Gup  {PaPei)y  of  octagonal  shape,  of  Ko  Yao, 
in  the  collection  of  Hsiang  Yuan-tu.”  The  name  of  pa 
pel  (literally  handled  cup  ”)  is  applied  in  China  to  the 
tazza-shaped  cups  used  for  tea  or  wine,  just  as  the  pa>  ivan 
are  the  tazza-shaped  rice-bowls,  with  high  cylindrical 
stems.  Cups  with  handles  at  the  sides  like  our  teacups 
are  rarely  seen  in  China  even  now  ; they  were  quite 
unknown  in  early  times. 

Boivls  decorated  in  Blue  (Hua  Gliding  Waii)y  of  Jao- 
chou  porcelain.”  The  Ko  hu  yao  lun  describes  these 
bowls  produced  in  the  imperial  potteries  of  Jao-chou  in 
the  Sung  dynasty  as  being  of  thin  texture  and  translucent 
material,  painted  in  blue  on  a Avhite  ground,  and  as  but 
slightly  inferior  to  the  Ting-chou  porcelain  of  the  period. 
This  refers  to  the  earliest  porcelain  of  Jao-chou,  which 
became  so  famous  in  after  times. 


172 


OKIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


Wen  Chen-heng,  the  author  of  the  CKang  wu  chih 
quoted  in  the  Ohing4e-chen  T’’ao-lu,  book  ix,  gives  the 
following  short . account  of  Sung  porcelain  : The  Ch’ai 

porcelain  (of  the  preceding  dynasty)  is  the  most  valuable 
of  all,  but  not  a single  piece  remains ; it  is  said  to  have 
been  blue  as  the  sky,  clear  as  a mirror,  thin  as  paper, 
ringing  like  a musical  stone.  Of  the  porcelains  called 
Kuan,  Ko,  and  Ju,  the  best  is  of  pale  blue  (or  green) 
color,  the  whitish  glaze  comes  next,  the  ash-gray  last ; 
that  crackled  with  lines  like  fissured  ice  of  the  color  of 
eel’s  blood  is  ranked  highest,  a black  reticulation  in  the 
pattern  of  the  petals  of  plum-blossom  next,  minute 
broken  lines  lowest.  In  Chiin-chou  porcelain  rouge-red 
color  is  the  best ; the  green,  like  fresh  onion  sprouts  or 
emerald  jade,  and  the  inky  purple,  come  next ; the 
mixed  colors  are  not  so  much  appreciated.”  Again,  the 
“Kuan  Yao  has  the  glaze  crackled  like  claw^s  of  crabs, 
the  Ko  Yao  like  roe  of  fish.  The  Lung-ch’lian  porcelain 
is  very  thick  and  of  comparatively  coarse  workmanship.” 
“ For  Flower  Vases  good  specimens  of  Kuan,  Ko,  and 
Ting  j)orcelain  should  be  selected;  an  ancient  vase  of 
gall-bladder  shape,  or  one  molded  like  a branch  of  a tree, 
a small  divining-rod  receptacle,  or  a paper-beater  vase ; as 
to  the  others,  like  those  with  decoration  engraved  under 
the  glaze,  the  painted  blue  and  white,  the  aubergine  and 
gourd-shaped  vases,  the  medicine  jars  with  small  mouths, 
fiattened  bodies,  and  contracted  feet,  and  the  new  Chien- 
chou  vases,  none  of  these  are  so  suitable  for  the  study  of 
a simple  scholar ; the  goose-neck  bottles  and  the  hanging 
wall-vases  also  are  not  all  of  good  style.” 

“ Among  flower- vases  of  Lung-ch’iian  and  Chiin-chou 
porcelain  there  are  some  very  large  ones,  measuring  two 
or  three  feet  in  height,  which  are  well  adapted  to  display 
old  branches  of  the  blossoming;  plum  at  New-Year’s 
time.” 


CLASSIFICATION^  OF  CHINESE  PORCELAIN. 


173 


In  white  Ting-chou  ware  we  have  Pencil  Rests  {Pi 
K6)  of  three  hills,  of  five  hills,  and  of  children  reclining 
on  flowers  ; among  the  Brush  Pots  {Pi  Pung)  of  ancient 
manufacture,  a joint  of  bamboo  is  the  most  valued  form,, 
but  it  is  difficult  to  find  one  large  enough.  Those  of  old 
celadon,  with  fine  decoration  worked  under  the  glaze,  may 
also  be  chosen.  More  elaborate  forms,  like  that  of  a 
drum  pierced  at  the  top  with  holes  for  the  brushes  and 
the  cake  of  ink,  although  ancient,  are  in  bad  style. 
Brush  Washers  {Pi  Hsi)  of  Kuan  and  Ko  porcelain 
include  althaea-blossom  dishes,  dishes  with  rims  foliated 
like  the  outline  of  a hanging  gong,  lotus-leaves  with  the 
margin  tilted  uj)  all  round,  and  sugar-canes  with  expanded 
mouth ; those  of  Ting-chou  comprise  three-hooped  tubs, 
plum-blossoms,  and  square  saucer-shaped  receptacles. 
Brush  Washers  of  Lung-ch’lian  porcelain  include  round 
dishes  with  a pair  of  fish,  chrysanthemum  flowers,  and 
vessels  with  hundred-fluted  sides.  Among  Water  Drop- 
pers {Shui  Cliu)^  for  the  pallet,  of  the  Kuan,  Ko,  and 
Ting-chou  wares,  there  are  square  and  round  upright 
gourds,  recumbent  gourds,  twin  peaches,  lotus  capsules, 
and  aubergine  pots  with  leaves  trailing  round.  For 
Seal-color  Boxes  {Yin  Cli’ili^  the  square-shaped,  of 
Kuan  and  Ko  fabrication,  are  the  best ; those  of  Ting- 
chou,  the  octagonal  and  many-lobed  shapes,  come  next ; 
those  painted  in  blue  on  a white  ground,  and  the  oval 
boxes  with  covers,  are  not  so  much  valued.” 

^^Waterpots  {Shui  Chung-CKeng),  for  the  writing- 
table,  are  often  made  of  copper,  but  copper  becomes  cor- 
roded and  infects  the  watei*,  so  that  it  injures  the  brush, 
for  which  reason  porcelain  is  considered  to  be  a preferable 
material.  Among  such  receptacles  of  Kuan  and  Ko 
fabrics  there  are  miniature  fish-bowls,  Buddhist  alms- 
bowls,  and  round  cups  drawn  in  at  the  mouth.  For  Ink 
Pallets  {Pi  Yen)^  the  small,  round,  shallow  dishes,  either 


174 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


of  Ting-chou  or  of  LuRg-ch’iian  ware,  serve  excellently. 
There  are  Paste-Pots  (Hu-Toit\  of  Ting-chou  fabrication, 
of  the  shape  of  garlic  bulbs,  and  oval  jars  with  covers ; 
and  of  Ko  ware  in  the  form  of  a square  corn -measure 
with  a rodlike  handle  across  the  mouth.” 

This  account  shows  how  much  porcelain  was  coming 
into  general  use  before  the  close  of  the  Sung  dynasty. 
One  of  the  principal  causes  was  the  growing  scarcity  of 
copper  and  consequent  monetary  difficulties,  which  pro- 
voked the  passage  of  sumptuary  laws,  making  the  posses- 
sion of  bronze  articles  a penal  offense,  after  every  avail- 
able object  had  been  collected  for  the  mint  and  melted 
down  into  cash.”  Most  of  the  objects  of  art  had  pre- 
viously been  modeled  in  copper  or  other  metals,  and  the 
corresponding  things  when  first  made  of  porcelain  were 
generally  fashioned,  as  we  have  seen,  after  the  older 
bronze  designs.  An  early  vase  of  Ting-chou  porcelain, 
for  example,  will  be  found  to  be  molded  in  the  same 
shape,  with  grotesque  mask-handles  in  relief,  and  chiseled 
with  rings  and  borders  of  similar  ornamental  frets  as 
were  employed  previously  in  the  decoration  of  bronze 
work. 

Some  of  the  larger  pieces  produced  at  these  last  kilns 
are  remarkably  fine  examples  of  the  potter’s  art,  excelling 
in  the  graceful  curves  of  their  classical  outline  and  in  the 
perfect  finish  of  the  ornamental  details,  which  are  worked 
in  flowing  relief  or  graved  with  the  point  under  the  soft- 
looking  glaze  of  ivory-white  tint.  This  glaze  has  usually 
a finely  crackled  surface,  and  being  of  a soft,  absorbent 
nature  it  is  often  mottled  and  stained  with  age.  The 
reproduction  of  these  Fen -Ting  vases  at  Ching-te-chen 
taxed  all  the  energies  of  the  celebrated  T’ang  Ying  in 
the  first  half  of  the  eighteenth  century,  and  his  handi- 
work is  valued  at  its  weight  in  gold  by  collectors  of  the 
present  day,  more  highly  even  than  the  original  models, 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  CHINESE  POECELAIN. 


175 


which  are  not  so  often  seen  out  of  China.  The  Koreans 
worked  in  the  same  lines,  and  the  earliest  Satsuma  ware 
produced  under  their  influence  in  Japan,  with  its  finely 
crackled  ivory-white  texture,  offers  a surprising  resem- 
blance to  the  old  Chinese  Fen-Ting  porcelain. 

The  specimens  of porcelain  were  generally  sent 
down  from  the  collections  in  the  palace  at  Peking  as 
models  of  monochrome  coloring,  and  it  would  be  very 
interesting  to  have  a complete  catalogue  of  the  ancient 
relics  preserved  there.  There  are  manuscript  lists  in 
existence  compiled  by  the  Chamberlain’s  department,  of 
which  I have  seen  two  or  three,  detailing  the  articles  of 
furniture  and  art  objects  contained  in  the  halls  of  the 
several  palaces.  I have  had  the  opportunity  of  consult- 
ing one  of  these  in  the  library  of  Mr.  H.  R.  Bishop,  of 
New  York.  It  is  the  ofiicial  list  of  the  contents  of  the 
Shu  Ch’ing  Yuan,  one  of  the  palaces  in  the  Western  Park 
at  Peking,  dated  the  thirteenth  year  of  Cliia-cKing  (1808). 
The  objects  of  art  catalogued  are  of  bronze,  cloisonne 
enamel,  carved  red  lac,  jade,  and  porcelain,  and  offer,  no 
doubt,  a fair  representation  of  the  collections  in  the  other 
parts  of  the  palace. 

There  are  eighty-four  pieces  of  porcelain  on  exhibition, 
of  which  seventeen  are  attributed  to  the  Sung  dynasty, 
being  referred  to  six  of  the  different  potteries  referred  to 
above,  and  confirming  in  their  character  the  accounts 
quoted  from  the  books. 

1.  Ju  Yao. 

Pencil  Rest  (Pi  Slian)^  in  the  form  of  a miniature 
range  of  hills. 

Brush  Washer  (Pi  Hsi\  a fluted  dish  modeled  in  the 
shape  of  a rose-mallow  flower. 


176 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


2.  Kuan  Yao. 

Fluted  Dish  {jP’’an)j  of  rose-mallow  design. 

Vase  iPHng)^  with  a girdle  in  open-Work  carving. 

3.  Ting  Yao. 

Dish  for  holding  quinces  {Mu-htia  P^anf  mounted  with 
a copper  rim. 

Beaher -shaped  Vase  {Hua  Ku)^  of  Fen-Ting,  with  a 
piece  broken  out,  and  cracked. 

Shallow  Bowl  (Hsif  of  Fen-Ting.,  with  copper- 
mounted  rim,  upon  two  rosewood  stands. 

Olive-shaped  Vase  {So-lan  PHngf  with  a copper  band 
round  the  rim'. 

Jar,  with  Cover  {Kai  Wari). 

Pound  Dish  {P'^ art),  with  a copper  rim. 

4.  Lung-  YcKuan  Yao. 

Jar,  with  Cover  {Kai  Kuaii). 

5.  ICo  Yao. 

Two  round,  fluted  Dishes  {P'^aii),  of  rose-mallow 
design. 

Shallow  Bowl  {Hsi)  for  washing  brushes. 

Round,  fluted  Dish  {P\i7i),  of  chrysanthemum  design. 

Waterpot  {Shui  Clleng^,  with  a coral  spoon  inside. 

6.  Chiin  Yao. 


Douhle  Ground  Vase  {Hu-lu  PHng). 


CHAPTER  VI. 


YUAN  DYNASTY^ 


N the  thirteenth  century  a.  d.  China  was  overrun  by 


the  Mongols  and  was  gradually  conquered  by  them, 
the  Sung  dynasty  being  driven  into  the  sea.  A new 
dynasty  with  the  title  of  Yiian  was  founded  in  1280  by 
Kublai  Khan,  the  grandson  of  the  famous  Mongol 
Genghis.  In  1368  the  Yuan  dynasty  was  overthrown, 
the  Mongols  expelled  to  the  north  of  the  Great  Wall, 
and  a native  dynasty  once  more  ruled,  under  the  title  of 
Ming.  The  Mongols  consequently  reigned  with  their 
capital  at  Khanbalik,  or  Cambalu,  City  of  the  Khan,” 
the  modern  Peking,  for  less  than  a century  altogether. 

After  the  Mongol  conquest  the  principal  provincial 
posts  Avere  giA^en  to  Tartars,  who  seem  to  have  cared 
only  for  the  money  they  could  Avring  out  of  such  native 
industries  as  remained  after  the  Avar,  without  caring  to 
support  them  in  any  Avay.  Many  of  the  old  potteries 
disappeared  about  this  time,  and  Ching-te-chen  began  to 
occupy  the  prominent  position  in  the  ceramic  field  Avhich 
it  has  held  ever  since.  In  1296,  the  second  year  of  the 
reign  of  the  second  emperor,  ^ing  slim  of  the  sexagenary 
cycle,  Fou-liang-hsien  Avas  promoted  to  the  rank  of  a 
choii  city,  a Mongol  being  appointed  governoi*  (damiglid) 
of  Fou-liang-chou,  as  it  Avas  noAV  called.  Ching-te-chen 
Avas  made  a customs  station,  and  the  superintendent  of 
potteries  Avas  appointed  commissioner,  Avith  the  title 
of  tH-ling.  In  the  period  Tai-ting  (1324-27)  the  goA^- 
ernor  of  the  province  of  Kiang-si  Avas  appointed  supeiin- 
tendent  of  the  potteries  (Chien  t’ao),  and  ordered  to  go 

177 


178 


OKIEISTTAL  CEEAMIC  AET. 


there  whenever  an  imperial  requisition  was  issued,  and  to 
close  the  imperial  manufactory  after  the  work  was  fin- 
ished, pending  the  issue  of  a new  decree. 

The  first  edition  of  the  Annals  of  Fou-liang-hsien  had 
been  issued  during  the  Sung  dynasty  in  the  cyclical  year 
Jceng  lou  (1270),  of  the  Hsien-shun  period.  Before  this 
its  events  had  been  recorded  in  the  Annals  of  Po-yang^ 
which  were  published  in  the  year  1215.  In  the  Yuan 
dynasty  a new  edition  of  the  Annals  of  Fou-liang  was 
compiled  by  the  native  scholar  Ts’ang  T’ing-feng  and 
published  officially  in  the  period  CTiili-chili^  the  cyclical 
year  jen-lisu  (1322).  This  edition  included  a special 
memoir  on  the  porcelain  manufacture,  Fao  chi  lilo^  by 
Chiang  Ch’i,'  which  is  found  reprinted  in  every  subse- 
quent edition  of  the  Annals^  as  well  as  in  the  Statistical 
Descrijytions  of  the  prefecture  of  Jao-chou-ju,  and  of  the 
province  of  Kiang-si.  This  is  the  earliest  account  in  any 
detail  of  the  ceramic  industry  which  we  have,  and  I will 
translate  it  here,  omitting  only  some  of  the  less  interest- 
ing passages,  such  as  the  author’s  diatribes  ^ upon  the 
excessive  taxation  levied  upon  the  industry  in  his  time : 

‘‘The  potteries  at  Ching-te-chen  contained  formerly 
more  than  three  hundred  manufactories.  The  porcelain 
produced  in  its  workshops  was  of  pure  white  color  and 
without  stain,  so  that  the  merchants  who  carried  it  for 
sale  to  all  parts  used  to  call  their  ware  ‘ Jao-chou  Jade.’ 
It  was  compared  with  the  red  porcelain  of  Chen-ting-fu, 
and  with  the  emerald-green  ware  of  Lung-ch’iian-hsien, 
and  found  to  surpass  them  both  in  beauty.'^' 

“ The  furnaces  are  carefully  measured  by  the  officials, 
and  their  length  in  feet  and  the  number  of  workmen  em- 
ployed in  each  one  are  recorded  upon  the  registers,  to  fix 

* The  red  porcelain  of  Ting-chon,  in  the  prefecture  of  Chgn-ting-fu,  used  to 
he  compared  to  carved  carnelian  by  the  poets  of  the  T'ang  dynasty.  The 
other  ware  alluded  to  is  the  old  celadon  porcelain  of  Lung-ch’iian,  which  was 
often  of  bright  grass-green  tint  during  the  Sung  dynasty. 


YUAN  DYNASTY. 


179 


the  proportion  of  the  tax  to  be  levied ; neither  the  size  of 
the  lire,  nor  the  number  of  channels,  chimneys,  and  vent- 
holes being  reckoned  or  put  on  the  register. 

‘‘  The  potters  are  given  land  to  cultivate  for  their  living, 
and  not  paid  regular  wages ; they  are  settled  round  the 
masters  of  the  factories,  and  called  together  by  their 
orders  when  necessary,  which  is  called  ‘ opening  the 
works,’  When  they  have  cased  the  ware  in  the  seggars 
(Jisia)^  these  are  placed  carefully  in  different  parts  of  the 
furnace  so  that  the  contents  may  be  properly  fired,  which 
is  called  ^ firing  the  kilns.’  At  the  time  of  lighting  the 
fire  the  amount  of  silver  fixed  on  the  register,  including 
the  tax  for  the  workmen  passing  in  and  out,  according  to 
the  kiln  table,  must  be  paid ; this  is  called  ‘ reporting  the 
fire.’  After  the  fire  has  been  kept  up  one  day  and  two 
nights  it  is  stopped,  and  when  the  furnace  is  opened  the 
merchants  throng  to  buy  and  select  the  best  pieces ; this 
is  called  ‘ choosing  the  porcelain.’  For  settling  the 
accounts  of  the  sale  an'  accountant  is  employed  in  each 
factory,  and  dealers  are  licensed  by  the  officials,  who 
examine  the  accounts;  this  is  called  the  ‘ shop  license.’ 
For  carrying  the  porcelain  to  the  river  licensed  porters 
are  employed,  who  are  provided  with  papers  to  enter  the 
quantity  carried  and  the  number  of  journeys  for  which 
the  merchants  have  to  pay ; these  are  called  ^ porter- 
age tickets.’  Such  are  the  general  regulations  of  the 
manufactories. 

‘‘Throughout  the  province  of  Che  (Chekiang),  both 
east  and  west,  they  prefer  the  yellowish-black  or  brown 
ware,  which  is  produced  in  the  potteries  of  Hu-t’ien ; in 
the  provinces  of  Chiang  (Kiangnan),  Hu  (Hukuang)^ 
Ch’uan  (Ssuch’uan),  and  Kuang  (Kuangtung),  the  green- 
ish-white or  celadon  ware  which  comes  from  the  kilns  of 
Ching-te-Chen  proper. 

“ The  bowls  {waii)  engraved  with  fish  and  waves  and 


180 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


those  of  tazza  shape  with  high  feet,  and  the  dishes  (tieTi) 
with  the  glaze  shaded  in  different  tones  and  those  orna- 
mented with  ^ sea  eyes  ’ and  ‘ snow-white  flowers,’  are  the 
kinds  which  sell  profitably  in  Ch’uan  (Ssu-ch’uan),  Kuang 
(Kuangtung),  Ching  and  Hsiang  (Hunan  and  Hupei). 
The  large  dishes  {y'an)  of  horseshoe  shape  and  of  ^betel- 
nut  ’ glaze,  the  lai’ge  bowls  {yii)  of  lotus-blossom  design, 
and  the  square  forms  with  indented  corners,  the  rice- 
bowls  {wan)  and  the  platters  {tieh),  with  painted  decora- 
tion, with  silvery  designs,  with  fluted  sides,  and  with 
encircling  strings,  these  are  sold  readily  in  Kiangnan, 
Chekiang,  and  Fuchien  provinces.  The  different  kinds 
have  all  to  be  selected  to  please  the  fancy  of  the  con- 
sumer of  each  district. 

There  are  many  different  forms  of  censers  (l^i)  made 
for  burning  incense,  in  the  form  of  fabulous  lions  (^^), 
of  the  ancient  bronze  sacrificial  vessels  ting  (three-footed 
and  four-footed)  and  yi  (bowl-shaped),  of  the  ancient 
caldrons  with  three  hollow  legs  called  of  the  ritual 
form  used  for  the  worship  of  heaven  {chao-fien)^  with 
elephants  as  feet  (lisiang  like  square  scent-caskets 
(lisiang  lieii)^  or  round  tubs  (f  ung-tzu).  The  various 
kinds  of  vases  {pHng),  for  flowers  and  ornament,  include 
trumpet-mouthed  beakers  (fe),  bladder-shaped  vases 
{tani)^  bottle-shaped  vases  with  handles  and  spouts  (7m), 
vessels  of  Buddhistic  form  for  ceremonial  ablution 
{cJdrig),  vases  shaped  like  gardenia  flowers  {chih  tzu) 
or  like  lotus  leaves  {lio  yeli)^  double  gourds  (7m  lu)^ 
musical  pipes  {lil  huan)^  vases  with  animal  mask-handles 
(sliou  liuaii)  and  glass  forms  (liu-li)  ; and  there  are  many 
other  empty  names  and  fine  distinctions  difficult  to  define, 
which  are  really  of  value  to  nobody  but  the  dealer. 

“ Speaking  generally,  the  porcelain  consumed  in  the 
two  Huai  provinces  (Kiangsu  and  Anhui)  consists  of  the 
inferior  pieces  rejected  by  the  provinces  of  Kiang 


YUAI^  DYNASTY. 


181 


(Kiangsi  and  Kiangnan),  Kiiang  (Kuangtung),  Min' 
(Fncliien),  and  Che  (Chekiang)  ; the  native  dealers  sell 
such  to  them  under  the  name  of  liuang  tiao^  or  ^ yellow 
stuff/  because  the  color  of  the  glaze  is  inferioi*,  and  the 
ware  is  only  fit  to  be  thrown  away.  The  above  is  a 
short  resume  of  the  kinds  of  porcelain  ai’ticles  made. 

In  winter  the  paste  freezes,  and  porcelain  can  not  be 
fired.  When  the  pieces  are  newly  shaped  they  are  very 
soft,  and  must  be  carried  with  care  into  the  fire-chamber. 
As  to  the  firing  the  proper  time  can  not  be  exactly  fixed, 
so  that  it  is  necessary  to  look  through  the  aperture  of  the 
kiln  to  see  whether  the  porcelain  is  properly  baked,  judg- 
ing by  the  white  heat  of  the  fire. 

The  porcelain  earth  prepared  from  Chin-k’eng  stone 
is  used  in  the  fabrication  of  the  finest  porcelain,  the  rocks 
produced  at  Hu-k’eng,  Ling-pei,  and  Chieh-t’ien  being  of 
the  second  class.  The  different  earths  brought  from 
Jen-k’eng,  Kao-shan,  Ma-an-shan,  and  Tzii-shih-t’ang  are 
red  in  color  and  are  used  only  in  the  fabrication  of  the 
seggars  and  molds.  If  these  be  mixed  with  the  other 
kinds  in  the  preparation  of  the  paste,  it  is  of  inferior 
quality,  and  the  porcelain  is  not  worth  buying.  It  is  in 
the  hills  of  Yu-shan  that  the  mountain  brushwood  is  col- 
lected to  make  the  ashes  used  in  the  preparation  of  the 
glaze.  The  method  followed  is  to  pile  the  lime  burned 
from  the  stone  in  alternate  layers  with  this  brushwood 
mixed  with  persimmon  (Diospyros)  wood,  and  to  burn 
the  two  together  to  ashes.  These  ashes  must  be  com- 
bined with  the  ^ glaze  earth  ’ brought  from  Ling-pei 
before  they  can  be  used.  The  pieces  after  they  have 
been  glazed  are  fired  either  upright  or  bottom  upward. 
There  are  several  distinct  branches  of  work  divided 
between  the  potters,  the  seggar-makers,  and  the  preparers 
of  the  earth ; the  pieces  before  they  are  fired  are 
fashioned  by  the  different  processes  of  throwing  the 


182 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


paste  on  the  wheel,  finishing  it  with  the  knife  on  the 
polishing  wheel,  and  finally  by  glazing  it ; the  decoration 
is  executed  by  molding,  by  painting,  or  by  carving  the 
ornamental  designs.  The  different  steps  in  the  ceramic 
manufacture  are  kept  distinct,  and  all  provided  with 
technical  names. 

The  kilns  are  inscribed  on  the  register  according  to 
their  measurement,  and  heavy  fines  are  inflicted  if  they 
are  lighted  without  authority.  The  glaze  must  be 
stamped  in  three  grades  of  color  according  to  its  quality^ 
and  severe  punishment  follows  the  use  of  the  wrong 
grade.  The  official  inspectors  must  be  bribed  at  every 
step,  and  if  the  slightest  rule  be  infringed  even  the  shop- 
dealers  and  the  porters  are  made  jointly  responsible  and 
punished.  The  penal  regulations  are  both  numerous  and 
minute  ; yet,  where  formerly  the  revenue  was  most  rich 
and  abundant,  there  is  now  nothing  but  complaint  of  its 
insufficiency.  Still  the  total  amount  of  taxes  has  been 
increased  by  a large  percentage.  There  are  contributions 
levied  for  the  governor  of  the  province,  who  is  superine 
tendent,  and  for  his  deputies,  for  the  monthly  expenses 
of  the  officials  of  Jao-chou,  and  for  the  police  of  Ching-te- 
chen,  besides  an  allowance  for  the  widows  and  orphans 
of  the  potters,  the  total  mounting  up  to  a monthly  sum 
of  over  3,000  strings  of  ^ cash.’  Then  there  are  levies  in 
spring  and  autumn  for  the  soldiers,  taxes  for  sacred  holi- 
days and  the  worship  of  heaven  and  earth,  presents  and 
money  for  the  periodical  repair  of  the  examination  halls, 
making  one  hundred  and  fifty  strings  more,  all  exacted 
by  the  officials  on  pain  of  instant  punishment.  I can 
give  personal  testimony,  as  I have  seen  for  several  tens 
of  years  past  how  the  successive  superintendents  of  this 
place  have  constantly,  when  transferred  to  other  posts, 
left  in  debt  to  citizens  of  the  chou. 

Inquiring  for  the  cause  of  this  failure  of  revenue^ 


YUAN  DYNASTY. 


183 


there  are  five  reasons  : 1.  The  opening  of  the  factories 
for  work  depends  upon  the  abundance  or  scantiness  of 
the  harvest.  2.  The  porcelain  manufactures  in  Lim 
ch’uan,  Chien-yang,  and  Nan-feng  have  diverted  much  of 
the  profit.  3.  If  the  payment  of  the  taxes  be  delayed  a 
day,  the  police  runners  come  knocking  at  the  gate  and 
devour  everything  like  caterpillars.  4.  The  prisons  are 
without  jailers,  and  the  proper  officials  have  deserted 
their  posts,  so  that  dishonest  men  have  nothing  to  fear. 
5.  The  permanent  local  officials  are  banded  together,  and 
if  an  honest  official  should  by  chance  be  sent,  he  is 
immediately  accused  by  them  and  the  place  made  too  hot 
for  him.  The  times  are  bad,  and  it  is  useless  to  look  for 
the  honest  officers  of  olden  days,”  etc. 

The  potteries  of  Hu-t’ien  referred  to  in  this  memoir 
were  at  Fou-liang-hsien,  in  the  vicinity  of  Ching-te-chen, 
from  which  they  were  separated  by  a small  river.  They 
were  closed  during  the  Ming  dynasty,  and  are  now  rep- 
resented only  by  ruins  in  a small  hamlet  with  a pagoda 
on  the  southern  bank  of  the  river. 

The  other  three  potteries  alluded  to  in  the  last  para- 
graph of  the  memoir  were  situated  at  different  stages  on 
the  overland  route  from  Ching-te-chen  to  Ch’uan-chou, 
the  chief  city  of  the  province  of  Fuchien  at  that  time, 
and  the  principal  port  for  foreign  trade,  as  we  are  told 
by  Marco  Polo  and  by  Arab  writers  of  the  time. 

Lin-ch’lian-hsien  was  in  the  prefecture  of  Fu-chou-fu, 
Nan-feng-hsien  in  the  prefecture  of  Chien-chang-fu,  both 
in  the  province  of  Kiangsi.  The  porcelain  of  the  former 
place  is  described  as  having  been  of  finely  levigated  clay, 
thin,  and  generally  of  white  color  with  a tinge  of  yellow, 
and  to  have  been  sometimes  decorated  with  rough  paint- 
ing. That  of  Nan-feng,  made  of  similar  material,  was 
slightly  thicker ; the  pieces  were  often  decorated  with 
painting  in  blue,  while  others  are  said  to  have  resembled 


184 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


the  coarser  yellowish  variety  of  Ting-chou  ware.  Chien- 
yang-hsien  was  in  the  province  of  Fiichien,  nearer  to 
Ch’iian-chou  ; it  was  already  in  existence  in  the  Sung 
dynasty,  and  we  have  seen  above  that  it  was  celebrated 
then  for  the  production  of  the  black  tea-bowls  which 
were  so  highly  appreciated  at  the  competitive  tea  clubs 
of  the  time  under  the  name  of  hare-fur  cups.” 

Chien-yang  must  surely  have  been  the  factory  referred 
to  by  Marco  Polo  as  situated  in  the  province  of  Fuchien, 
and  as  being  the  seat  of  the  production  of  the  porcelain 
exported  to  all  parts  of  the  world  from  Ch’uan-chou, 
which  was  known  to  him  by  its  Persian  name  of  Zayton. 
The  name  of  the  factory  given  by  him  may  be  a local 
rendering  of  Chien-chou,  the  old  name  of  the  department. 
The  only  other  factory  that  we  know  of  in  the  province 
was  that  of  Te-hua,  which  was  not  founded  till  later,  in 
the  Ming  dynasty. 

He  says  (Yule’s  Marco  Polo^  Book  II,  chap.  Ixxxii) : 
Let  me  tell  you  also  that  in  this  province  there  is  a 
town  called  Tyunju,  where  they  make  vessels  of  porcelain 
of  all  sizes,  the  finest  that  can  be  imagined.  . . . Here 
it  is  abundant  and  very  cheap,  insomuch  that  for  a 
Venice  groat  you  can  buy  three  dishes  so  fine  that  you 
could  not  imagine  better.” 

Soon  after  Marco  Polo,  Ibn  Batuta,  an  Arab,  came  to 
this  port,  of  which  he  writes  ( Voyages  cPIhn  Batouta\ 
traduits  par  Defremery  et  Sanguine tti,  t.  iv,  p.  256) : 
On  ne  fabricpie  pas  en  Chine  la  porcelaine,  si  ce  n’est 
dans  les  villes  de  Zeitoun  (Ch’iian-chou)  et  Sincalan 
(Canton).  File  est  faite  an  moyen  d’une  terre  tiree  des 
montagnes  qui  se  trouvent  dans  ces  districts;  laquelle 
terre  prend  feu  comme  du  charbon.  . . . Les  potiers  y 
ajoutent  une  certaine  pierre  qui  se  trouve  dans  le  pays ; 
ils  la  font  bruler  pendant  trois  jours,  imis  versent  I’eau 
par-dessus,  et  le  tout  devient  une  poussiere,  ou  une  terre 


YUAN  DYNASTY. 


185 


qu’ils  font  fermenter.  Celle  dont  la  fermentation  a dure 
un  mois  entier,  mais  non  plus,  donne  la  meilleure  porce- 
laine  ; celle  qui  n’a  fermente  que  pendant  dix  jours,  en 
donne  une  de  qualite  inferieure  ii  la  precedente.  La 
porcelaine  en  Chine  vaut  le  meme  prix  que  la  poterie 
cliez  nous,  ou  encore  moins.  On  I’exporte  dans  I’lnde  et 
dans  les  autres  contrees,  jusqu’^  ce  qu’elle  arrive  dans  la 
notre,  le  Maghreb  (Morocco).  C’est  I’espece  la  plus  belle 
de  toutes  les  poteries.” 

Another  manufactory  which  acquired  some  renown 
♦under  the  Yuan  dynasty  was  that  of  Ho-chou,  in  the 
province  of  Kiangnan,  where  a goldsmith  named  P’eng 
Chiin-pao  produced  imitations  of  the  white  porcelain  of 
Ting-chou,  of  good  color  but  very  fragile,  which  were 
called  at  the  time  New  Ting-chou  Porcelain,”  and  the 
best  of  which,  it  was  said,  could  hardly  be  distinguished 
from  the  genuine  old  ware. 

The  porcelain  produced  at  the  imperial  manufactory 
at  Ching-te-chen  is  briefly  described  in  the  Ko  hu  yao 
lun,  which  says,  under  the  heading  of  Ancient  Jao-chou 
Porcelain  The  porcelain  made  at  the  imperial  factory 
was  thin,  translucent  in  texture,  and  very  fine.  It 
included  plain  bowls  drawn  in  at  the  waist,  and  bowls 
with  unglazed  rims,  which,  although  thick,  were  of  pure 
white  color  and  perfectly  translucent.  These  were  as 
good  as  the  Ting-chou  bowls,  although  not  so  high  in 
price.  The  white  bowls  made  in  the  Yuan  dynasty, 
with  small  feet  and  molded  decoration,  which  have 
inscribed  inside  the  mouth,  Shu fu^  or  ^imperial  palace,’ 
are  also  very  fine.  There*  was,  besides,  green  porcelain 
and  decoration  in  many  colors,  but  these  are  considered 
to  be  more  common.  Another  variety  of  porcelain  was 
of  greenish-black  color,  penciled  with  designs  in  gold  ; 
this  consisted  chiefly  of  wine-pots,  {chiu  hu^  and  ^vine- 
cups  {chni  chan^^  which  are  extremely  beautiful.”  The 


186 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


author,  speaking  of  these  wine-pots,  adds  : “ Such  things 
were  unknown  in  China  before  the  Yuan  dynasty,  when 
so  many  novel  forms  were  introduced.  In  former  times 
the  wide  shallow  bowls  called  jp’ieh  were  preferred  for 
drinking  tea  because  they  were  so  easily  dried  and  did 
not  retain  the  dregs.  Vases  were  used  for  the  hot  water; 
ewers  and  pots  with  spouts  were  new  things  for  tea  and 
wine ; so  were  the  tall  upright  teacups  {chba  chung)  with 
saucers,  and  the  stem  wine-cups  (^pa  pei)  with  tray. 
Neither  these  nor  the  bowls  (yu)  with  lips  were  known 
in  the  wares  of  the  Sung  dynasty,  either  in  imperial  or  in* 
Ting-chou  porcelain.” 

There  is  one  specimen  of  this  dynasty  in  our  illustrated 
album  which  is  described  as  follows : 

Small  Vase  {Hsiao  Hing')  of  imperial  porcelain 
{Shu  fu  Yao)  of  the  Yuan  dynasty,  bottle-shaped,  with  a 
globular  body  receding  to  a slender  neck,  which  ends  in 
a bulging  garlic-shaped  enlargement  surrounding  the  cir- 
cularly rimmed  mouth.  It  is  decorated  with  dragons 
with  two-horned  bearded  heads  and  serpentine  bodies 
with  three-clawed  legs,  coiling  through  spiral  scrolls  of 
clouds,  all  etched. in  the  paste  under  the  white  glaze.  The 
pure  white  porcelain  of  our  own  dynasty  of  the  reigns 
of  Ytmg-lo  and  Hsiian-te^  with  the  decoration  faintly 
engraved  under  the  glaze,  was  all  made  after  the  style 
of  this  imperial  porcelain.  The  Slmi  f%i  porcelain  itself 
was  modeled  after  the  fabrication  of  Ting-chou  under  the 
northern  Sung  dynasty,  and  this  vase  has  its  form  and 
glaze,  as  Avell  as  its  style  of  decoration,  all  designed  like 
a Ting-chou  piece.  The  vase  has  underneath  the  mark 
Shu  fu^  ‘imperial  palace,’  engraved  in  the  paste  under 
the  glaze.  Its  form  and  size  adapt  it  for  ornamenting 
the  middle  of  a small  dinner-table,  with  a spray  of  nar- 
cissus, begonia,  golden  lily,  or  dwarf  chrysanthemum  put 
inside.  It  is  now  in  my  own  library.”  H.  4 in. 


YJJA'N  DYNASTY. 


187 


We  have  but  few  authenticated  pieces  of  the  Yuan 
dynasty  in  modern  collections,  so  that  this  specimen  is  of 
special  interest,  as  belonging  to  a transition  period,  and 
connecting  the  molded  and  etched  dishes  of  the  Sung 
dynasty,  which  are  often  seen  with  rims  bound  round 
with  copper  collars,  with  the  eggshell  cups  and  bowls  of 
the  reign  of  Yung-lo  at  the  beginning  of  the  fifteenth 
century.  The  other  kinds  of  porcelain,  such  as  the  cela- 
dons and  the  crackled  Avares,  shoAV  similar  transition 
characters  ; and  the  massive  stoneware  cups  and  boAvls, 
known  commonly  as  Yttan  porcelain  ( Yuan  Tz'u)^ 
found  throughout  northern  China,  can  hardly  be  distin- 
guished from  ceramic  productions  of  the  Sung,  They 
are  characterized  by  a thick  glaze  of  unctuous  aspect, 
finely  crackled  throughout,  usually  of  pale  lavender  tint 
speckled  with  red,  which  often  only  partially  covers  the 
surface,  so  as  to  leave  the  lower  part  of  the  bowl  bare. 
Another  glaze  is  of  a light  sky-blue  color,  sparsely 
crackled  or  uncrackled^  which  often  exhibits  a ferrugi- 
nous crimson  stain  at  some  point,  of  accidental  origin,  but 
much  appreciated  by  Chinese  collectors  of  the  present 
day.  The  vase  illustrated  in  Plate  XII,  2,  is  a typical 
example  of  the  period,  with  its  finely  crackled  clair-de- 
lune  glaze  stained  with  a red  ferruginous  blotch. 

One  of  the  massive  bowls  (H.  3 in.,  D.  6i  in.)  of  the 
Yuan  dynasty  is  shown  in  Fig.  141.  It  is  composed  of 
a reddish-gray  Avare  of  intense  hardness,  invested  with  a 
crackled  glaze  of  pale  purple  tint,  mottled  with  darker 
spots,  and  becoming  brown  at  the  edges,  which  runs 
doA\m  in  a thick  mass  underneath,  covering  only  two 
thirds  of  the  surface,  and  ending  in  an  irregularly 
undulating  line.  The  smaller  bowl  (H.  li  in.,  D.  4i  in.), 
exhibited  in  Fig.  3 (<^),  is  an  example  of  the  crackled 
Avare  of  the  period  of  hard,  gray,  dense  texture,  covered 
Avith  a thick,  lustrous  glaze  of  ivory-white  tone,  minutely 


188 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


crackled  with  a reticulation  of  dark  lines  ; the  lower  third 
and  the  foot  underneath  are  left  unglazed. 

The  Mongols  conquered  nearly  the  whole  of  Asia  and 
a large  part  of  eastern  Europe ; they  sent  fleets  for  the 
conquest  of  Japan  as  well  as  to  Java ; and  Chinese  junks 
sailed  every  year  from  the  port  of  Ch’uan-chou  to  the 
Persian  Gulf,  carrying  among  other  cargo,  we  are  told, 
greenish-white  or  celadon  porcelain.  Many  of  the 
crackled  vessels  treasured  by  the  natives  of  Borneo  and 
other  islands  of  the  Pacific  are  to  be  referred,  doubtless, 
to  this  time. 

Some  of  these  last-mentioned  relics  seem,  however,  to 
have  come  from  the  potteries  of  the  province  of  Kuang- 
tung,  being  made  of  a dark-brown  stoneware  covered 
with  mottled  glazes,  often  brilliantly  colored.  This  is 
the  Kuang  Yao,  which  is  still  made  and  exported  from 
Canton  at  the  present  day.  Some  of  this  ware  was 
crackled,  like  the  vase  shown  in  Fig.  142,  which  is  a 
specimen  of  Kuang  Yao  attributed  to  the  Yuan  dynasty. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


MING  DYNASTY. REIGNS  OF  HUNG-WU,  YUNG-LO,  HSUAN-T^:, 

Ch’^2NG-HUA,  HUNG-CHIH,  CH^ING-Ti:,  CHIA-CHING,  LUNG- 

ch’ing,  wan-li,  t’ien-ch’i,  ch’ung-ch^:n. 

The  Ming  dynasty  reigned  in  China  from  1368  to 
1643,  when  it  was  overthrown  by  the  Manchus, 
who  still  occupy  the  throne  at  Peking.  The  emperors  of 
the  Ming  dynasty  patronized  the  ceramic  art,  and  the 
manufacture  of  porcelain  made  considerable  advances 
down  to  the  reign  of  Wan-li,  during  which  such  large 
sums  were  lavished  that  the  censors  vigorously  protested 
against  the  expenditure  of  so  much  money  on  mere 
articles  of  luxury.  The  manufacture  became  gradually 
concentrated  at  Ching-te-chen,  where  the  potters  collected 
from  all  parts  and  established  themselves  round  the 
imperial  manufactory.  From  this  time  forward  artistic 
work  in  porcelain  became  a monopoly  of  this  place^ 
and  the  productions  of  otker  potteries  are  noticed  only 
by  way  of  parenthesis,  as  they  generally  confined  them- 
selves to  the  fabrication  of  coarser  ware  for  everyday 
consumption,  while  Ching-te-chen  produced  the  more 
decorative  kinds,  which  were  distributed  from  its  kilns 
throughout  China  and  sent  from  the  most  accessible 
seaports  to  all  parts  of  the  world. 

The  mass  of  native  ceramic  literature  is  now  so  great 
as  to  be  rather  embarrassing,  and  we  will  depend  chiefly 
on  the  official  annals  of  Fou-liang-hsien  and  on  the 
T^(vo  Simo,  the  author  of  which  devotes  his  third  book  to 
a general  account  of  the  porcelain  of  the  Ming  dynasty, 
and  his  sixth  book  to  a description  of  particular  speci- 

189 


190 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


mens  of  the  ceramic  art,  arranged  chronologically  under 
the  reigns  to  which  they  belong. 

Hung-Wu  (1368-98). 

The  founder  of  the  dynasty  established  his  capital  at 
Nanking,  and,  according  to  the  official  records,  in  the 
second  year  of  his  reign  (1369)  the  imperial  manufactory 
was  built  at  Ching-te-chen,  on  the  south  side  of  the 
Jewel  Hill,  which  was  inclosed  within  the  wall  sur- 
rounding the  manufactory,  and  formed  its  “ protecting 
hill,”  according  to  Chinese  geomantic  science.  Offices 
were  also  built  on  the  eastern  side  for  the  Tao-t’ai  of  Chiu- 
chiang  (Kiukiang),  who  was  stationed  here  to  superin- 
tend the  fabrication  of  porcelain  for  the  use  of  the 
palace,  and  to  forward  it  annually  to  the  capital. 

^ Yung-Lo  (1403-24). 

Hung-wu  was  succeeded  by  his  grandson,  who  was  soon, 
however,  deposed  by  his  uncle,  the  powerful  viceroy  of 
the  northern  provinces,  who  declared  himself  emperor  in 
1403,  under  the  title  of  Yung-lo^  and  made  Peking,  the 
famous  Cambalu,  or  city  of  the  Mongol  khans,  once  more 
the  capital  of  the  Chinese  Empire,  as  it  remains  to  the 
present  day.  The  Yu  CliH  CYang,  or  “ Imperial  Por- 
celain Manufactory,”  at  Ching-te-chen,  continued,  as 
before,  to  furnish  imperial  ware  for  the  use  of  the  court, 
which  was  sent  all  the  way  to  Peking  by  wnter,  the  boats 
traveling  from  the  potteries  down  the  Chang  River  to 
Jao-chou-fu,  across  the  Poyang  Lake,  down  the  great 
river  Yangtsu  to  Chinkiang,  and  thence  by  the  Grand 
Canal  to  Tientsin,  and  by  the  river  Paiho  to  their  final 
destination. 

The  imperial  porcelain  of  this  reign  was  distinguished 


mmCr  DYNASTY. 


191 


for  its  white  enamel,  which  is  described  as  having  been 
often  pitted  on  the  surface,  or  perforated  by  “ palm-eye  ” 
spots.  It  was  engraved  with  ornamental  designs  etched 
in  the  paste  underneath,  or  decorated  both  in  cobalt 
blue  and  in  colors.  It  is  generally  ranked  by  native 
connoisseurs  below  that  of  the  reigns  of  Hsuan-te  and 
CV eng-liua^  but  above  that  of  Cliia-ching  and  later  reigns. 

The  blue  and  white  variety  is  described  in  the  Po  wu 
yao  lan^  which  says:  The  cups  of  form  adapted 

to  be  grasped  by  the  hand,  with  an  upright  rim,  a waist 
drawn  in,  and  a glazed  foot  encircled  by  an  unglazed  ring, 
which  were  ornamented  in  the  interior  with  a pair  of 
lions  playing  with  brocaded  balls,  and  had  inscribed 
inside,  at  the  bottom,  the  seal  mark,  either  in  six  char- 
acters, Ta  Ming  Yung  lo  nien  chilly  ^ Made  in  the 
reign  of  Yung-lo  of  the  great  Ming  dynasty,’  or  in  four 
characters  (the  name  of  the  dynasty  being  omitted)  no 
larger  than  so  many  grains  of  rice.  These  were  of  the 
first  class.  The  cups  decorated  with  mandarin  ducks  in 
the  interior  were  ranked  next.  Those  with  flowers  in  the 
interior  came  after  the  last.  The  cups  were  painted  out- 
side in  blue  of  a deep  brilliant  color,  in  designs  of 
artistic  beauty.  They  have  been  handed  down  from  dis- 
tant times  and  their  value  is  correspondingly  high.  The 
imitations  of  modern  times  are  not  worth  looking  at.” 

The  white  porcelain  of  this  period,  alluded  to  above, 
is  still  better  known.  It  is  often  of  eggshell  thinness, 
and  has  supplied  models  for  some  of  the  most  perfect 
productions  of  T’ang  Ying  in  the  eighteenth  century. 
There  is  a fine  large  bowl  in  the  Walters  Collection 
(Fig.  70),  the  fellow  of  one  thus  described  in  the  Franks 
Catalogue  (loc.  cit.^  page  2):  Bowl.  One  of  a pair. 

Thin  ivory-white  Chinese  porcelain.  Very  small  base  and 
wide  rim,  in  which  are  six  indentations.  Inside  are  two 
five-clawed  dragons,  very  faintly  engraved  in  the  paste 


192 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


and  glazed  over.  In  the  center  an  inscription,  also 
engraved  under  the  glaze,  in  an  ancient  seal  character, 
being  the  mark  of  the  period  Yung-lo,  1404-1424.  H. 
21  in.,  D.  8i  in.” 

A small  white  cup  of  different  form,  with  low  upright 
sides  springing  from  a circular  rimmed  foot,  is  illustrated 
in  our  album,  and  described  as  follows : 

Cup  {Pei)  of  Yung-lo  eggshell  porcelain  (to-fai  tz^u)^ 
with  dragons  and  phoenixes  engraved  under  the  glaze. 
The  form  and  design  of  these  cups  are  very  beautiful,  and 
they  can  be  used  either  for  tea  or  for  wine  ; they  are  very 
thin,  not  thicker  than  paper,  and  are  for  this  reason  called 
to  or  ‘bodiless.’  This  is  a most  delicate  specimen 
of  the  kind,  and  it  has  dragons  and  phoenixes  upon  a 
scrolled  ground  very  finely  etched  upon  its  surface.  It  is 
marked  underneath  with  the  six  characters  Ta  Ming  Yung 
lo  nien  chilly  ‘ Made  in  the  reign  of  Yung-lo  of  the  great 
Ming  dynasty,’  cleverly  engraved  under  the  glaze. 
There  are  several  of  these  cups  preserved,  although  they 
are  rare  even  in  choice  collections.  I have  figured  this 
one  in  order  to  give  a general  idea  of  their  character,  so 
that  collectors  of  taste  may  be  able  to  recognize  a genu- 
ine specimen  and  not  grudge  a liberal  sum  to  acquire  it. 
For  my  successors  who  may  not  be  so  fortunate  as  to 
find  one  even,  the  picture  may  be  of  some  value.  I 
copied  it  in  Peking  from  a cup  in  the  possession  of  a 
prince  of  the  imperial  blood.”  H.  14  in.,  D.  3 in. 

^ HsXTan-t^:  (1426-35). 

The  reign  of  Hman-te  is  celebrated  for  its  ceramic  pro- 
ductions as  well  as  for  its  artistic  work  in  bronze,  and  it 
is  generally  considered  by  Chinese  authorities  as  sharing 
with  that  of  OKeng-hua  a pre-eminent  position  among  the 
reigns  of  the  Ming  dynasty ; Hsuan-te  being  unrivaled 


MING  DYNASTY. 


193 


in  the  brilliance  of  its  painting  in  blue  and  in  the  purity 
of  its  red  decoration  ; CKeng-liuam  the  artistic  treatment 
of  its  combinations  of  different  colors.  The  five  colors 
in  the  decorated  pieces  of  the  Hman-te  period  were  laid 
on  too  thickly,  so  as  to  stand  out  in  prominent  relief 
when  the  piece  had  been  fired,  while  those  of  Cl^eng-liua 
were  applied  with  less  lavish  profusion,  so  that  the  result 
resembled  a good  painting  in  water-colors.  The  colored 
decoration  in  both  reigns  seems  to  have  been  effected  by 
the  use  of  glazes  of  different  colors,  laid  upon  a white 
unglazed  or  biscuit  ” ground.  The  process  of  decora- 
tion of  porcelain  previously  glazed  and  fired  with  enamel 
colors,  which  were  afterward  fixed  in  the  muffle  stove, 
was  not  discovered  or  introduced  till  much  later  in 
the  Ming  dynasty.  This  is  specially  knowm  by  the 
distinctive  name  of  Wan-li  Wuts’ai^  literally  ‘^flve- 
colored  [porcelain]  of  the  Wan-li  period.” 

The  brilliancy  of  the  blue  which  distinguished  this 
reign  is  said  to  have  been  due  to  the  importation  from 
the  West  of  a foreign  product  known  as  blue  of 
Su-ni-p’o.  In  other  books  of  the  period  it  is  called 
Su-nia-li  or  Su-ma-ni  blue,  which  are  evidently  varia- 
tions of  the  same  name,  but  whether  this  be  the  name  of 
the  color,  or  of  the  country  from  which  it  came,  still 
remains  to  be  proved.  The  supply  is  reported  to  have 
failed  before  the  reign  of  CK eng-liua^  which  depended 
solely  on  native  cobaltiferous  ores.  Hsiang  Yuan-phen^ 
in  his  descriptions,  generally  uses  the  term  of  Hui-hui 
OKing^  Mohammedan  blue,”  which  is  applied  by  other 
ceramic  authors  of  the  time  more  especially  to  the  cobalt 
blue  imported  in  the  later  reign  of  Ohia-ching  by  the 
eunuch  viceroy  of  the  province  of  Yunnan. 

The  yet  more  famous  red  glaze  of  the  period  was 
derived  from  copper.  It  was  applied  in  several  ways — 
either  as  a monochrome  glaze  upon  biscuit  ” porcelain, 


194 


OKIENTAL  CEEAMIC  AET. 


sometimes  left  plain,  sometimes  chiseled  with  ornamental 
designs;  or  in  combination  with  the  white  glaze;  or 
painted  on  in  decorative  designs,  in  a similar  way  to  the 
cobalt  blue,  and  subsequently  covered  with  the  white 
glaze.  The  red  designs  are  described  as  shining  through 
the  glaze  so  as  to  dazzle  the  eyes.  Some  Chinese  writers 
assert  that  it  was  prepared  by  powdering  rubies 
obtained  from  the  West,  and  amethystine  quartz  seems 
really  to  have  been  introduced  into  the  glaze  to  give  it 
greater  transparency ; the  color  could  not,  however,  have 
been  due  to  this,  because  rubies  and  amethysts  would 
become  colorless  in  the  intense  heat  of  the  furnace ; its 
application  under  the  glaze  shows  that  it  must  have 
been  a copper  silicate. 

The  white  porcelain  resembled  that  of  the  reign  of 
Yung-lo^  which  it  even  excelled  in  texture  and  finish. 
The  white  altar  cups  ” of  this  reign  are  described  in  the 
Po  wu  yao  Ian  as  finely  made,  richly  glazed,  and  of  per- 
fect form,  with  the  character  fan^  “ altar,”  inscribed  in 
the  bottom  inside ; and  the  white  ‘‘  tea-cups,”  cKa  chan^ 
as  hardly  inferior  to  the  altar  cups,”  being  of  rounded 
form  with  a convexity  in  the  middle  underneath  encircled 
by  a thread-like  rim,  brilliant  and  translucent  as  fine 
jade,  decorated  inside  with  dragons  and  phoenixes  deli- 
cately chiseled,  and  with  the  mark  Ta  Ming  Hsiian  te 
nien  chilly  “ Made  in  the  reign  of  Hsilan-te  of  the  Great 
Mingi!''  also  etched  under  the  white  glaze,  which 
exhibited  a faintly  tuberculated  surface  like  the  peel  of 
an  orange. 

The  same  book  describes  stem  cups  decorated  with 
red  fish,  and  others  painted  in  blue  with  dragonlike 
pines  and  flowering  plum-trees,  stemmed  wine-cups 
painted  in  blue  with  historical  scenes  and  sea  monsters, 
bowls  on  high  bamboo  jointed  feet,  and  teacups  painted 
with  illustrations  of  classical  poetry.  The  large  rice- 


MING  DYNASTY. 


195 


bowls  of  moDocbrome  vermilion  are  characterized  as 
being  red  as  the  sun,  with  rims  of  white  color — like 
the  sang-de-hceuf  bowls  of  more  recent  times.  Flower 
vases  (Jiua  tsun)  of  low,  beaker-shaped  form  with 
trumpet  mouths ; barrel-shaped  garden  seats  (tso  tmi)  of 
deep  green  ground,  some  with  brocaded  designs  carved 
in  openwork  filled  in  with  colors,  others  of  solid  form, 
overlaid  with  many-colored  designs;  barrel  seats  of  dark 
blue  overlaid  with  colored  decoration  like  carved  lapis 
lazuli^  as  it  were,  inlaid  with  flowers,  others  painted 
Avith  blue  floAvers  in  a Avhite  ground,  and  othei’s  crackled 
like  fissured  ice — all  those  are  comprised  in  this  book 
and  described  as  novelties  unknown  in  former  times. 
Flat  jars  (^pien  huan)  and  cylindrical  jars  (fung  Icuan^ 
for  honey  preserves,  oil-lamps  of  varied  forms,  receptacles 
for  birds’  food  (cliiao  sliili pHng^  to  hold  seed  and  Avater, 
and  bowls  for  fighting  crickets  {lisi  lisuai  pien')  occur  in 
the  same  list.  The  boAvls  of  Avhite  biscuit  ” orna- 
mented Avith  designs  in'Avorked  gold  are  alluded  to  in 
the  poetry  of  the  time  as  of  exceeding  beauty.  There 
Avere  tAvo  families  named  Lu  and  Tsou,  at  Su-chou-fu, 
famed  for  their  cricket  boAvls,  Avhich  were  elaborately 
finished  AAuth  delicately  chiseled  and  embossed  Avork,  and 
the  names  of  Ta  Hsiu  and  Hsiao  Hsiu,  elder  and 
younger  daughters  of  the  craftsman  Tsou,  haA^e  been 
handed  doAvn  as  having  executed  the  finest  Avork  of  all. 
The  game  of  fighting  crickets  AA^as  then  a favorite  pas- 
time ; thousands  Avere  staked  on  the  event,  and  no 
expense  Avas  spared  on  the  decoration  of  the  materials. 

These  barrel-shaped  seats  are  still  to  be  seen  occasion- 
ally in  Chinese  gardens  side  by  side  AAnth  seats  of  similar 
form  from  the  earlier  Chlin-chou  potteries  of  the  Sung 
dynasty.  Such  large  pieces  are  usually  of  stoneAvare 
rather  than  porcelain,  the  technique  resembling  that  of 
the  image  of  Kuan-yin,  enshrined  in  the  Buddhist 


196 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


Temple  Pao-kuo-ssu  at  Peking,  which  has  already  been 
described.  I have  seen  other  Buddhist  figures  of  antique 
design  with  the  details  filled  in  with  colored  glaze  of  the 
early  Ming  period,  notably  in  the  Dana  collection  at 
New  York,  together  with  some  of  the  large,  wide,  solid 
jars  of  the  time,  with  Taoist  figures  inclosed  in  the 
carved  openwork  casing,  picked  out  in  turquoise,  purple, 
green,  and  yellow.  The  colors  differ  from  the  ordinary 
colored  enamels  of  later  times  in  being  composed  of  a 
lead  flux. 

To  M.  du  Sartel  is  due  the  credit  of  first  calling  atten- 
tion to  these  jars  and  of  referring  them  correctly  to  early 
Ming  times.  He  figures  three  in  Plate  II  of  his  work 
La  Porcelaine  de  Chine ^ already  cited,  with  the  follow- 
ing description  (page  155)  : 

^^No.  2.  Jarre  k mettre  le  vin,  en  porcelaine  grise  et 
epaisse.  Le  decor,  de  style  archaique,  colore  en  emaux 
de  demi-grand  feu  sur  biscuit,  se  compose  de  bordures  k 
faux  godrons,  celle  du  haut  soutenant  des  lambrequins 
ornes  de  fleurs  et  relies  entre  eux  par  des  cordons  de 
perles  avec  pendeloques.  Le  corps  du  vase  est  occupe 
par  un  paysage  courant,  presentant  sur  deux  faces 
opposees  un  personnage  symbolique.  Ce  decor,  dessine 
par  des  filets  en  relief,  est  en  partie  reste  en  biscuit  avec 
quelques  teintes  jauuatres  et  en  partie  bleu  turquoise, 
sur  fond  bleu  fonce.  Hauteur  0“  42.  Coll.  O.  du 
Sartel. 

No.  3.  Potiche  analogue  au  vase  precedent,  decoree 
de  nelumbos  en  fieur.  Hauteur  0“^  35.  Coll.  Leon 
Fould,  k Paris. 

No.  4.  Autre  potiche  de  meme  espece,  mais  dont  le 
decor,  sur  fond  bleu  turquoise,  presente  quelques  parties 
emaillees  violet  clair.  La  pause  est  occupee  par  un  pay- 
sage  courant,  avec  sujet  hieratique  montrant  Cheou  Lao 
entoure  des  emblem es  de  la  longevite,  et  recevant  la 


MING  DYNASTY. 


197 


visite  mysterieuse  des  saints  personnages,  ses  disciples, 
les  Pa-Chen.  Hauteur  0°^  35.  Coll.  O.  du  S.” 

Our  album  is  rich  in  specimens  of  this  reign,  and  a 
description  of  these  will  give  a better  idea  of  the  ceramic 
art  of  the  time  than  any  number  of  quotations  from 
Chinese  books  which  might  be  extended  indefinitely. 
There  are  no  less  than  twenty  illustrations  given,  includ- 
ing seven  of  blue  and  white  pieces,  and  thirteen 
decorated  in  colored  glazes,  among  which  the  red  pre- 
dominates, two  of  these  being  w^holly  invested  with  red 
as  a monochrome  glaze. 

“ Antique  Censer  ( Yi  Lii)^  with  fish  handles,  decorated 
with  deep  red,  in  the  guise  of  ruddy  dawn  clouds  dis- 
appearing in  bright  sunshine.  The  form  of  this  censer  is 
modeled  after  an  ancient  bronze  sacrificial  vessel  figured 
in  a collection  published  in  the  period  SJiao-lising,  1131- 
62.  The  upper  two-thirds  of  the  surface  is  enameled 
with  a deep  red  glaze  of  the  warmest  tint  of  ruddy 
dawn  clouds  ; the  lower  part  is  white,  pure  as  driven 
snow,  and  the  red  and  white  melt  into  each  other  in  wavy 
lines,  dazzling  the  eyes.  It  stands  pre-eminent  among 
the  celebrated  porcelains  of  different  dynasties ; the 
whole  surface  is  strewn  with  faint,  milletlike  tubercles, 
and  it  is  truly  a precious  jewel  of  rare  value.  I saw  it 
at  Nanking,  in  the  collection  of  Chu  Hsi-hsiao,  the 
governor  of  the  city,  who  told  me  that  it  originally  came 
from  the  imperial  palace,  given  to  one  of  the  princes  as 
part  of  his  monthly  allowance,  and  that  he  purchased  it 
afterward  from  the  prince  for  three  hundred  taels  of  silver. 
Even  for  a thousand  taels  it  could  not  be  bought  now.” 
H.  3 in.,  D.  3i  in. 

^AVater- Dropper  (^Shui  Ohu\  for  the  ink  pallet, 
decorated  with  colored  glazes.  Taken  from  an  old 
bronze  design,  the  vessel  is  molded  in  the  form  of  twin 
persimmons  (^Diospyros  sJiitze  fruit)  hanging  upon  a 


198 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


leafy  branch,  the  stem  of  which  is  hollowed  to  make 
the  spout.  The  color  of  the  fruit  is  as  red  as  fresh  blood, 
with  slightly  raised  millet  marks ; the  leaves  are  green ; 
the  sepals  and  stalk  are  brown ; exactly  like  a picture 
from  Nature,  by  the  artist  Hsii  Tsung-ssu.  It  is  a rare 
jewel  for  the  ornament  of  a scholar’s  library,  which  I 
bought,  with  two  ink  pallets  of  porcelain,  also  figured, 
from  Hsii,  a high  official  of  Wu-men.”  H.  2i  in.,  D. 
3i  in. 

‘^Wine-Pot  (^Chiu  Hu),  with  an  open  scrolled  handle 
and  a spout  molded  in  the  shape  of  a phoenix  head, 
covered  with  a monochrome  glaze  of  deep  red  color.  It 
was  copied  from  a carved  jade  wine-pot  used  by  the 
emperor.  The  body,  of  slender,  vaselike  form,  swelling 
above  and  curving  gracefully  inward  toward  the  foot,  is 
chiseled  with  cloud  scrolls  and  ornamental  bands  of 
geometrical  and  spiral  pattern ; it  is  surmounted  by  a 
conical  cover  encircled  by  rings  of  foliated  design.  The 
spout  is  the  feathered  neck  of  a phoenix,  projecting  as  it 
were  from  the  cloudy  background,  and  terminating  in  a 
crested  head  with  open  beak.  Among  the  different  kinds 
of  porcelain  of  the  reign  of  Hsuan-te  the  deep  red  was 
the  most  highly  valued  of  all.  In  the  preparation  of  the 
glaze,  red  precious  stones  from  the  West  were  pulverized, 
and  after  it  had  been  fired,  flashes  of  ruby-red  color  shone 
out  from  the  depths  of  the  rich  glaze  so  as  to  dazzle 
the  eyes.  There  is  no  other  porcelain  to  rival  this.  The 
piece  figured  is  in  the  collection  of  Huang,  General  of  the 
Guards  at  Peking,  who  told  me  that  he  bought  it  for  two 
hundred  ingots  of  silver  in  paper  notes  [nominally  about 
six  hundred  pounds  sterling,  although  the  Government 
papei'  currency  was  then  at  a considerable  discount],  from 
one  of  the  chief  eunuchs  of  the  palace.”  H.  61  in. 

Rouge- Pot  {Lit  Hu)  molded  in  the  shape  and  size  of 
a persimmon  fruit  {Piospyros  sliitze)  and  decorated  with 


MING  DYNASTY. 


199 


colored  glazes.  The  lobed  fruit,  of  deep  red  color,  has  a 
short,  wide  spout  of  the  same  tint  projectiug  at  one  end, 
a branch  joining  the  handle  at  the  other,  colored  brown, 
with  a green  twig  winding  i*ound  in  openwork  relief  so  as 
to  displa}^  the  green  leaves  worked  upon  the  red  skin  of 
the  fruit.  The  cover  is  the  calyx  of  four  segments,  with 
the  stalk  curving  upward  to  form  its  handle.  The  red 
is  of  rich  color,  like  fresh  blood ; the  brown  and  green 
are  true  to  life.  It  came  out  of  the  palace,  where  it  had 
been  used  by  one  of  the  imperial  princesses  to  hold  ver- 
milion for  painting  her  lips  and  face.  It  was  priced  very 
high,  over  one  hundred  taels,  by  a curio  seller  at  the 
temple  Pao-kuo-ssu,^*  at  whose  stall  I saw  it  wdien  at  the 
capital.”  H.  2i  in.,  D.  3i  in. 

“ Tazza-shaped  Gup  {Pa  Pei),  decoi-ated  with  three  red 
fishes  on  a white  ground.  The  form  is  taken  from  wine- 
cups  of  jade  of  the  Han  dynasty.  The  glaze,  of  the 
aspect  of  congealed  fat,  is  white  as  driven  snow,  and  the 
three  fishes  of  deep  red ' color,  vigorously  outlined,  are 
crimson  as  fresh  blood  with  flashes  of  ruby  tint  of  daz- 
zling brilliance.  It  is  truly  a rare  gem  of  this  highly 
prized  class.  At  the  foot  of  the  cylindrical  stem,  which 
expands  toward  the  base,  there  is  faintly  engraved  under 
the  paste  the  six-character  mark  Ta  Ming  Hsilan  te  nien 
chill,  ‘ Made  in  the  reign  of  Hsiian-te  of  the  Great  Ming? 
I bought  this  cup  for  twenty-four  taels  from  a collector 
at  Shao-hsiug-fu.”  H.  3 in.,  D.  3 in. 

“ Tazza-shaped  Cup  {Pa  Pei),  of  the  same  shape  and  size 
as  the  above,  decorated  with  three  pairs  of  red  peaches 
on  a white  ground.  The  shaded  red,  of  the  tint  of  red 
chei'ries  or  of  precious  garnets,  flames  out  from  the  depth 

* This  is  the  Buddhist  temple  already  alluded  to  as  containing  the  ancient 
porcelain  image  of  Kwan  Yin.  It  is  situated  in  the  southern  or  Chinese  city 
of  Peking,  and  is  one  of  those  thrown  open  at  stated  days  every  month  for  a 
kind  of  fair,  when  its  courts  are  thronged  with  peddlers  and  curio  dealers,  who 
spread  their  stalls  on  both  sides  of  the  way  to  attract  visitors. 


200 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


of  the  glaze,  very  different  from  the  modern  imitations  of 
these  wine-cups,  which  are  made  by  painting  the  red 
color  over  the  glaze,  and  which  remind  one  only  of  dull, 
ferruginous  clay."^  These  cups  are  very  rare,  only  three 
or  four  being  known  to  exist  within  the  four  seas.” 

‘‘  Conical  Wine- Cup  {Ton  Li  Pet)^  with  a handle  boldly 
fashioned  in  openwork  relief  in  the  form  of  an  archaic 
dragon  (cKili-lung)^  decorated  in  colors.  The  ground 
inside  and  out  is  engraved  with  cloud  scrolls  under  the 
white  glaze  ; the  band  of  scrolled  ornament  which  encircles 
the  rim  is  picked  out  in  blue,  while  the  dragon,  which  is 
coiled  ‘ half  round  the  cup,  with  its  teeth  and  fore-claws 
fixed  in  the  rim  and  its  bifid  tail  opposite,  is  glazed  deep 
red.  The  dragon  stands  out  conspicuously  in  blood-red 
relief  from  the  mutton-fat  tinted  ground  ; only  one  or 
two  of  these  beautiful  little  cups  are  known,  and  a 
hundred  taels  is  not  considered  too  much  to  pay  for  a 
specimen.  I figure  this  one  from  the  collection  of  the 
Lieutenant-Governor  of  Nanking.”  H.  2 in.,  D.  3 in. 

Small  Wine- Cup  {Hsiao  Chan) ^ oi  rounded  shallow 
form  with  circularly  rimmed  foot,  decorated  outside  with 
three  fishes  of  deep  red  color  on  a snow-white  ground. 
The  fish  are  no  bigger  than  flies,  yet  the  several  scales 
and  spines  are  chiseled  under  the  sang-de-ioeuf  It 

holds  one  Tin — i.  e.,  less  than  two  ounces.”  H.  | in.,  D. 
3 in. 

^‘‘Palace  Pice-Boivl  {Kunej  Wan)^  of  gracefully  mod- 
elled shape,  springing  from  a small  circularly  rimmed 
foot,  decorated  outside  with  three  fishes  of  sang-de-hoeuf 
color  upon  a snow-white  ground,  rising  in  milletlike 
granules.  It  is  figured  from  the  collection  of  Liang,  one 

* We  know  from  other  sources  that  the  art  of  painting  porcelain  in  the  red 
prepared  from  copper  silicate  failed  toward  the  end  of  the  Ming  dynasty,  so 
that  in  the  reign  of  Ghia-cliing  (1522-66)  even  the  imperial  potters  petitioned  to 
be  allowed  to  decorate  it  instead  with  the  iron-red  produced  by  the  incinera- 
tion of  iron  sulphate. 


MING  DYNASTY. 


201 


of  the  chief  eunuchs  at  Peking,  who  obtained  it  himself 
from  the  palace  of  the  emperor.”  H.  21  in.,  D.  7 in. 

“ for  washing  brushes  in,  of  circular  form 

with  a flat  bottom  and  upright  sides,  decorated  with  red 
Ashes  swimming  in  undulating  waves,  penciled  in  deep 
red  on  a snow-white  ground.  One  pair  of  fishes,  instinct 
with  life  and  movement,  is  painted  on  the  bottom  of  the 
dish  inside,  and  three  smaller  fishes  are  swimming  round 
outside.”  H.  1 in.,  D.  5 in. 

‘‘  Palace  Dish  {Kmig  Tieli)^  saucer-shaped,  springing 
from  a circular  foot,  covered  outside  with  a monochrome 
glaze  of  deep  red  color,  over  five-clawed  dragons,  and 
clouds  delicately  chiseled  in  the  paste.  Marked  under- 
neath with  the  six-character  seal  Ta  Ming  Hsilan  te  nien 
chilly  ‘ Made  in  the  reign  of  Hsuan-te  of  the  Great  Ming^ 
engraved  under  the  glaze.”  D.  7 in. 

Perforated  Box  {GBiian  Hsin  Ho)^  painted  in  deep 
red  on  a white  ground.  A small  round  box,  with  a lid 
of  the  same  shape,  fashioned  in  the  likeness  of  a ^ cash  ’ 
of  the  period,  having  a square  hole  passing  through  the 
middle  for  tying  it  on^the  corner  of  a handkerchief, 
when  used  as  a casket  for  scent.  It  is  decorated  outside 
with  encircling  bands  of  spiral  fret,  and  has  the  inscrip- 
tion on  the  cover,  written  also  in  red,  Hsilan  te  fung  pao, 
^Current  money  of  Hsilan  te,  a reproduction  of  the 
ordinary  legend  of  the  coins  of  this  reign.”  H.  I in., 
D.  1 in. 

Belie  Pagoda  (^Shedi  Pa)^  of  white  ^biscuit’  porce- 
lain decorated  in  colors  (wuts’ai).  This  is  a relic  shrine 
in  the  form  of  a pagoda,  one  foot  and  a half  high,  of 
seven  stories.  Each  story  is  six-sided,  surrounded  by 
a carved  open-work  railing,  and  hollow  inside.  In  the 
first  story  there  is  an  altar  with  a little  vase  of  Avhite 
Jade  standing  upon  it  containing  three  grains  of  sacred 
I’elics  {she-li  = Sanskrit  ^arird)  of  Buddha.  The  seven 


202 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


stories  are  all  hung  around  the  eaves  with  tiny  gold 
bells  only  half  an  inch  long.  Within  the  chamber  of 
the  fifth  story  there  is  a little  sacred  image  of  Buddha^ 
of  jade,  about  eight-tenths  of  an  inch  high,  with  fine 
features  and  venerable  figure,  seated  upon  a lotus  throne^ 
exactly  like  the  large  Buddha  enthroned  for  worship  in 
ordinary  religious  temples.  This  image  of  Buddha,  the 
temple  bonze  assures  me,  was  brought  as  tribute  to 
China  from  a foreign  country.  The  body  of  the  pagoda 
shows  the  intrinsic  color  of  the  porcelain,  and  the  dif- 
ferent colors  are  cleverly  painted  on  in  turns,  the  tiles 
emerald-green,  the  railings  red,  the  walls  white,  and  the 
windows  yellow.  The  relics  emit  every  day  at  noon 
and  midnight  a radiance  of  colored  light.  I myself  saw 
the  rays  emitted  on  both  occasions,  and  was  convinced 
thereby  of  the  deep  mysteries  of  the  doctrine  of  Buddha. 
The  stand  is  inscribed  with  the  mark  written  in  blue 
in  a horizontal  line,  Ta  Ming  Hman  te  nien  chih^  ^ Made 
in  the  i*eign  of  Hman-te  of  the  Great  Mingi  I saw  this 
shrine  at  Nanking  at  Pao-en-ssu  (the  famous  Porcelain 
Pagoda  Temple  destroyed  by  the  Taiping  rebels)  in  the 
house  of  the  prior  of  the  monastery,  who  told  me  that 
it  had  been  sent  from  the  palace  at  Peking  in  the  reign 
of  the  Emperor  Lung-chHng^  by  special  order  of  the 
empress-dowager,  who  bestowed  it  upon  the  temple,  to 
be  preserved  and  reverently  worshiped  there.” 

The  remaining  seven  pieces  of  this  reign  illustrated  in 
the  album  are  painted  in  blue  on  a white  ground.  The 
decoration  is  minutely  finished,  with  borders  of  fret  and 
encircling  bands  of  rectangular  and  spiral  chains,  exe- 
cuted with  fine  sti’okes  of  the  brush,  so  as  to  remind  one 
of  the  delicate  finish  of  the  chiseled  bronze  and  carved 
cinnabar-lac  work  of  the  period. 

‘^Ink  Pallet  ( Yeni)^  of  oval  form,  with  dragons  and 
clouds  etched  round  the  sides,  painted  in  blue,  with  a 


MING  DYNASTY. 


203 


band  of  triangular  fret  round  the  upper  border,  and  a 
double  oval  ring  underneath.  The  form,  an  oval  slab, 
with  a crescentic  depression  at  one  end,  is  copied  from 
a jade  pallet  used  by  one  of  the  emperors  of  the  Sung 
dynasty.  The  color  of  the  glaze  is  white  as  driven  snow, 
rising  into  faint  milletlike  elevations ; the  blue,  penciled 
in  finest  strokes,  is  brilliant  and  deep  as  congealed  ink, 
so  that  it  is  really  a beautiful  specimen.  There  are  two 
five-clawed  imperial  dragons  delicately  chiseled  in  the 
paste  under  the  glaze,  surrounded  by  cloud  scrolls 
into  which  they  are  plunging  their  heads.  The  mark 
written  underneath  in  blue,  in  a vertical  line,  in  the 
middle  of  the  oval  ring,  is  Ta  Ming  Hsilan  te  nien 
^Made  in  the  reign  of  Hman-te  of  the  Great 
Mingi  ” L.  3i  in. 

Small  Vase  (Hsiao  PHng\  in  the  shape  of  a three- 
jointed  cylinder  of  bamboo,  with  the  joints  and  margins 
picked  out  in  blue,  and  the  extremities  ornamented  with 
lines  of  little  rings  painted  in  blue.  The  blue  is  the 
^Mohammedan  gi^os  hleu^  the  Hid-lmi  ta  cKing  of  the 
period,  brilliant  and  dazzling  to  the  eyes.  The  upper 
ring  of  circles  is  interrupted  by  a line  of  six  characters 
not  much  larger  than  mosquito  claws,  but  perfectly  clear, 
written  in  l^lue,  Ta  Ming  Hsilan  te  nien  chili,  the  mark 
of  the  reign.  I have  had  this  piece  in  my  possession 
since  I was  a boy  ; it  has  been  in  my  cabinet  over  fifty 
years,  and  is  growing  old  with  me.”  H.  2i  in. 

Jar  (Mu'),  modeled  in  the  form  of  a goose,  and 
painted  in  blue.  The  goose  is  always  referred  to  in  the 
classics  as  a domestic  bird  of  watchful  nature,  a terror 
to  robbers,  and  the  form  was  originally  chosen  for  a 
wine- vessel  as  a warning  against  nightly  intoxication. 
The  feathers  and  other  natural  details  are  outlined  in 
blue  of  brilliant  color ; the  glaze  is  sprinkled  with  millet- 
like  elevations,  and  it  is  altogether  a fine  specimen  of 


204 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


the  reis^n  of  Hsuan-te.  It  holds  about  one  pint  of  wine.’^ 
L.  6 in. 

Elephant  Jar  {Hsiang  Tsuri)^  painted  in  blue,  of 
rounded  ovoid  form  with  bulging  body,  springing  from 
a low  foot,  with  a receding  shoulder  and  a slightly 
flaring  mouth,  surmounted  by  a round  cover.  The  cover 
has  standing  upon  it  the  flgure  of  an  elephant,  molded 
in  full  open-work  relief,  of  plain  white.  The  two  ring 
handles  upon  the  shoulder  of  the  jar  hanging  from 
grotesque  heads  are  outlined  in  blue,  and  the  jar,  as 
well  as  the  cover,  is  surrounded  by  several  plain  bands 
of  blue.  It  is  of  ancient  bronze  design,  and  holds  nearly 
two  pints.”  H.  6i  in. 

Teacup  {Cli’a  Eei),  decorated  in  blue  with  a dragon 
pine.  Of  upright  form,  rounded  below,  and  slightly 
hollowed  at  the  sides,  it  is  modeled,  probably,  in  the 
form  of  a jade  wine-cup  of  the  Han  dynasty.  The  glaze 
is  as  translucently  white  as  mutton  fat  or  fine  jade, 
rising  in  millet  tubercles,  and  the  blue  is  deep  and  clear, 
painted  in  the  Mohammedan  gros  hleu  of  the  time.  The 
fir-tree  is  designed  with  a gnarled  trunk  like  a huge 
coiled  dragon,  and  lifelike  orchids  and  fungus  spring 
naturally  from  the  ground  beneath,  evidently  drawn  by 
the  pencil  of  a celebrated  land scaj:>e-pain ter.  I bought 
a set  of  four  of  these  tea-cups  from  a high  official  at  Wu- 
hsing.”  Diam.  24  in. 

“ Sacrificial  Vessel  ( K),  painted  in  blue  on  a white 
ground,  of  ancient  bronze  design,  with  an  oval  body, 
having  a broad  lip  at  one  end,  supported  upon  four 
straight  cylindrical  feet,  and  a prominent  cover  with  a 
horned  dragon’s  head  molded  in  relief  projecting  over 
the  lip.  The  ground  is  whiter  than  snow,  the  blue  of 
dee[)  tint  is  painted  in  the  first-class  Mohammedan  color, 
and  both  blue  and  white  are  marked  alike  with  millet- 
like elevations.  Decorated  with  blue  bands  of  rectan- 


MING  DYNASTY. 


205 


gular  and  spiral  fret  round  the  neck  of  the  vessel,  and 
with  blue  lines  outlining  the  rim  and  relief  details 
of  the  cover.  An  important  specimen  of  the  reign 
of  Hsuan-te^  which  I got  from  a collector  of  Wu-men, 
in  exchange  for  two  manuscript  volumes  of  verse 
written  by  a calligraphist  of  the  Yuan  dynasty.” 
H.  5 in. 

“ Four-burner  Lamp  {Ssu  Fai  Tmg)^  with  blue  dec- 
oration on  a white  ground.  A lamp  of  complex  form, 
with  an  oval  receptacle,  which  has  four  curved  spouts 
projecting  from  it,  one  on  each  side,  to  hold  the  wicks, 
springing  from  a rimmed  foot,  and  surmounted  by  a 
conical  cover  of  four-lobed  outline.  A hat  dish  with  an 
upright  rim  stands  underneath.  The  shoulder  is  looped 
for  chains  to  suspend  the  lamp  to  a horizontal  bar,  which 
is  also  looped  in  the  middle  to  support  the  cover,  and 
perforated  for  a cord  to  hang  the  whole  apparatus  from 
the  ceiling.  It  is  painted  in  brilliant  blue  with  encir- 
cling bands  and  chains  of  spiral  fret,  and  with  medallions 
and  foliations  of  formal  patteim.  On  the  foot  is  inscribed 
in  blue,  in  a horizontal  line,  the  mark  Ta  Ming  Hsilan  te 
nien  chilly  ^ Made  in  the  reign  of  Hsilan-te  of  the  Great 
Mingi  ” H.  5 in.,  D.  4J  in. 

There  are  thirteen  specimens  of  this  reign  in  the  Shu 
Ch’ing  Yuan  palace  at  Peking,  according  to  the  official 
list  quoted  above,  of  which  seven  are  painted  in  blue  on 
a white  ground,  viz.: 

1.  Receptacle  for  Flowers,  Hua  Nang,  in  the  form  of 
a square  corn-measure  with  a bar-handle  stretching 
across  the  top. 

2.  Ink- Jar,  Mo  Ivuan, 

3.  Double  Cylinder  Vase,  Slmang  Kuan  PHng. 

4.  Vase  with  swelling  shoulder  and  small  neck,  used 
for  a spray  of  plum-blossom,  and  hence  called  P''ing. 

5.  Pair  of  upright  Teacups,  CKa  Chung. 


206 


OKIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


6.  Water-Pot,  Shui  CKeng,  for  the  writing-table. 

7.  Rice-Bowl,  Wan.  The  next  is  a large  round  Dish, 
P^an^  of  monochrome,  copper-red,  Chi  hung.,  followed  by 
a Plum-blossom  Vase,  Mei  P'’ingj  with  painted  decora- 
tion in  red  on  a white  ground,  the  remaining  four  being 
round  fluted  Dishes,  P'’an^  of  rose-mallow  design,  enam- 
eled celadon  (tung-chHng^. 

^ it  Ch’^:xg-hua  (1465-87). 

There  is  an  interval  of  thirty  years  between  the  close 
of  the  last  reign  and  the  beginning  of  that  styled  CKeng- 
hua.  The  emperor  who  reigned  under  the  title  of 
Hsilan-te  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  who  reigned  under 
the  title  of  Cheng-thmg  from  1436  to  1449,  when  he  was 
captured  by  the  Mongols  and  kept  prisoner  in  Mongolia 
for  seven  years,  during  which  his  brother  ruled  with  the 
title  of  Ohing-fai  from  1450  to  1456.  The  emperor 
returned  then  to  the  throne  and  reigned  till  his  death, 
under  the  new  title  of  THen-shun^  the  only  instance  of  a 
cliange  of  nien-hao  during  the  Ming  dynasty  ; his  reign 
lasted  till  1464,  when  he  died,  and  Avas  succeeded  by  his 
son,  who  reigned  as  CK eng-hua^  from  1465  to  1487.  In 
the  reign  of  Hsikm-te  the  imperial  porcelain  manufactory 
at  Ching-te-chen  had  been  placed  under  the  charge  of  a 
director  specially  appointed  by  the  emperor  to  super- 
intend the  Avork.  In  the  first  year  of  Cheng-tung  this 
appointment  was  abolished,  as  Ave  learn  from  the  official 
annals,  which  state  that  so  many  of  the  people  were 
enlisted  for  military  service  that  the  im^ierial  works  had 
to  be  closed.  In  the  fifth  year  of  Ching-tai  (1454)  it  is 
I'ecorded  in  the  Yu-cltang  Ta  shih  ch%  another  descrip- 
tive work  on  the  province  of  Kiangsi,  of  which  Yii-chang 
is  an  ancient  name,  that  the  annual  amount  of  porcelain 


MING  DYNASTY. 


207 


requisitioned  from  Jao-cbou-fu  was  reduced  to  one  third, 
so  that,  in  addition  to  the  abolition  of  the  office  of 
director,  the  supply  since  drawn  from  private  sources 
was  also  diminished.  In  the  following  twenty  years 
there  is  no  official  mention  of  porcelain,  excepting  the 
fact  that  in  the  year  ting-cKou  of  the  cycle  (1457)  when 
the  emperor  recovered  the  throne,  a eunuch  was  again 
sent  from  the  palace  to  Ching-te-chen  as  director,  and  the 
imperial  manufactory  was  re-established  as  before,  al- 
though we  know  nothing  whatever  of  the  ceramic  pro- 
duction of  this  reign. 

The  porcelain  of  OK eng-Ima^  on  the  contrary,  is  con- 
stantly referred  to,  and  it  disputes  with  that  of  Hsuan-te 
the  supremacy  of  the  Ming  period,  according  to  the 
opinion  of  different  connoisseurs.  The  general  verdict 
upon  their  relative  merit  is  that  Hsuan-te  stands  first  in 
the  brilliancy  of  its  red  derived  from  copper,  and  in  the 
purity  and  depth  of  its  blue  imported  from  abroad, 
while  it  is  excelled  by  OK eng-liua  in  artistic  decora- 
tion in  colors.  The  exotic  supply  of  blue  had  failed 
before  this  reign,  and  only  native  ores  of  cobalt  were 
available. 

The  author  of  the  Po  wu  yao  Ian  says : In  the 

highest  class  porcelain  of  the  reign  of  CK eng-liua  there  is 
nothing  to  excel  the  stemmed  wine-cups  with  shallow 
bowls  and  swellino;  rims  decorated  in  five  colors  with 
grapes ; these  are  more  beautiful  even  than  any  of  the 
cups  of  Hsuan-te.  Next  to  these  come  the  wedding-cups 
decorated  in  colors  with  flowers  and  insects,  or  with  a 
hen  and  chicken,  the  wine-cups  of  the  shape  of  a lotus- 
nut  painted  with  figure  scenes,  the  shallow  cups  dec- 
orated with  the  five  sacrificial  utensils,  the  tiii}^  cups 
with  flowering  plants  and  butterflies,  and  the  blue  and 
white  wine-cups  that  are  as  thin  as  paper.  There  are 
also  small  saucer-shaped  plates  for  chopsticks  painted  in 


208 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


colors,  round  boxes  for  incense,  and  little  jars  of  varied 
shapes  fitted  with  covers,  all  of  artistic  beauty  and 
worthy  of  admiration.”  ^ 

With  reference  to  the  celebrated  Chicken  Cups  ” 
Chi  Kang^  there  is  an  ode  composed  upon  them  in  the 
works  of  Kao  T’an-jen,  a writer  • of  the  seventeenth 
century,  also  known  as  Kao  of  Chiang-ts’un,  with  the  fol- 
lowing note  attached  f : The  wine-cups  of  CK eng -hua 

porcelain  are  of  many  different  kinds,  all  artistically 
designed  and  perfectly  finished,  with  the  coloi*s  laid  on 
in  dark  and  light  shades,  the  fabric  strong  and  of  trans- 
lucent texture.  The  ^ chicken  cups  ’ are  decorated  with 
Moutan  peonies  and  with  a hen  and  chicken  under  the 
flowers,  instinct  with  life  and  movement.”  J Among 
other  decorative  subjects  painted  upon  these  wine-cups 
given  by  the  same  writer  is  a beautiful  damsel  holding  up 
a candle  to  look  at  hai-t\tng  (cydonia)  flowers,  called 
Rosy  beauty  lit  up  by  a flaring  silver  flame.”  Then 
there  are  Brocaded  Cups,”  with  medallions  of  flower 
sprays  and  fruit  painted  on  the  four  sides;  Swing 
Cups,”  with  a party  of  young  girls  swinging ; the 

* The  official  list  of  the  art  objects  in  the  Slm  Ch’ing  Yuan  palace  at  Peking, 
referred  to  above,  includes  four  little  saucer-shaped  plates,  hsiao  tieli,  of  this 
reign,  decorated  in  colors,  inclosed  in  a rosewood  box,  and  a perfume  sprin- 
kler, chiao,  also  painted  in  “ five  colors.” 

f M,  Julien,  in  his  preface  {loc.  cit.,  p,  xxx),  translates  this  note  from  the 
Tao  8huo,  but  strangely  misconceives  the  heading,  as  he  translates  Ch’^ng,  the 
contracted  form  of  Cli’eng-hua,  into  “ fabriquait,”  and  transforms  ko-chu, 
“ ode-note,”  into  a proper  name.  Thus  he  provides  two  names  for  this  reign  in 
his  list  of  celebrated  potters.  Here  is  what  he  says  : “ Dans  la  periode  Tch’ing- 
hoa,  figure  avec  honneur,  un  artiste  que  le  Traite  sur  la  porcelaine  \^T' ao-c1ioue\ 
appele  Kao-than-jin.  II  fabriquait  des  jarres  ornees  de  ponies.  Un  autre 
ouvrier,  nomine  Ko-tchou,  faisait  de  jolies  tasses  pour  le  vin.”  Many  of  the 
“ marks  ” in  Julien’s  work  are  of  a like  fictitious  origin,  so  that  the  book, 
useful  as  it  is,  must  be  used  with  caution. 

j:We  have  seen  in  the  chapter  on  Marks  how  these  “ chicken  cups  ” were 
copied  in  the  reign  of  CKien-lung,  who  sent  one  of  the  originals  from  the 
palace  as  a model,  together  with  a poem  of  his  own  composition,  to  be 
inscribed  on  the  reverse  side  of  the  cup.  These  copies  are  now  valued  by 
the  Chinese  connoisseurs  at  many  times  their  weight  in  gold. 


MmG  DYNASTY. 


209 


Dragon-Boat  Cups,”  with  boats  racing  in  the  great 
dragon  festival ; ‘‘  Famous-Scholar  Cups,”  which  have 
Chou ' Mao-shou  on  one  side  admiring  his  beloved  lotus, 
and  T’ao  Yuan-mingon  the  other  with  his  favorite  chrys- 
anthemum flowers  beside  him;  ‘^Wa-wa  Cups,”  with  five 
little  boys  playing  together ; and  Grape-Trellis  Cups,” 
with  a grapevine  growing  upon  a frame.  Others  are 
decorated  with  fragrant  flowers,  with  fish  and  Avater- 
weeds,  with  gourds  and  aubergine  fruit,  with  the  eight 
Buddhist  emblems  of  good  fortune,  with  the  flowers  of 
the  utpala,  a dark  variety  of  lotus,  and  with  conventional 
sprays  of  the  sacred  lotus  of  India,  etc.  All  of  these 
cups  are  described  as  artistically  painted,  translucent  in 
color,  and  of  strong  texture. 

The  price  of  these  little  cups  was  already  very  high 
even  before  the  end  of  the  Ming  dynasty.  The  Emperor 
Wan-li  is  said  to  have  always  had  a pair  of  them  placed 
on  his  dinner-table  Avhich  were  valued  at  100,000  cash, 
equivalent  to  100  taels  "of  silver.  The  Phi  sTitc  thng  cMj 
Memoirs  of  the  Book-Sunning  Pavilion,”  Avritten  by 
Chu  Yi-tsun  in  the  beginning  of  the  present  dynasty, 
relates  how  the  author  on  the  days  of  new  moon  and 
full  moon  often  w^ent,  while  staying  at  Peking,  to  the 
fair  at  the  Buddhist  temple  Tz’u-en-ssu,  where  rich  men 
thronged  to  look  at  the  old  porcelain  boAAds  exhibited  on 
the  stalls  there.  Plain  Avhite  cups  of  Wan-li  porcelain 
Avere  several  taels  of  silver  each,  those  Avith  the  mark  of 
Hsuan-te  or  of  CK eng-liua  ranged  from  twice  as  much 
and  more,  up  to  the  chicken  cups,  which  could  not  be 
bought  for  less  than  five  tAventy-tael  ingots  of  pure 
silver,  yet  those  Avho  had  the  money  did  not  grudge  it, 
estimating  the  pottery  of  this  period  as  more  valuable 
than  the  finest  jade.” 

The  eleven  specimens  figured  in  our  album  to  illustrate 
the  porcelain  of  this  reign  are  all  decorated  in  coloi*s. 


210 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


neither  the  blue  and  white  nor  the  monochrome  copper 
red  ” of  the  period  being  represented. 

^’‘Melon-shaped  Wine-Pot  {THen-Kua  Hu)^  decorated 
in  colors.  The  body,  of  oval  form  and  indented  outline, 
molded  in  the  natural  form  of  the  lobed  fruit,  is  colored 
yellow,  and  passes  above  into  a rounded  cover,  the  handle 
of  which,  colored  brown  and  green,  is  designed  as  the 
stalk  of  the  fruit.  The  spout  and  handle  of  the  wine-pot 
are  formed  of  convoluted  branches,  with  the  chiseled 
details  colored  brown,  round  which  tendrils  wind  in 
open-work  relief,  and  from  which  spread  leafy  twigs,  to 
decorate  the  surface  of  the  wine-pot  with  leaves,  tendrils, 
and  miniature  gourds,  contrasting  in  their  tones  of  shaded 
green  with  the  surrounding  bright  yellow  ground.  In 
the  porcelain  of  the  reign  of  CIU eng-hua^  that  painted  in 
different  colors  is  the  most  highly  valued,  because  at  this 
time  the  designs  were  executed  in  the  palace  by  the  most 
celebrated  artists,  and  the  colors  were  laid  on  in  their 
different  shades  Avith  finished  skill.  This  wine-pot,  of 
the  natural  size  of  a melon,  with  the  skin  and  branchlets 
of  the  color  of  the  original,  and  the  two  surfaces  of  the 
leaves  appropriately  shaded,  is  a conspicuous  example. 
It  holds  nearly  H pints  of  Avine.”  H.  5 in.,  D.  3 in. 

Wine-Cup  (^Chiu  Pei),  fashioned  in  the  form  of  a 
purple  yiilan  floAvei-  {Magnolia  conspieua).  The  boAvl, 
Avith  indented  rim,  is  formed  of  the  petals  of  a bursting 
blossom,  enameled  in  bright  colors,  Avhite  inside,  purple 
outside,  springing  from  the  green  calyx ; the  foot,  carved 
in  open-work  relief,  is  a branching  twig,  enameled  brown, 
ending  in  small  leaA^es  of  shaded  green.”  H.  2 in.,  D. 
2i  in. 

Tazza-shaped  Wine-Cup  {Pa  Pei),  decorated  in  colors 
Avith  gi’apes.  Of  delicate  form  and  fabric,  with  a round 
shallow  bowl  slightly  everted  at  the  lip,  mounted  upon  a 
high  cylindrical  stem  spreading  at  the  base.  The  bowl 


MING  DYNASTY. 


211 


is  encircled  outside  a\  ith  a festoon  of  grapes  with  trail- 
ing tendrils,  painted  in  colors  upon  a white  ground  of 
slightly  grayish  tone.  The  leaves  are  bright  emerald- 
green;  the  grapes  hang  down  like  bunches  of  purple 
amethysts,  drawn  with  the  utmost  delicacy.  The  glaze 
rises  into  faint  milletlike  elevations,  and  the  decoration 
is  in  perfect  taste  and  antique  coloring,  making  this 
a choice  specimen  of  the  rare  productions  of  a famous 
reign,  and  it  is  of  correspondingly  high  value.  It  is 
figured  from  the  collection  of  Wang  Sun-chi  of  Chin-sha, 
who  says  that  he  purchased  it  for  sixty  taels  from  the 
sub-prefect  of  Hsuan-ch’eng.  It  is  marked  underneath 
in  blue  with  the  inscription,  written  in  a horizontal  line^ 
Ta  Ming  CK eng  liua  nien  chilly  ^ Made  in  the  reign  of 
CKeng-liua  of  the  great  Ming^^  H.  2i  in.,  D.  2i  in. 

Two  Small  Wine- Cups  {Hsiao  Pei),  decorated  in 
colors  with  fiowers  and  insects.  Of  rounded  form,  with 
slightly  swelling  lips,  and  low,  circular  feet,  they  are  so 
thin  and  delicate  that  ^each  cup  weighs  less  than  one- 
third  of  an  ounce.  They  are  decorated  outside  with 
miniature  garden  scenes,  with  the  cockscomb,  narcissus, 
aster,  and  grass  sprouting  from  the  green,  dotted  ground, 
the  fiowers,  minute  as  fiies’  heads  or  mosquitoes’  claws, 
filled  in  with  crimson,  green,  and  yellow,  and  with  fiying 
dragon-flies  and  crawling  mantis  insects  as  minutely 
finished  after  life.  The  amount  of  work  lavished  upon 
each  little  cup  is  surprising,  and  they  are  choice  speci- 
mens of  the  art  work  of  this  celebrated  reign,  which  ai'e 
well  worth  one  hundi*ed  taels  a pair.  Now,  indeed,  it 
is  far  easier  to  get  the  money  than  to  find  such  cups.  I 
saw  them  at  Peking  at  the  house  of  Huang,  General  of 
the  Imperial  Guards.”  H.  li  in.,  D.  2 in. 

“ Tiuo  Wine- Cups  {Kang  Pei),  decorated  in  colors,  one 
with  a pair  of  geese  swimming,  the  other  with  fighting- 
cocks  in  a garden.  The  cups,  which  are  extremely  thin 


212 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


and  delicate,  Avitli  flat  bottoms  and  slightly  swelling 
sides,  are  modeled  in  the  shape  of  the  large  porcelain 
bowls  used  for  goldfish,  from  which  they  take  their 
name  of  l^ang.  The  ground  is  a pure  white,  on  a 
material  as  translucent  as  the  diaphanous  wing  of  a 
cicada,  and  they  are  most  minutely  painted  in  colors 
after  Nature.  The  geese  are  playing  in  the  waves  with 
wings  erect,  and  water-plants  occupy  the  intervals.  The 
cocks  are  standing  on  each  side  of  a tall  crimson  cocks- 
comb sprouting  from  a brown,  grassy  rockery,  and  small, 
yellow  butterflies  are  flying  in  the  air  above.  These  two 
little  cups’,  which  are  very  rare  and  precious,  have  been 
in  our  family  for  many  years.”  H.  li  in.,  D.  2 in. 

‘‘  Miniature  Cup  {Hsiao  Pei)^  molded  in  the  form  of 
a chrysanthemum-flower,  painted  in  colors.  The  bowl, 
Avhite  inside,  has  two  concentric  rings  of  petals  outside, 
colored  yellow,  which  make  the  rim  dentated ; the  handle 
is  the  projecting  brown  stalk  of  the  flower,  carved  in 
open-Avork  with  a green  leaf  attached,  and  another  shaded 
green  leaf  in  the  opposite  side  of  the  cup  makes  its  lip.” 
D.  IJ  in. 

Miniature  Cup  {Hsiao  Pei\  fashioned  in  the  shape 
of  a knotted  tree-stump,  painted  in  colors.  The  surface 
of  irregularly  knotted  outline,  terminating  aboA^e  in  a 
convoluted  rim,  is  colored  brown,  the  interior  being 
Avhite ; a loop  projects  at  one  end,  strung  with  a ring, 
which  forms  the  handle  of  the  cup.  This  cup,  like  the 
chrysanthemum  cup  described  above,  holds  only  a single 
sip  of  wine ; both  are  in  the  possession  of  my  respected 
friend,  Chang  Yuan-lung.”  H.  1 in.,  D.  2 in. 

Pouge-Box  {Pen-chih  Hc>)^  painted  in  colors.  A 
small  circular  box,  Avith  a cover  of  the  same  form, 
decorated  Avith  spiral  scrolls  in  green,  contrasting  charm- 
ingly Avith  the  bright  yelloAV  ground.  It  came  out  of 
the  imperial  palace,  where  it  had  been  used  by  one  of 


MING  DYNASTY. 


213 


tlie  ladies  of  the  court  to  hold  cosmetics  for  the  lips  and 
cheeks.  The  decoration  is  artistic  and  clearly  defined, 
and  it  might  be  used  as  a casket  for  incense,  for  ground 
tea,  for  betel-nuts,  or  for  prepared  perfumes.  It  has 
been  for  a long  time  past  in  my  own  cabinet.”  H.  f in., 
D.  1 in. 

Lotus- Floioer  Lamp  {Lien-Hua  Teng)^  of  elaborate 
form,  decorated  in  colors.  The  design  is  that  of  a lotus 
plant,  the  green,  cup-shaped  center  of  the  flower  forming 
the  receptacle  for  the  oil,  being  mounted  upon  its  stalk 
in  the  midst  of  the  peltate  leaves.  Another  broad  folded 
leaf  with  a convoluted  margin  is  spread  out  as  a support 
at  the  base,  and  from  the  top  of  this  spring  two  other 
leaves,  the  larger  one,  elevated  upon  a long  curved  stem 
to  overhang  the  lamp,  being  balanced  by  a small  leaf  on 
the  other  side  of  the  floral  receptacle.  The  leaves  are 
shaded  in  green  tints  with  the  veining  indicated  on  the 
two  surfaces ; the  petals  of  the  lotus  are  painted  pale 
pink,  darkening  at  the  tips.  This  lamp,  of  an  antique 
style  far  excelling  the  rough  work  of  the  present  day,  is 
in  the  possession  of  Chu  Tz’ti-pu,  a physician  living  at 
Wu-sung.”  H.  7 in. 

Hung-chih  (1488-1505). 

The  emperor  CKeng-hua  succeeded  by  his  son, 
who  reigned  for  eighteen  years  under  the  title  of  Hung- 
chill. 

This  reign  is  distinguished  especially  for  its  mono- 
chrome glaze  of  yellow  color,  which  is  of  two  shades,  the 
one  compared  by  the  Chinese  with  the  tint  of  a boiled 
chestnut,  the  other  with  the  soft  yellow  of  a freshly 
opened  hibiscus-flower.  Bowls  and  saucer-shaped  dishes 
of  this  pale  yellow  color,  with  the  mark  of  ILung-chili 
underneath,  are  not  uncommon.  There  is  a bowl  of  thin 


214 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


fabric,  7J  inches  in  diameter,  covered  inside  and  out  with 
a pale  yellow  glaze,  with  a mark  of  this  period.  No.  39 
of  the  Franks  Collection^  and  the  only  specimen  of  this 
nien-liao  in  Jacquemart’s  List  is  a soucoupe  emaillee 
jaime  jonquille  ” (loc.  cit.,  p.  174). 

Three  pieces  of  monochrome  yellow  are  figured  in  our 
album,  together  with  one  other  specimen  of  the  reign,  a 
wine-pot  decorated  in  green  and  brown  on  a similar 
yellow  ground,  a rare  example,  which,  as  the  artist  sug- 
gests, could  hardly  be  distinguished  from  a production 
of  the  preceding  reign  of  the  CKmg-liua  period. 

Small  Incense- Burner  {Hsiao  Ting^^  modeled  in  the 
shape  of  one  of  the  sacrificial  vessels  used  in  ancient 
times  for  offering  corn  on  the  altar,  made  of  ancient 
bronze.  The  body  of  oblong  form,  with  rounded  corners^ 
is  horizontally  ribbed,  and  decorated  with  a band  of 
interrupted  fret  engraved  round  the  rim ; it  is  molded  on 
four  legs  swelling  at  the  top,  and  has  two  upright  loop 
handles.  The  cover,  of  vaulted  form,  with  triangular 
projections  upon  the  four  corners,  is  chiseled  with  a bor- 
der of  similar  fret.  It  is  enameled  with  a yellow  glaze 
of  the  color  of  a boiled  chestnut.  The  form,  known  by 
the  name  of  ^ oak  basket,’  is  of  antique  artistic  beauty^ 
and  specially  suitable  for  burning  incense  upon  the  altar. 
I obtained  it  at  Wu-men  from  the  cell  of  the  bonze 
Hu-ch’iu.”  H.  2 in.,  D.  3 in. 

Gourd-shaped  Wine-Pot  {Hu-lu  Hu),  of  pale  yellow 
ground,  decorated  in  colors.  The  porcelain  of  the  reign 
of  Hung-chih  is  celebrated  for  its  pale  yellow,  but  it  also 
included  some  pieces  decorated  in  colors,  fit  to  be  com- 
pared with  those  of  the  CK eng-hua  period,  like  thi» 
beautiful  wine-pot.  It  is  modeled  in  the  shape  of  a 
slender  gourd  with  a contracted  waist,  the  brown  stalk  of 
the  gourd  curving  upward  as  the  handle  of  the  small 
round  cover  ; a branch  winds  downward  to  form  an  open 


MmG  DYNASTY. 


215 


convoluted  handle  for  the  wine-pot,  round  which  wind 
tendrils  in  open-work  relief,  and  from  which  spring 
branchlets  and  tendrils  to  ornament  the  surface  with 
smaller  gourds,  green  leaves,  and  tendrils,  all  worked  in 
relief  and  shaded  in  green  to  contrast  with  the  yellow 
ground ; a small  hollow  gourd  of  the  same  form  and 
yellow  tint  projects  upward  as  the  spout  of  the  ewer. 
It  holds  over  a pint  of  wine.  I acquired  it  from  my 
fellow-citizen,  Chu,  a doctor  of  litei*ature.”  H.  5 in. 

“ Teacup  Pei),  one  of  a pair,  molded  in  the 

shape  of  a hibiscus-blossom.  The  bowl  of  graceful  floral 
form,  with  flaring  indented  rim  and  vertically  ribbed 
sides,  springing  from  a circular  foot ; it  is  white  inside, 
and  enameled  outside  with  a glaze  of  a delicate  yellow 
tint  resembling  that  of  the  petals  of  the  bursting  hibiscus 
flower.  I have  seen  many  specimens  of  Hung-cldli  por- 
celain, but  nothing  to  surpass  these  two  little  cups  in 
beauty  of  form  and  color.  I got  them  from  a friend  in 
exchange  for  a copy  of  the  Thousand  Character  Classic, 
written  in  running  hand  by  Wen  Wei-chung.”  H.  2f  in. 

Dragon  Wine-  Vessel  (^Pan  CliHu  Yil),  modeled  in  the 
form  of  an  ancient  sacrificial  vessel  of  bronze.  The  body 
of  rounded  form  is  enveloped,  as  it  were,  in  the  wings  of 
two  dragons,  worked  upon  it  in  relief ; the  two  heads  of 
the  monsters  are  worked  in  salient  i*elief  upon  the  covei*, 
and  four  dragons’  legs  form  the  feet  of  the  vessel.  The 
whole  is  covered  with  a bright  monochrome  glaze  of  a 
pale  yellow  tint,  like  that  of  the  petals  of  the  hibiscus 
flower,  without  spot  or  flaw,  making  it  a choice  example 
of  the  period.  I saw  it  in  the  collection  of  the  histori- 
ographer Chou,  of  the  province  of  Shansi.”  H.  4 in. 


216 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


jE  Ch:£:ng-t^:  (1506-21). 

The  mark  of  this  emperor,  son  of  the  preceding,  who 
reigned  under  the  title  of  CJieng-te,  is  not  so  very  rare  in 
collections,  although  the  porcelain  of  the  period  is  hardly 
distinguished  for  any  special  excellence  in  either  material 
or  decoration.  In  the  beginning  of  the  reign  one  of  the 
eunuchs  of  the  palace  was  dispatched  to  Ching-te-chen  to 
superintend  the  fabrication  of  porcelain  for  the  court,  and 
he  is  recorded  to  have  rebuilt  the  im]3erial  manufactory 
called  Yii-ch’i-ch’ang,  which  has  continued  to  furnish  the 
annual  supplies,  with  occasional  brief  intermissions,  ever 
since.  The  work  remained  in  the  hands  of  the  eunuchs 
during  the  whole  of  this  reign,  in  spite  of  constant  com- 
plaints of  their  cupidity  and  oppression  both  from  the 
officials  and  from  the  potters,  and  it  was  not  till  the  first 
year  of  the  next  reign  that  this  regime  Avas  abolished. 

The  supply  of  cobalt-blue  from  western  Asia  had 
failed  since  the  reign  of  Hsuan-te^  when  it  had  been 
brouglit  by  Chinese  ships  which  Avent  as  far  Avest  as  the 
coast  of  Africa;  in  the  reign  of  Clieng-te^  as  we  learn 
from  the  Sliih  vm  han  it  came  again  by  a new 

route,  under  the  name  of  Hid  cKing^  or  Mohammedan 
blue,”  which  a high  eunuch,  while  acting  as  governor 
of  the  province  of  Yunnan,  obtained  from  foreign  coun- 
tries ; it  Avas  melted  Avith  stone  to  make  imitation  sap- 
phires, which  Avere  valued  at  tAvice  their  Aveight  in  gold  ; 
and  when  it  was  found  that  it  coidd  be  fired,  it  Avas  used 
in  the  decoration  of  poi*celain,  the  color  of  which  sur- 
passed the  old.”  Such  intercourse  is  confirmed  by  an 
interesting  case  in  the  Oriental  department  of  the  British 
Museum,  filled  Avith  Cliinese  bronzes  with  Arabic  scrolls 
collected  by  the  learned  curator,  most  of  them  inscribed 
with  marks  of  this  reign,  mixed  with  several  specimens 


MING  DYNASTY. 


217 


of  blue  and  white  porcelain  with  similar  Arabic  inscrip- 
tions, which  must  have  been  painted  in  China  at  the 
same  time.  I will  quote  the  description  of  one  of  these 
pieces,  which  is  numbered  No.  147a  iu  the  Franks 
Catalogue : 

Ink  Apparatus.  Chinese  porcelain,  painted  in  blue. 
It  consists  of  an  oblong  slab  for  rubbing  Indian  ink, 
with  a hole  at  one  end  for  water  ; over  this  fits  a loose 
cover,  the  top  of  which  is  decorated  with  one  square  and 
two  circular  compartments,  containing  Arabic  inscrip- 
tions to  the  following  purport:  ^Strive  for  excellence  in 
penmanship,  for  it  is  one  of  the  keys  of  livelihood,’  and 
the  Persian  word  ^Writing-case.’  The  spaces  are  filled 
with  formal  scrolls.  Mark  of  the  period,  Ching-tih, 
1506-1522.  L.  9f  in.,  W.  51^  in.  It  was  recently 

obtained  in  Peking,  and  was  therefore  probably  oi-iginally 
made  for  a Chinese  Mohammedan,  not  for  exportation.” 

In  addition  to  blue  and  white,  we  have  monochrome 
pieces  of  this  reign  enameled  yellow,  and  others 
decorated  in  colors,  applied  sometimes  over  the  white 
glaze,  but  usually  sur  biscuit.  When  over  the  glaze, 
they  may  be  used  in  combination  with  cobalt-blue  and 
copper-red  applied  previously  under  the  glaze.  A 
favorite  decoration  of  the  time  is  that  of  the  five-clawed 
imperial  dragon,  with  the  details  engraved  in  the  paste 
and  filled  in  with  green,  in  the  midst  of  scrolled  clouds 
or  imbricated  waves.  The  green  dragons  are  sometimes 
relieved  by  a yellow  ground,  as  in  the  vase  marked 
Cheng  te  nien  chih,  Made  in  the  reign  of  Clieng-te^^ 
described  by  Jacquemart  (foe.  efo,  p.  175)  in  these 
words : 

Vase  de  forme  basse  5.  fond  jaune  sur  biscuit,  avec  le 
dragon  imperial  grave  et  rechampi  en  vert.  Coll,  de 
Mine.  Malinet.” 

The  Vase  shown  in  Fig.  162  is  decorated  in  this  style. 


218 


OEIENTAL  CEKAMIC  ART. 


and  marked  also  with  the  seal-mark  Cheng  te  nien  chihy 
incised  underneath  in  archaic  characters  under  the  glaze, 
but  it  appears  to  be  a production  of  the  beginning  of  the 
eighteenth  century.  It  is  decorated  on  the  front  and 
back  with  flowers  and  butterflies  engraved  in  the  paste, 
and  inlaid  with  green  and  white  enamels,  relieved  by  a 
purplish-brown  ground  with  brilliant  iridescent  tints. 

This  is  the  most  recent  reign  represented  in  our 
Chinese  manuscri23t  album,  and  it  is  illustrated  by  two 
pieces,  both  of  them  invested  with  a monochrome  yellow 
glaze  of  orange  tint. 

Libation  Cup  {GMleK)^  modeled  in  the  form  of  an 
ancient  sacrificial  wine-cup  of  bronze,  with  a plain 
rounded  bowl,  encircled  by  a band  of  three  rings  in 
slight  relief  passing  round  within  the  loop  of  the  strap 
handle,  mounted  upon  three  pointed  feet,  and  with  two 
knobs  projecting  upward  at  the  base  of  the  wide  lip.  It 
is  enameled  with  a rich  yellow  glaze  of  the  tint  of  a 
boiled  chestnut,  rising  in  faint  elevations  like  the  skin  of 
a plucked  fowl.  It  is  a choice  example  of  the  porcelain 
of  Clieng-te  on  account  of  the  antique  beauty  of  its  form 
and  the  artistic  simplicity  of  its  coloilng.”  H.  5i  in. 

Plicenix  and  Tortoise-supported  Lamp  (^Feng  Kuei 
Teng)^  modeled  after  an  ancient  bronze  design.  The 
receptacle  for  the  oil,  a round  pan  with  fluted  sides  and 
a projecting  handle,  is  poised  upon  a ball  supported  on 
the  crested  head  of  a phoenix,  which  stands  upright, 
with  wings  outspread,  on  the  back  of  a tortoise.  The 
oi*namental  details  are  engraved  in  the  paste,  and  cov- 
ered with  a monochrome  glaze  of  the  rich  yellow  tint  of 
a boiled  chestnut.” 

The  other  pieces  attributed  to  this  reign  are  two 
teapots  of  colored  stoneware,  or  terra  cotta,  from  the 
potteries  of  Yi-hsing-hsien,  in  the  prefecture  of  Chang- 
chou,  in  the  province  of  Kiangsu.  These  are  situated 


MING  DYNASTY. 


219 


not  far  from  Shanghai,  a few  miles  up  the  river,  near  the 
western  shores  of  the  T’ai-wu  Lake,  and  are  well  known 
in  the  present  day  for  their  production  of  the  red 
^^boccaro”  ware,  which  is  preferred  to  porcelain  by  the 
Chinese  for  the  infusion  of  tea.  The  teapots  figured  in 
the  album  are  both  unglazed,  of  the  natural  color  of  the 
fired  paste,  one  being  fawn-colored,  the  other  brick-red, 
and  both  of  them  are  endowed  with  the  curious  property 
of  changing  to  green  when  they  have  tea  inside. 

They  are  included  here  as  instances  of  yao-pien^  or 
furnace  transmutation.”  The  Chinese  have  a taste  for 
the  marvelous,  and  describe  several  kinds  of  yaopien, 
produced  by  the  creative  power  of  the  fire.  One  of  the 
old  poets  relates  how  music  once  proceeded  spontane- 
ously from  a pair  of  vases  during  a banquet ; a modern 
collector  boasts  that  a bowl  of  Sung  porcelain  of  his 
would  keep  meat  or  water  fresh  for  an  indefinite  time. 
An  official,  again,  gravely  reports  to  the  emperor  how  a 
whole  firing  of  porcelain  slabs  for  which  he  was  respon- 
sible had  been  transformed  in  the  kiln  into  beds  and 
boats  with  all  the  furniture  complete,  and  how  the 
potters  in  their  fright  had  destroyed  them.  Sometimes 
a vase  would  appear  with  a stain  on  its  surface  of  differ- 
ent color  from  that  of  the  ground,  and  this  would  take 
the  outline  of  a dragon,  a bird,  or  a butterfly.  The 
above  transmutations  are  all  ascribed  to  miraculous 
agency.  The  last  kind  of  furnace  transmutation  ” 
ascribed,  on  the  other  hand,  to  human  ingenuity,  is 
where  the  materials  of  the  glaze  have  been  purposely 
combined  to  produce  the  wonderful  play  of  brilliant 
colors  peculiar  to  the  well-known  flamhe  glaze,  with  its 
flashing  streaks  of  crimson  and  blue,  mingling  into  every 
intermediate  shade  of  purple.  Here  is  the  descrij)tion 
of  the  artist : 

^‘Teapot  {CKa  of  Ming  dynasty,  Yi-hsing  yao- 


220 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


pien  or  ‘ furnace-transmutation  ’ ware,  made  by  Kung 
Ch’un.  The  potteries  of  Yi-hsing  date  from  our  own 
sacred  dynasty  in  the  reign  of  Clieng-te^  when  a cele- 
brated potter  lived  there  named  Kung  Ch’un,  a native  of 
Yi-hsing,  who  made  utensils  of  earthenwai*e  for  drinking 
tea,  which  were  often  fortuitously  transmuted  in  the 
kiln  like  this  teapot.  Its  original  color,  a grayish  brown 
like  that  of  felt,  changes  to  a bright  green  when  tea  is 
put  in,  and  gradually  returns  to  its  proper  color,  line  by 
line,  as  the  tea  is  poured  out.  This  is  only  a curious 
accidental  peculiarity,  and  yet  modern  virtuosos  prize  it 
most  highly.  Both  this  and  the  following  brick-red 
teapot  were  made  by  Kung.  I saw  them  both  in  the 
capital,  in  the  palace  of  one  of  the  princes,  who  had 
bought  them  from  Chang,  a high  official  of  Nanking,  for 
500  taels.  This  one  is  a plain  teapot  of  hexagonal 
section,  with  an  angular  spout  and  a broad,  overarching 
handle,  about  4i  inches  high.” 

'"‘‘Teapot  {ClUa  of  Ming  dynasty,  Yi-hsing  yao- 

pien  ware,  made  by  Kung  Ch’un.  Of  slender  oval  form, 
with  a foliated  handle  and  a curved  spout.  The  color  of 
the  paste,  a vermilion  red,  changes  to  bright  green  like 
the  preceding,  so  as  to  show  the  height  of  the  tea  inside. 
This  is  a wondeidul  example  of  the  miraculous  power  of  ^ 
heaven  and  earth,  a lusm  natures-  that  I could  not  have 
ci*edited  had  I not  seen  it  with  my  own  eyes.”  H.  5 in. 

^ j!^,  CiiiA-CHiNG  (1522-66). 

The  last  emperor  was  succeeded  by  his  cousin,  another 
grandson  of  the  Emperor  CKengTua^  and  his  reign  i& 
almost  as  celebrated  for  its  porcelain  as  that  of  his 
grandfather.  He  reigned  foi*  forty-hve  years  under  the 
title  of  Cliia-ching.  In  the  beginning  of  his  reign  the 


MING  DYNASTY-. 


221 


appointment  of  eunuchs  as  superintendents  was  abol- 
ished, and  the  assistant  prefects  of  the  circuit  were 
ordered  to  officiate  in  annual  rotation  as  dii*ectors  of  the 
imperial  manufactory,  and  to  provide  the  funds  for  the 
work.  This  last  was  no  mean  task,  as  it  is  recorded  that 
in  the  twenty-fifth  year  (1546)  120,000  taels  of  silver 
were  levied  from  the  province  as  a yearly  subsidy,  in 
addition  to  the  provisions  for  the  workmen  ; and  that  in 
1554  this  sum  was  increased  by  20,000  taels,  in  addition 
to  which  the  private  potters  were  required  to  undertake 
the  supply  of  the  largest  fish-bowls,  and  were  heavily 
taxed  besides.  In  1565  one  of  the  subprefects  of  Jao- 
chou-fu  was  oi’dered  to  reside  permanently  at  Ching-te- 
chen  as  director;  but  this  change  did  not  succeed,  and 
early  in  the  next  reign  the  old  plan  of  annual  rotation 
was  reverted  to. 

The  supply  of  Mohammedan  blue  which  was  imported 
by  the  Yunnan  route  in  the  preceding  reign  continued 
to  arrive,  and  this  reign  is  especially  celebrated  for  the 
brilliance  of  its  blue  decoration  ; it  was  preferred  to  be 
very  dark  in  color,  in  which  it  differs  from  the  porcelain 
of  Hman-te^  the  other  reign  famous  for  its  blue  and 
white,  the  blue  of  which  is  usually  pale  in  tone.  The 
best  blue  of  the  period  was  prepared  by  mixing  one  part 
of  calcined  shih-tzu  cKing^  or  “ stone  blue,”  the  native 
cobaltiferous  ore  of  manganese,  with  ten  parts  of 
imported  blue,  as  the  latter  had  a tendency  to  “ run  ” if 
used  alone.  A mixture  in  the  same  proportions  was  also 
employed,  suspended  in  water,  to  produce  the  beautiful 
mottled  blue  gi’ound  for  which  this  reign  is  also  remark- 
able ; the  thin  puree  of  blue,  Itun-sltui  cKing^  as  it  was 
called,  being  spread  with  a brush  on  the  paste,  so  as  to 
fill  in  the  interstices  of  the  penciled  decoration,  which 
was  either  reserved  in  white,  or  subsequently  filled  in 
with  canary  yellow  or  coral  red.  Sometimes  the  decora- 


222 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


tion  was  penciled  over  tlie  mottled  blue  ground  with 
strokes  of  stronger  blue. 

Decoration  in  other  colors  also  occurs,  but  not  to  the 
same  extent  as  in  the  subsequent  reign  of  Wan-li.  The 
colored  glazes  in  the  reign  of  Chia-ching  were  used 
either  as  monochromes,  including  a turquoise-blue 
derived  from  copper,  in  addition  to  the  dark  and  sky- 
blue  grounds  derived  from  cobalt,  the  yellow,  the  brown, 
and  the  red ; or  to  form  colored  grounds  to  relieve  the 
blue  decoration.  The  monochromes  are  either  plain,  or 
spread  over  designs  previously  incised  in  the  paste. 
The  blue  paintings  are  relieved  either  by  red,  brown,  or 
yellow  ; occasionally  ornamental  designs  reserved  in  the 
blue  mottled  ground  were  colored  red  or  yellow,  form- 
ing an  attractive  variety.  The  art  of  decoration  in 
copper-red  seems  to  have  altogether  declined,  owing  to 
the  substitution  of  a coral-red  glaze  derived  from  iron, 
prepared  by  tlie  roasting  of  crystals  of  iron  sulphate, 
Avhich  was  much  less  expensive  and  more  easily  fired. 
The  officials  memorialized  the  emperor  to  be  allowed  to 
use  this  even  for  the  sacrificial  vessels  required  for  the 
altar  of  the  Temple  of  Heaven. 

The  white  “ altar  cups  ” made  for  the  emperor  to  use 
on  Taoist  altars,  and  inscribed  with  the  name  of  the 
offerings  they  were  filled  with,  were  called  by  the  same 
name,  fan  chan^  as  the  exquisite  altar  cups  ” of  the 
older  reign  of  Hman-te^  but  they  were  slightly  yellowish 
in  tinge  and  less  delicate  in  finish,  because  the  supply  of 
the  best  porcelain  earth  from  the  Ma-ts’ang  Hills  was 
already  beginning  to  fail.  These  white  cups  are  described 
in  the  Po  vm  yao  Ian  as  resembling  jade  in  appearance, 
and  as  having  the  charactei's  clfa,  “ tea,”  clii%  wine,” 
ts'ao  fang^  ‘‘jujube  decoction,”  and  chiang  fwng^  “ginger 
decoction,”  etched  inside  under  the  glaze.  The  same 
book  refers  to  the  decoration  of  all  kinds  of  porcelain 


MING  DYNASTY. 


223 


objects  in  blue  and  in  colors  of  this  reign,  and  selects  as 
gems  the  shallow  wine-cups  with  foliated  rims,  loaf-shaped 
bottoms,  and  circularly  rimmed  feet  decorated  outside  in 
colors  with  three  fishes,  and  the  tiny  round  rouge-boxes 
no  larger  than  cash  ” delicately  painted  in  blue. 

Some  of  the  pieces  of  porcelain  produced  in  this  reign 
are  remarkable  for  their  large  size.  A vender  of  sweet- 
meats has  for  years  plied  his  trade  in  the  eastern  gate- 
way of  the  imperial  palace  at  Peking  with  his  honey 
preserves  piled  up  in  two  immense  round  dishes  over 
three  feet  in  diameter.  They  are  decorated  with  five- 
clawed  imperial  dragons  disporting  in  clouds,  boldly 
painted  in  dark  underglaze  blue,  displayed  upon  an 
enameled  ground  of  mottled  canary  yelloAv,  and  are 
marked  ” near  the  upper  rim,  Ta  Ming  Cilia  cliing  liu 
nien  chilly  ‘^Made  in  the  sixth  year  (1527)  of  the  reign 
of  Cliia-cliing  of  the  great  MingC  He  regards  them  as 
an  heirloom  on  which  his  luck  de|3ends,  and  has  refused 
the  most  tempting  offers,  declaring  that  nothing  shall 
induce  him  to  part  with  them. 

The  designs  used  in  the  decoration  of  the  imperial 
porcelain  are  found  in  a long  list  in  the  Fou-liang-lisien 
Cliih^  which  gives  all  the  annual  indents  from  the  eighth 
year,  the  previous  records  having,  according  to  these 
ofiicial  annals,  been  burned.  The  list  is  interesting,  but 
too  long  for  insertion  here,  and  we  will  only  extract  the 
indents  of  the  two  years  referred  to  above,  which  cor- 
respond to  1546  and  1554  a.  d. 

1.  Fok  the  Twenty-phfth  Year  of  Chia-ching 
(a.  d.  1546). 

Large  Fish-Boivls  {ICaiuj)^  300,  decorated  with  a pair 
of  dragons  enveloped  in  clouds,  painted  in  blue  on  a white 
ground,  or  reserved  in  white  upon  blue. 


224 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


Jars  fitted  with  Covers  {Kuan  yu  Kai)^  1,000,  of  blue 
ground  with  sprays  of  conventional  paradise  flowers 
{pao  hsiang  liuai)  and  arabesque  designs  (Jiui-hui  hua). 

Bowls  ( Wani)^  22,000,  blue  inside  and  out,  decorated 
with  dragons  coiling  through  flowers. 

Banquet  Bowls  {Shan  Waii)^  11,500,  of  larger  size,  of 
blue  ground,  decorated  inside  with  scepter-framed  medal- 
lions inclosing  phoenixes  in  pairs  ; outside,  with  phoenixes 
flying  through  flowers. 

Round  Dishes  {P'^an)^  31,000,  painted  inside  in  blue 
on  a white  ground,  with  sea-waves  and  dragons  in  the 
midst  of  clouds,  and  outside  with  nine  dragons. 

Saucer  Plates  {Tieli)j  16,000,  painted  inside  and  outside 
in  blue  on  a white  ground,  with  a pair  of  dragons  in  the 
midst  of  clouds. 

Teacups  {CKa  Chung) ^ 3,000,  painted  in  blue  and 
white,  decorated  outside  with  dragon  medallions  and 
water  caltrops  {Trapa  hicornis) ; inside  with  dragons 
and  clouds  reserved  on  a blue  ground. 

Wine- Cups  {Chiu  Chan)^  18,400,  painted  in  blue  and 
white,  decorated  outside  with  a pair  of  dragons  in  clouds  ; 
inside,  with  dragons  and  clouds  reserved  on  a blue 
ground. 

2.  For  the  Thirty-third  Year  of  Chia-chino 
(a.  d.  1554). 

Bowls  { Wanfi  26,350,  with  a blue  ground,  decorated 
with  a pair  of  dragons  in  clouds. 

Plates  {Tieli)^  30,500,  of  the  same  design. 

Wine-Cups  {Chan),  6,900,  white  inside,  blue  outside,, 
with  the  typical  flowers  of  the  four  seasons. 

Large  Fish  Bowls  { Yu  ICang),  680,  decorated  with 
blue  flowers  on  a white  ground. 


MING  DYNASTY. 


225 


Teacups  {On)^  9,000,  with  foliated  rims,  of  greenish 
white  (cJi’ing  pa{)  or  celadon  porcelain. 

Bowls  (Wafi),  10,200,  decorated  outside  with  lotus 
flowers,  fish,  and  water  plants,  painted  in  bine  on  a white 
ground ; inside,  upon  a bine  ground,  with  dragons  and 
phoenixes  passing  through  flowers,  and  with  a band  of 
drao;ous  and  flowers  round  the  rim. 

Teacups  (Ou)^  19,800,  of  the  same  pattern. 

Libation  Cups  {Cliueli)^  600,  with  hill-shaped  saucers 
ishanp\mi)  to  support  the  three  feet,  of  blue  color, 
decorated  with  sea- waves  and  a pair  of  dragons  in  clouds. 

Wine  Pots  or  Ewers  {Hu)^  6,000,  of  Avhite  porcelain. 

The  list  of  Olii  Chui  or  “ sacrificial  vessels  ” enumerated 
in  the  same  book  on  one  of  the  other  occasions  compi’ises 
ten  Mao  Hsileh  P''an^  Dishes  for  the  hair  and  blood  ” of 
sacrificial  victims ; forty  Tie\  Platters  ” ; four  Eai 
Kencj  Wan^  Bowls  for  plain  broth  ” ; ten  Ho  Keng 
Wan^  Bowls  for  savory  broth  ” ; one  hundred  Cliiu 
Chung^  ‘^Wine-Cups”;  twenty-three  Cliueli,  ^‘Libation 
cups  of  tripod  form  ” ; eighty  Pien  Ton  P^an,  Tazza- 
shaped  Bowls  and  Dishes  ” for  offerings  of  bread,  fruib 
etc. ; six  Eai  Tsun,  Large  Wine-Jars  ” with  swelling 
body  and  two  mask  handles  of  monsters’  heads;  six  Hsi 
Tsirn^  ^‘Rhinoceros  Jars,”  modeled  in  the  form  of  a 
rhinoceros  carrying  on  its  back  a vase  Avith  cover ; two 
Cliu  Tsun^  like  tall  cylindrical  cups  ; and  ionv  Sha7i  Leiy 
“ Hill  and  Thunder  ” cups,  so  called  from  the  scrolled 
designs  engraved  upon  them.  These  ritual  forms,  which 
are  still  in  use  at  the  present  day,  are  all  figured  in  book 
XXV  of  the  Illustrations  of  the  Institutes  of  the  Peign- 
ing  Dynasty  {Ta  CliHng  Hui  Tien  Poii).  Tliey  ai’e 
enameled  of  different  colors,  according  to  the  temple  for 
Avhich  tliey  are  made  : Blue  for  the  Altar  of  Heaven  and 
for  the  Temple  of  the  Laud  and  Grain  ; yellow  for  the 
Altar  of  Earth,  for  the  worship  of  the  god  of  agriculture 


226 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


and  of  the  goddess  of  silk  ; red  for  the  Altar  of  the  Sun ; 
and  lohite  for  the  Altar  of  Jupiter,  the  year  star  ” of  the 
Chinese. 

In  the  year  1544  we  find  the  enormous  order  of  1,340 
sets  of  table  services,  cho  cK%  each  consisting  of  twenty- 
seven  pieces,  comprising  five  Ituo  fruit  dishes,”  five 

tdai  tieli^  ‘‘  food  dishes,”  five  wan^  bowls,”  five  yun  tieh, 

vegetable  dishes,”  three  cKa  chung^  tea-cups,”  one 
cJiiiL  chan,  “ wine-cup,”  one  cliiit  tieli^  ‘‘  wine-saucer,”  one 
cha  toii^  slop  receptacle,”  and  one  ts\i  chui^  “ vinegar 
cruse  or  ewer.”  Of  these  services,  380  sets  were  painted 
in  blue,  with  a pair  of  dragons  surrounded  by  clouds ; 
160  were  enameled  white,  with  dragons  engraved  in  the 
paste  underneath  ; 160  were  of  monochrome  brown  of 
thii  fond-laque  or  ‘‘dead-leaf”  tint  (tzu  chin)]  160  of 
monochrome  turquoise-blue  (tdui cliHng  se)  ; 160  of  coral 
or  iron-red  (^fan  liung)^  “ instead  of  bright  copper-red 
(Jisien  hung) ’’^  ] and  160  were  enameled  .brilliant  green 
(tdui  III). 

The  designs  of  the  decorated  porcelain  of  this  time 
are  said  to  have  been  principally  derived  from  ancient 
embroidery  and  brocaded  silks.  They  are  conveniently 
described  in  the  Tdo  Shuo,  in  a list  which  we  extract, 
under  the  following  six  headings : 

1.  Painted  in  Blue  on  a White  Ground. 

2.  Blue  Porcelain. 

3.  White  Inside,  Blue  Outside. 

4.  White  Porcelain. 

5.  Brown  Porcelain. 

6.  Mixed  Colors. 


MING  DYNASTY. 


227 


1.  Painted  in  Blue  on  a White  Geound. 

Boids  ( Wan)^  decorated  witli  dragons  pursuing 
jewels,  and  outside  with  weighing-scales  and  playing 
children. 

Boiols  with  the  ground,  inside  and  out,  filled  with 
graceful  beauties.’^' 

Bowls  with  medallions  framed  by  bamboo  leaves  and 
the  sacred  fungus,  containing  di*agons  in  clouds  and 
dragons  and  phoenixes  passing  through  flowers. 

Botols  decorated  outside  with  dragons  emerging  from 
sea- waves,  holding  up  the  eight  mystical  trigrams; 
inside,  with  the  three  alchemists  (i.  e.,  Confucius,  Lao- 
Tzu,  and  Buddha)  compounding  the  elixir  vitce. 

Bowls  decorated  outside  with  dragons  and  with 
phoenixes  and  other  birds  ; inside  with  dragons  in  the 
midst  of  clouds. 

Boivls  decorated  outside  with  four  fish — the  mackerel, 
carp,  marbled  perch,  and  another;  inside,  with  birds  fly- 
ing in  the  midst  of  clouds. 

Wine- Cups  {Climi)^  decorated  outside  with  celestial 
flowers  supporting  the  characters  Sliou  slian  fu  lia% 
Old  as  the  hills,  rich  as  the  sea ! ” inside,  with  two 
Taoist  genii. 

Wine-Gups  {Chiu  Glicmi)^  with  a pair  of  dragons 
among  clouds  outside,  and  dragons  and  clouds  upon  a 
blue  ground  inside. 

Wine-Gups  with  dragons  among  clouds  outside,  and 
soaring  dragons  inside. 

Wine-Cups  ^vith  dragons  of  archaic  design  outside, 
and  storks  flying  through  clouds  inside. 


* Referring,  perhaps,  to  the  slender,  graceful  figures  of  Chinese  damsels 
called  Lange  Lysen  by  the  old  Dutch  collectors,  corrupted  to  “Long  Elizas” 
in  the  auction  catalogues  of  to-day. 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


Wine-Cups  with  a pair  of  dragons  painted  outside, 
a pair  of  phoenixes  inside. 

Teacups  {Ou\  decorated  outside  with  playing  boys 
and  the  typical  flowers  of  the  four  seasons ; inside, 
with  dragons  emerging  from  water  into  the  clouds,  and 
with  flowering  plants. 

leacups  {Ou^^  decorated  outside  with  dragons  emerg- 
ing from  water ; inside,  with  lions. 

Teacups  {()u)^  with  emblems  of  the  six  cardinal 
points  of  the  universe  outside ; soaring  dragons 
inside. 

Cups  (^Clmng^^  decorated  with  flowers  and  with  the 
inscription  JFu  sliou  Vanej  ning^  Happiness,  long  life, 
health,  and  peace  ! ” 

Teacups  (^Cli\i  Chung'),  decorated  inside  and  out  with 
the  myriad-flowering  wistaria ; and  outside  also  with 
dragons  grasping  jewels  in  their  claws. 

Cup>s  {Ghunej),  with  playing  boys  outside  ; dragons 
among  clouds  inside. 

Teacups  {CKa  Chung),  decoi*ated  outside  with 
dragon  medallions  and  water  caltrops ; inside,  with 
dragons  and  clouds  reserved  on  a blue  ground. 

Cups  {Chung) ^ with  clouds  and  dragons  outside, 
floi’al  medallions  inside. 

Wine  Vases  {Chiu  Tsuii),  beaker-shaped,  decorated 
Avith  the  fir,  bamboo,  and  plum. 

Sauce r-shaped  Dishes  {Tieli),  filled  inside  and  out  with 
bevies  of  graceful  beauties. 

Dishes  {Tieli),  Avith  cranes,  inside  and  out,  flyiug 
through  clouds. 

Dishes  {Tieli),  decorated  outside  with  dragons  envel- 
oped in  Indian  lotus  flowers ; inside,  with  phoenixes 
flying  tln’oiigh  floAvei's. 

* The  tree  peony  of  spring,  the  lotus  of  summer,  the  chrysanthemum  of 
autumn,  and  the  plum  of  winter. 


MING  DYNASTY. 


229 


Dishes  (^Tieli),  decorated  outside  with  fruit-bearing 
lotus  plants ; inside,  with  medallions  of  flowers. 

Dishes  {TieJi)^  with  the  same  decoration  outside; 
dragons  and  phoenixes  inside. 

Dishes  (Tieli)^  with  phoenixes  flying  through  flowers 
outside;  sporting  dragons,  both  ascending  and  descend- 
ing, inside. 

Jars  with  covers,  decorated  with  a set  of 

eight  precious  symbols  supported  upon  branching 
scrolls  of  the  sacred  fungus. 

Jars  (Kuan)^  with  the  eight  Taoist  immortals  cross- 
ing the  sea. 

Jars  (IDian)^  decorated  with  Pao-lao  Revels — Pro- 
cessions of  children  in  masquerade  costume  at  the  new 
year. 

Jars  (Kuavi)^  decorated  with  peacocks  and  moutan 
peonies. 

Jars  {Knaii)^  decorated  with  lions  sporting  with 
embroidered  balls. 

Jars  {Kuaii)^  with  a set  of  eight  precious  symbols 
supported  upon  interlacing  sprays  of  conventional 
flowers  of-  paradise. 

Jars  (^Kuan\  decorated  wuth  graceful  beauties,  and 
with  different  kinds  of  fish  feeding  upon  water-weeds. 

Jars  {IDtan\  decorated  with  the  eight  famous  horses 
— the  chariot  team  of  the  ancient  sovereign  Mtt-  Wang 
of  the  Chou  dynasty. 

Jars  {Kuan)^  decorated  wdth  mountain  landscapes  of 
the  province  of  Ssti-ch’uan,  with  waterfalls  and  flying  lions. 

Jars  {Kuani)^  with  the  eight  mystic  trigrams  sup- 
ported by  waves  and  flames  of  fire. 

Octagonal  Jars  {Pa-pien  Kuaii)^  with  a picture  of  the 
sea  and  flying  dragons  on  each  of  the  eight  sides. 

Vases  {PHng')^  bottle-shaped,  decorated  with  hoary 
lions  and  drasrons. 

O 


230 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


Yases  {PHng)^  decorated  with  scrolls  of  the  sacred 
fungus  and  the  floral  emblems  of  the  four  seasons. 

Large  Hound  Dishes  decorated  outside  with 

floral  emblems  of  the  four  seasons ; inside,  with  a land- 
scape containing  three  rams  (^San  yang  Idai  tai)^  types 
of  the  revivifying  power  of  spring. 

Dishes  {P'^an)^  decorated  outside  with  nine  dragons 
and  flowers ; inside,  with  dragons  mounting  from  the 
sea  into  the  clouds. 

Dishes  {P^a^i),  decorated  with  ocean  views  containing 
flying  lions  and  with  dragons  upholding  the  two  char- 
acters fu  sho%  ‘‘  happiness  and  long  life.” 

Dishes  {P'^amd)^  decorated  outside  with  four  Taoist 
divinities ; inside,  with  cranes  flying  through  clouds. 

Dishes  {P^cm),  painted  outside  with  clouds  and 
dragons;  inside,  with  the  band  of  eight  Taoist  im- 
mortals worshiping  Shou  Lao^  the  god  of  longevity. 

Fruit  Boxes  {Kuo  Hd)^  of  circular  form  with  rounded 
covers,  decorated  with  dragons  and  cranes  in  the  midst 
of  clouds. 

Boxes  decorated  with  hoary  lions  and  dragons  on  a 
blue  ground. 

Boxes  {JDo)^  painted  with  dragons  and  phoenixes  and  a 
group  of  Taoist  immortals  dis^flaying  longevity  characters. 

Large  Bowls  {^Kang),  for  keeping  goldfish,  decorated 
witli  a pair  of  dragons  enveloped  in  clouds. 

FishPiouds  {Kamg),  painted  inside  with  di*agons  and 
clouds. 

Tall  Jars  for  wine,  of  ovoid  form,  with  a 

slender  base  swelling  upward  to  a rounded  shoulder, 
and  a rim  cover  fitting  over  the  small  mouth,  decorated 
witli  the  eight  precious  symbols  (^pa  pad)  and  the  eight 
Buddhist  emblems  of  good  augury  {pa  cld-hsiang)^  sup- 
ported by  interlacing  sprays  of  lotus,  with  a pair  of 
scales  and  playing  children. 


MING  DYNASTY. 


231 


Tall  Wine- Jars  (T'^ari)^  decorated  with  the  hundred 
different  forms  of  the  character  shou^  ‘‘  longevity,”  sup- 
ported by  interlacing  sprays  of  lotus. 

Double  Gourds  (Hu  lu)^  painted  with  different  designs. 
Ten  thousands  vases  of  this  characteristic  shape,  with 
contracted  waist,  are  recorded  to  have  been  decorated  in 
the  year  1547. 

Ditual  Bricks  (Pa  Cliuan').  These  were  inlaid  in 
the  floor  of  the  audience  hall  or  of  a temple,  to  mark  the 
proper  place  for  the  worshiper  to  prostrate  himself. 

Wine  Seas  (Chiu  Hai)C  decorated  with  different 
designs. 

2.  Blue  Poecelain. 

Bowls  ( Wall),  enameled  dark  blue.  Bowls  of  sky- 
blue  color  and  Bowls  of  turquoise  blue. 

Dinner  Bowls  (Shan  Wan),  decorated  outside  with  a 
pair  of  phoenixes  flying  through  flowers;  inside,  upon 
a blue  ground,  with  scepter-framed  medallions  inclosing 
phoenixes  in  pairs. 

Wine- Cups  (Chiu  Chan),  enameled  dark  blue. 

Tazza  Cups  (Pa  Chuncj),  enameled  dark  blue. 

Teacups  (OiC),  decorated  outside  with  lotus  flowers, 
Ashes,  and  water- weeds  ; inside,  upon  a blue  ground,  with 
dragons  and  phcenixes  enveloped  in  flowers,  and  with 
a floral  band  interrupted  by  dragons  round  the  rim. 

Teacups  (CKa  Chuncj),  enameled  dark  blue. 

Saucer  Plates  (Tieli),  enameled  dark  blue.  Plates  of 
sky-blue  and  Plates  of  turcpioise  blue. 

Plates  (Tieli),  with  phoenixes  and  cranes  engraved  in 
the  paste  under  the  blue  glaze. 

Jars  (Kuctii),  decorated  with  interlacing  sprays  of 
flowers  of  paradise  (pao-hsiaiij  huct)  and  with  arabesques 
(Hui-hvi  It  me), 

* The  form  of  these  is  unknown  ; perhaps  they  were  like  our  punch-bowls. 


232 


OEIENTAL  CEEAMIC  AET. 


Jars  {Kuaii)^  with  dragons  engraved  in  the  paste 
under  the  blue  glaze. 

Large  Dishes  {P'^an)^  blue  inside  and  out,  with  the 
interior  decorated  with  sea- waves  and  dragons,  the  ex- 
terior with  a ground  of  cloud  scrolls,  displaying  either 
three  gilded  lions  or  three  gilded  dragons.  One  hundred 
of  these  were  painted  in  the  year  1552,  together  with 
one  hundred  and  eighty  of  the  tripod  libation-cups 
(chueh),  with  saucers,  all  decorated  in  the  same  ornate 
style. 

Fish- Bowls  {Kang\  with  a blue  ground  decoi’ated 
with  a pair  of  dragons,  and  clouds. 

Fish  Bowls  decorated  outside  with  a pair  of  dragons 
in  clouds  and  scrolls  of  fairy  flowers  uj3on  a blue  ground. 

Fish  Bowls  of  j)lain  dark-blue  monochrome  glaze  pre- 
pared from  first-class  cobalt. 

Tall  Jars  (^Fan)^  of  ovoid  form,  for  wine,  decorated 
with  a pair  of  dragons  in  the  midst  of  clouds,  enveloped 
in  flowers. 

Bricks  {Chuan)^  of  dark-blue  porcelain. 

3.  White  Inside,  Blue  Outside. 

Bowls  ( Waii)^  decorated  outside  with  a |3air  of  dragons 
in  the  midst  of  clouds. 

Wine- Gups  {Chari) ^ with  a pair  of  dragons  in  clouds 
and  with  birds  flying.  ^ 

Wine-Cups  {Chan)^  decorated  with  the  floral  emblems 
of  the  four  seasons. 


4.  White  Poecelain. 

Bonds  ( Wan),  with  crested  sea-waves  engraved  under 
the  white  glaze. 

Wine- Clips  {Chiu  Chari)  and  Libation- Cup>s  {Ghileh 


MllSra  DYNASTY. 


233 


Glian)^  with  phoenixes  and  cranes  engraved  under  the 
the  glaze. 

Teacu])s  {CKa  Ou)^  with  oval  foliated  rims. 

Teacups  {ClCa  Chung)^  with  dragons  engraved  under 
the  white  glaze. 

Wine-Cups  (Chiu  Cliung)^  enameled  pure  white  (tHen 
pai). 

Wine- Ewers  (Chiu  Hu) ^ Verses  (PHng),  Jars  (Kuan), 
and  Dishes  (P^an)  of  pure  white. 

Tall  Ovoid  Jars  (Pan)  with  crested  sea-waves  in- 
cised under  the  white  glaze. 


5.  Brown  Porcelain. 

Bowls  ( Wan),  enameled  of  brown  gold  ” (tzii  chin) 
color,  with  dragons  engraved  in  the  paste. 

Bowls  ( Wan),  enameled  of  golden  yellow  (chin  h uang) 
color,  with  dragons  engraved  in  the  paste. 

Saucer-shaped  Plates  (Tieh),  of  ‘‘brown  gold”  color, 
with  incised  dragons  under  the  glaze. 

Plates  (Tieli),  of  golden  yellow  color,  with  dragons 
incised  under  the  glaze. 


6.  Mixed  Colors. 

Boivls  ( Wan)  and  Plates  (Tieh),  enameled  coral  red 
with  iron  oxide  (fan  hung)  ; substituted  for  the  bright 
red  (Jisien  hung)  derived  from  copper. 

Bowls  ( Wart)  and  Plates  (Tieh),  enameled  of  emerald- 
green  color  (tshd  lu  se). 

Bowls  ( Wan),  decorated  in  yellow  with  phoenixes  fly- 
ing through  fairy  flowers  displayed  upon  a blue  gi’ound. 

Teavups  (Ou),\)^mte({mh\ne  with  dragons  and  clouds, 
inclosed  in  a yellow  ground. 

Wine-Cups  (Chan)  and  Libation- Cups  (Chileli),  dec- 


234 


OEIENTAL  CEEAMIC  AET. 


orated  in  yellow  with  phoenixes  flying  through  fairy 
flowers,  displayed  upon  a blue  ground. 

Boxes  {Ho\  enameled  yellow  with  dragons  and  phoe- 
nixes  engraved  under  the  glaze. 

Large  Dishes  {P''an>)  and  Saucer-shaped  Plates  {Tieh)^ 
painted  in  yellow  with  a pair  of  dragons  and  clouds 
reserved  in  a ground  enameled  of  ‘‘  brown  gold  ” color 
(tzu-chin). 

Jars  {Kuan)  of  crackled  ware  {sui  cKi),  of  which 
there  is  only  one  entry,  in  1542,  when  three  hundred 
were  made. 

Teacups  {Ou)^  with  foliated  rims  of  greenish-white  or 
celadon  porcelain  {chHng  pai  tz’u),  of  which  nine  thou- 
sand were  provided  in  the  year  1554. 

Large  Fish-Bowls  ( Yu  Kang^,  enameled  pea-green 
{tou  chHng'). 

Globular  Bowls  {Pd)  of  the  shape  of  the  Buddhist 
pair  a.,  or  alms-bowl,  with  embossed  designs  under  the 
plain  glaze. 


Luxg-cii’ing,  1567-72. 

The  son  of  the  last  emperor,  who  succeeded  him^ 
reigned  under  the  title  of  Lung-cYing^  and  died  after  a 
short  reign  of  six  years.  The  porcelain  made  at  Ching- 
te-chen  during  this  period  is  usually  described,  together 
with  that  of  the  next  reign  of  Wan-li^  under  the  com- 
bined heading  of  “ Porcelain  of  Lumg  and  Wand  It 
resembled,  on  tlie  other  hand,  the  ceramic  productions 
of  Cliia-cldng^  especially  in  the  dai*k  color  of  its  cobalt- 
blue  decoration.  The  emperor  was  devoted  to  the  pleas- 
ures of  the  seraglio,  and  his  libertine  temperament 
is  reflected  in  the  decoration  of  the  porcelain,  which  is 
notorious  for  its  erotic  character,  while  the  government  of 


MING  DYNASTY. 


235 


the  country  gradually  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  eunuchs 
of  the  palace. 

In  the  fifth  year  of  this  reign  (1571)  Hsii  Shih,  the 
President  of  the  Censorate,  presented  a memorial  to  the 
emperor,  remonstrating  with  him  upon  the  enormous 
amount  required  by  the  eunuch  in  charge  of  the  imperial 
household,  who  had  stated  that  the  supply  of  the  differ- 
ent kinds  of  porcelain  had  run  short,  and  required  no 
less  than  105,770  table  services,  pairs,  and  single  pieces,  to 
be  furnished  within  eight  months,  including  bowls,  wine- 
cups,  and  teacups  enameled  inside  and  out  of  brilliant 
copper-red,  as  well  as  a quantity  of  the  largest  fish-bowls 
and  square  boxes.  The  memorialist  stated  that  the  art 
of  firing  the  expensive  copper-red  had  been  lost ; that 
large  fish-bowls,  with  such  broad  bottoms  and  bulging 
sides  as  were, drawn  in  the  patterns,  could  hardly  be  fired 
unbroken ; that  the  designs  of  those  to  be  decorated  in 
the  five  colors  ” were  too  elaborate  to  be  successfully 
produced  ; and  that  the  square  boxes  in  three  tiers  were 
a novelty  of  most  difficult  fabrication.  He  prayed,  there- 
fore, that  fan  hung  or  “ iron  red  ” might  be  used  instead 
of  the  hsien  hung  or  copper  red,”  and  that  the  rest  of 
the  thiuo^s  referred  to  mio^ht  be  reduced  to  one  or  two 
tenths  of  the  amount  required  by  the  eunuchs.  More- 
over, that  because  of  the  devastation  of  the  potteries  by 
flood  and  fire,  and  the  flight  of  hundreds  of  the  workmen, 
he  recommended  that  instead  of  such  a large  total  install- 
ment of  fifteen  thousand  pieces  being  required  at  monthly 
iutervals,  the  word  monthly  ” should  be  altered  to 
yearly,”  or  even  that  the  quantity  should  be  required 
at  intervals  of  two  years. 

The  lists  of  the  things  supplied  in  this  reigu,  accord- 
ing to  the  official  statistics  in  the  annals  of  the  city  of 
Fou-liaug-hsien  {Fou-lumg-hsien  Chiltf  include: 

Table  Services  {Cho  Clii),  decorated  in  blue  on  a 


236 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


white  gi’oiind  with  a pair  of  dragons  among  clouds,  with 
phoenixes  flying  through  vermilion  flowers,  with  a joy- 
ous  meeting  (symbolized  by  magpies),  with  pheasants  of 
different  hinds,  with  sprays  of  chrysanthemum  blossoms,, 
with  interlacing  scrolls  of  paradise  flowers,  with  the 
sacred  fungus,  and  with  grapes. 

Boiols  ( Wcm^^  painted  outside  in  blue,  with  dragons 
and  phoenixes  upon  a floral  ground  ; in  the  five  colors,”' 
with  a bevy  of  beauties  and  ^vith  sprays  of  cut  flowers ; 
inside  in  blue,  with  medallions  of  dragons  and  phoenixes, 
with  the  pine,  bamboo,  and  plum,  with  iris  flowers  or 
flasks. 

Round  D miles  decorated  in  blue  and  white 

outside,  with  pairs  of  dragons  and  phoenixes  surrounded 
by  clouds,  with  nine  dragons  and  sea-waves,  with  inter- 
lacing scrolls  of  paradise  flowers;  inside  with  dramatic 
scenes,  with  groups  of  the  sacred  fungus,  with  the 
emblematic  flowers  of  the  four  seasons. 

Saucer  ml  taped  Plates  {Tieli)^  decorated  in  blue  and 
Avhite  outside,  with  pairs  of  dragons  and  phoenixes  in 
clouds,  with  bamboo  shrubs  and  the  sacred  fungus,  with 
dragons  and  clouds  amid  sprays  of  flowers,  Avith  the  pine, 
bamboo,  and  plum ; inside  witli  medallions  inclosing 
dragons,  and  Avith  the  emblematic  floAvers  of  the  four 
seasons. 

Wine- Cups  {Cliunef)^  decorated  in  blue  and  Avhite  out- 
side, Avith  a pair  of  dragons  in  clouols,  Avith  fu-jung 
{Hibiscus  niuteibilis)  flowers,  Avith  magpies  typical  of  a 
joyous  meeting,  with  interlacing  bands  of  exotic  pome- 
granates and  arabesques  ; inside  Avith  pheasants  flying 
through  flowers,  Avith  blue  pied  ducks  and  lotus  flowers, 
Avith  dramatic  scenes,  Avith  lions,  with  historical  subjects, 
Avith  a pair  of  Aveighing  scales ; and  others  enameled 
monochrome  yellow,  Avith  dragons  etched  in  the  paste 
under  the  glaze. 


MING  DYNASTY. 


237 


Teacups  decorated  in  blue  and  white ; outside, 

with  dragons  and  phoenixes  surrounded  by  tlowers,  with 
the  eight  Buddhist  emblems  of  happy  augury,  with 
five  dragons  and  lightly  penciled  sea-waves,  with  the 
typical  flowers  of  the  four  seasons  emblazoned  with  the 
four  characters  OliHen  hhtn  cliHng  t\ii — i.  e.  ‘‘May 
heaven  and  earth  be  fair  and  fruitful  ! ” — with  the  eight 
Taoist  immortals  worshiping  the  god  of  longevity,  with 
the  sacred  lotus  of  India  ; inside,  with  flying  fishes,  with 
nine  dragons,  painted  red,  in  the  midst  of  blue  sea-waves 
and  fishes,  with  the  pine,  bamboo,  and  plum,  with  drag- 
ons and  phoenixes  in  the  midst  of  a floral  ground. 

Jars  with  Covers  {Kuaii)^  decorated  in  blue  and  white, 
with  a pair  of  dragons  coiling  through  clouds,  with 
plnjenixes  hyiug  through  flowers,  with  lions  sporting 
with  embroidered  balls,  with  interlacing  scrolls  of 
moutan  peonies ; decorated,  on  a blue  ground,  with 
flowers  and  fruit  and  with  birds  of  various  kinds  reserved 
in  white  ; painted  in  “ five  colors  ” with  dragons  in  the 
midst  of  clouds,  with  fairy  flowers  of  paradise,  with 
flowering  plants  and  butterflies  or  other  insects. 

Vases  {P''iiig)^  decorated  in  blue  and  white,  with 
dragons  and  phoenixes  enveloped  in  flowers,  with  playing 
boys  carrying  branches  of  flowers  in  their  hands,*  with 
jasmine  flowers,  with  arabescjues  and  fairy  flowers  of 
paradise. 

Wine- Gups  decorated  outside  in  blue  and 

white,  with  soaring  dragons  and  with  the  sacred  fungus, 
in  “ five  colors,”  with  curved  waves  and  plum  flowers ; 

* This  is  the  decoration  penciled  in  blue  upon  the  melon-shaped  body  of  the 
wine-pot  with  the  Elizabethan  silver  mounting  bearing  the  hall-mark  of  1585, 
which  was  referred  to  in  my  introductory  chapter  as  being  in  the  South  Ken- 
sington Museum.  Four  pieces  of  Chinese  blue  and  white  porcelain  in  silver- 
gilt  mounts  are  described  in  the  Catalogue  of  the  Burlington  Fine  Arts  Club, 
referred  to  above,  from  the  Burghley  House  Collection,  said  to  have  been  in 
the  possession  of  the  Cecil  family  since  the  days  of  Queen  Elizabeth. 


238 


OKEENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


inside,  with  dragons  in  the  midst  of  clouds,  with  althaea 
flowers,  with  the  pine,  bamboo,  and  plum;  and  others 
enameled  white,  with  dragons  and  clouds  etched  in  the 
paste  under  the  glaze. 

Basins  decorated  outside  in  blue  and  white, 

with  dragons  and  clouds,  in  five  colors,”  wuth  bevies  of 
beauties,  with  familiar  or  with  dramatic  scenes,  with  his- 
torical subjects,  with  lotus  flowers  and  dragons ; inside 
with  dragons  and  clouds,  with  scrolled  waves  and  plum 
blossoms. 

Censers  {Hsiang  Lu),  for  burning  incense,  decorated, 
in  blue  and  white,  with  a pair  of  dragons  in  clouds,  with 
arabesques  of  flowers  and  fruit,  with  birds  of  various 
kinds,  with  nine  dragons  and  lightly  penciled  sea-waves, 
with  lotus  flowers ; decorated  in  red  and  white,  with  a 
pair  of  dragons  and  clouds,  with  interlacing  sprays  of 
fairy  flowers  of  paradise. 

Incense  Boxes  {Hsiang  Ho^,  decorated,  in  blue  and 
white,  with  a pair  of  dragons  soaring  into  the  clouds, 
with  the  pine,  bamboo,  and  plum,  with  separate  sprays  of 
chrysanthemum  flowers. 

Bloj)  Receptacles  {Clia  Toii)^oi  square  form,  decorated, 
in  blue  and  white,  with  a pair  of  dragons  in  clouds,  with 
phoenixes  and  flowers,  with  sea-^vaves  and  sea-monsters, 
with  lions  sporting  witli  embroidered  balls,  with  joyous 
magpies  on  a floral  ground,  with  pheasants. 

Vinegar  Ewers  {Ts'a  T’/),  decorated,  in  blue  and 
Avhite,  witli  ]iairs  of  dragons  and  plicenixes  in  the  midst 
of  clouds,  with  flowering  plants  and  quadrupeds,  with 
pheasants  flying  through  flowers,  with  lions  playing  with 
embroidered  balls,  with  single  sprays  of  the  typical 
flo^vers  of  the  four  seasons. 

Tall  Wine- Jars  {Ean)^  of  ovoid  form,  decorated,  in 
blue  and  white,  with  pairs  of  dragons  and  phoenixes  in 
the  midst  of  clouds,  with  outdoor  scenes  containing  wild 


MING  DYNASTY. 


239 


animals,  with  flying  fishes,  with  the  typical  flowers  of  the 
four  seasons,  with  the  eight  Buddhist  emblems  of  happy 
augury;  Jars  with  gilded  decorations  of  peacocks  and 
tree-peonies.  All  these  have  covers  with  the  figure  of  a 
lion  molded  upon  them. 

^ J^,  Wan-li  (1573-1619). 

The  emperor  who  reigned  for  forty-seven  years  under 
the  title  of  Wan-li  was  the  son  of  the  last.  The  manu- 
facture of  porcelain  increased  to  a remarkable  extent  dur- 
ing his  long  reign,  and  the  Chinese  declare  that  there  was 
nothing  that  could  not  be  made  of  it.  It  was  stimulated 
by  the  large  orders  for  export  to  foreign  countries,  which 
came  from  Europe  as  well  as  from  western  Asia.  The 
Emperor  Wan-li  is  said  to  have  sent  a present  of  large 
blue  and  white  vases  to  Jeliangii\  the  Mogul  Emperor  of 
India,  which  were  kept  in  the  palace  at  Agra  until  it  was 
sacked  by  the  Mahrattas  in  1771.  Blue  and  white 
porcelain  of  tliis  reign  has  been  discovered  recently  in 
large  quantities  in  Ceylon,  as  well  as  in  Persia,  and  a col- 
lection of  the  famous  dragon  vases,”  which  Augustus 
the  Strong,  King  of  Poland  and  Elector  of  Saxony, 
obtained,  it  is  said,  from  Erederick  the  Great  of  Prussia, 
in  exchange  for  a regiment  of  tall  grenadiers,  may  be 
seen  in  the  Johanneum  at  Dresden. 

In  the  preceding  reigns  the  decoration  \^^as  mainly  in 
blue  and  white,  with  the  addition  occasionally  of  colored 
glazes  to  relieve  the  blue  designs,  or  to  make,  on  the 
other  hand,  a decoration  penciled  in  a single  color  dis- 
pla}"ed  upon  a surrounding  ground  of  mottled  blue. 
The  rare  pieces  decorated  in  colors  were  inlaid,  as  it 
were,  with  the  same  colored  glazes.  It  is  in  the  reign  of 
Wan-li  that  we  find  a new  process  of  decoration  in 
enamel  colors  introduced,  the  colors  being  composed  of 


240 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


a vitreous  blue  combined  with  a small  proportion  of  dif- 
ferent metallic  oxides,  of  the  same  composition  as  those 
emplojmd  in  enameling  upon  copper.  These  enamel 
colors  were  painted  upon  porcelain  which  had  been  pre- 
viously glazed  and  fired,  and  fixed  by  a second  firing  in 
the  muffle  stove.  This  forms  the  typical  Wan-li  wu  ts’ai 
or  Wan-li  decoration  in  colors.”  The  enamel  colors 
were  often  used  in  combination  with  underglaze  cobalt- 
blue  in  which  the  outlines  and  part  of  the  decoration  had 
been  penciled  before  the  first  firing.  The  application  of 
cobalt  as  an  overglaze  color  was  not  employed  appar- 
ently till  the  reign  of  K\mg-lisi^  as  described  by  Pere 
d’Entrecolles  in  his  valuable  letters,  and  this  point  sup- 
plies a means  of  distinguishing  the  productions  of  the 
two  reigns.  It  may  be  inferred  confidently  that  any 
piece  in  which  the  blue  has  been  fired  as  a silicate  like 
the  other  enamel  colors,  so  that  it  stands  out  in  relief 
above  the  surface  of  the  white  glaze,  is  subsequent  to  the 
Wan-li  period.  The  principal  objection  to  this  mode  of 
applying  the  cobalt-blue  is  that  the  color  has  a tendency 
to  scale  off,  and  this  is  the  reason  that  the  old  method  of 
painting  it  on  undei*  the  glaze,  even  when  combined  with 
enamel  coloi’s,  remains  in  vogue  to  the  present  day. 

The  \vholesale  production  of  the  reign  of  Wan-li  is 
shown  by  the  abundance  of  porcelain  of  this  time  in  the 
present  day  at  Peking,  where  a garden  of  any  pretension 
must  have  a large  bowl  or  cistern  for  goldfish,  and  street 
hawkers  may  be  seen  with  sweetmeats  piled  up  on  dishes 
a yard  in  diameter,  or  ladling  sirup  out  of  large  bowls  ; 
and  there  is  hardly  a butcher’s  shop  Avithout  a cracked 
Wan  -li  jar  standing  on  the  counter  to  hold  scraps  of 
meat.  This  is  the  Ming  the  poi*celain  of  the  Ming 
dynasty,  par  exceUence^  of  the  Chinese,  Avith  its  perfectly 
vitrified  glaze  and  brilliant  style  of  coloring,  charac- 
teristic of  the  period,  but  of  coarse  paste  and  often 


MING  DYNASTY. 


241 


clumsy  in  form,  the  bottom  of  the  vase  generally  un- 
glazed, and  the  mark  inscribed  outside  near  the  rim.  It 
is  very  different  from  the  porcelain  which  so  frequently 
figures  as  Ming  in  European  collections,  and  which  is 
usually  to  be  refeiTed  to  the  reign  of  K’’ang-lis%  although 
often  bearing  a fictitious  mark  of  the  Ming  dynasty. 

We  find  Wang  Chingmin,  one  of  the  Supervising 
Censors,  remonstrating,  in  the  year  1583,  with  the  em- 
peror upon  the  extravagance  of  the  orders  for  the  palace. 
He  protests  against  the  expense  of  the  pricket  candle- 
sticks {clmi  the  large  slabs  for  screens  {^pHng  f mg') j 

and  the  biTish-handles  (^])i  huan).  There  must  of  course^ 
he  says,  be  a sufficient  provision  of  bowls,  plates,  and 
cups  of  different  form  for  the  table  service  of  the  sover- 
eign, and  no  deficiency  should  be  permitted  in  the  vases 
and  dishes  required  for  sacrificial  wmrship ; but  with 
regard  to  the  other  things,  the  apparatus  for  chess,  with 
boards  and  Jars  for  holding  the  black  and  white  pieces^ 
this  is  a mere  pastime;  and  even  the  screens  and  brush- 
handles,  the  ornamental  vases  and  Jars,  the  boxes  for 
incense  and  the  censers,  are  not  of  such  urgent  necessity. 
The  numbers  are,  he  declares,  much  too  large — 20,000 
boxes  (Jio)  of  different  pattei*n,  4,000  vases  {^^’’ing),  and 
5,000  Jars  (k^iiari)  wdth  covers,  of  diverse  shape  and  dec- 
oration, mounting  up  with  the  bowls  and  other  things 
to  a total  of  over  96,000.  He,  moreover,  prays  that  the 
dragons,  phoenixes,  and  other  decorative  designs  should 
be  all  painted  in  plain  blue,  without  the  addition  of 
other  colors,  because  enameling  in  colors  (nm  tsaH) 
and  openwork  carving  (J/mg-limg)  were  both  of  difficult 
execution  and  too  meretricious  in  style.  He  quotes  in 
his  memorial  the  ancient  Emperoi*  Shun^  whose  vessels 
are  said  to  have  been  unvarnished,  and  tlie  great  Yil, 
Avho  refused  to  have  his  saciiiicial  bowls  of  wmod  chis- 
eled, as  models  to  be  imitated.  The  result  of  this  appeal 


242 


OEIENTAL  CEKAMIC  ART. 


was  the  lessening  by  one  half  of  the  number  of  pricket 
candlesticks,  ^o-boards,.  screens,  and  brush-handles. 

The  following  list,  taken  from  the  same  official  source 
as  that  of  the  last  reign,  will  give  some  idea  of  the  dec- 
orative designs  used  in  the  imperial  potteries. 

1.  Painted  in  Blue  on  a White  Ground. 

Bowls  ( Wari)^  decorated  outside  with  pairs  of  dragons 
and  phoenixes  in  the  midst  of  clouds  and  lotus  flowers, 
with  interlacing  sprays  of  Indian  lotus,  with  fairy  flowers 
of  paradise  ; inside,  with  a medallion  of  dragons  in  clouds 
and  a border  of  dragons  interrupted  by  the  eight  Bud- 
dhist emblems  of  happy  augury,  with  crested  sea-waves, 
and  a border  of  propitious  clouds,  with  fragrant  plants, 
and  with  scrolled  waves  and  plum-blossoms. 

Bowls  ( Wall),  decorated  outside  with  dragons  in  the 
midst  of  clouds,  with  fishes  and  lotus  flowers,  with  play- 
ing boys,  with  the  seal  characters  Fu  sliou  Tc^ang  ning — 
i.  e.,  Happiness,  longevity,  wealtli,  and  peace  ! ” — with 
arabesques  of  flowers,  with  sea  monsters,  with  lions  sport- 
ing with  embroidered  balls  ; inside,  with  storks  flying  in 
the  clouds,  with  a bunch  of  lotus  fruit,  with  lilies, 
with  propitious  scrolls  of  clouds ; and  with  the  inscribed 
mark  Ta  Ming  Wan  li  nien  chilly  Made  in  the  reign  of 
Wan-li  of  the  great  Ming  [dynasty].” 

Bowls  ( Wan),  decorated  outside  with  medallions  of 
dragons  in  clouds,  with  a pair  of  phcDenixes,  with  bro- 
caded designs  and  sea-waves,  with  Bu,  and  Sliou,  the 
gods  of  happiness,  rank,  and  longevity,  with  branches  of 
sacred  fungus ; inside,  with  a pair  of  dragons  holding 
longevity  characters  in  their  claws,  with  jasmine  flowers, 
and  painted  in  enamel  colors  inside,  with  phoenixes  flying 
through  the  typical  flowers  of  the  four  seasons. 

Bowls  ( Wan),  decorated  outside  with  longevity 


mm  a dyjn^asty. 


243 


subjects,  with  harvest  fruits,  with  emblems  of  the  mid- 
summer holiday — sprigs  of  acorns  and  artemisia,  hung  up 
in  China  on  the  fifth  day  of  the  fifth  moon — with  lotus 
flowers,  and  fishes  feeding  upon  water-weeds ; inside^ 
with  a full-faced  dragon  coiled  in  clouds  upon  a blue 
ground  at  the  bottom,  and  the  pine,  bamboo,  and  plum 
round  the  rim. 

Bowls  ( Wan),  decorated  outside  with  a pair  of  drag- 
ons in  the  midst  of  clouds,  with  the  eight  Taoist  im- 
mortals crossing  the  ocean,  with  boxes  of  the  typical 
flowers  of  the  four  seasons ; inside,  with  a full-faced 
dragon  with  archaic  longevity  characters,  with 
scepters,  with  hibiscus  flowers,  and  witli  bamboo  sprays 
and  branches  of  funo-us  round  the  rim. 

O 

Dishes  decorated  outside  with  dragons  in 

clouds  and  phoenixes,  in  pairs,  enveloped  in  flowers,  with 
interlacing  sprays  of  fairy  flowers,  with  the  pine,  bam- 
boo, and  plum ; inside,  with  branches  of  the  typical 
flowers  of  the  four  seasons,  with  arabesque  scrolls  of 
fruit,  with  ju-i  scepters,  with  the  pine,  bamboo,  and 
plum,  and  with  bamboo  sprays  and  branching  fungus 
round  the  rim. 

Dishes  (^D\m),  decorated  outside  with  dragons  and 
lotus  flowers,  with  dragons  and  phoenixes  enveloped  in 
flowers,  with  tlie  pine,  bamboo,  and  plum,  with  illustra- 
tions of  poetry,  with  familiar  scenes,  with  historical  sub- 
jects, with  playing  boys;  inside,  with  scrolls  of  clouds, 
with  sprays  of  fragrant  bamboo  and  sacred  fungus  i*ound 
the  rim,  and  with  dragons,  clouds,  and  conventional 
flowers  incised  under  the  glaze. 

Dishes  (^P\in),  decorated  outside  with  medallions  of 
archaic  lizardlike  drasfons,  with  branches  of  sacred  fun- 
gus,  with  ju-i  scepters  and  fairy  flowers,  with  exotic 
pomegranates  and  fragrant  flowers  ; inside,  with  a dragon 
in  the  center  holding  the  four  characters  ivan 


244 


OKIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


sTiou — i.  e.,  “ Ever  protecting  for  myriads  of  ages  ! ” ; 
round  the  border,  with  phoenixes  and  fairy  tiowers,  the 
inscription  Yung  pao  hung  fu  cliH  tHen — i.  e.,  Ever 
insuring  abundant  happiness  reaching  to  the  heavens  ! ” 
— and  with  playing  boys. 

Dishes  decorated  outside  with  interlacing  s|3rays 

of  lotus,  with  dragons  and  phoenixes  supporting  a set  of 
eight  precious  symbols,  with  tiowers  and  fruit,  with  the 
j)ine,  bamboo,  and  plum,  with  Sanskrit  dharani  or  invoca- 
tions, with  branches  of  the  typical  tiowers  of  the  four 
seasons ; inside,  with  a dragon  surrounded  by  flowers,  in 
the  middle,  and  round  the  borders  with  scattered  branches 
of  the  flowers  of  the  four  seasons,  with  familiar  scenes, 
with  historical  subjects,  with  bamboo  sprays  and  the 
sacred  fungus,  with  longevity  pictures,  and  with  moutan 
.peonies. 

Plates  {Tieli)^  decorated  outside  with  phoenixes  flying 
through  flowers,  with  flowers,  fruit,  and  birds,  with  floral 
emblems  of  long  life,  with  a bevy  of  beauties,  with  wild 
animals  among  trees,  with  dragons  and  lotus  leaves ; 
inside,  with  a set  of  eight  precious  symbols  and  antique 
dragons,  with  Sanskrit  invocations  supported  upon  fairy- 
flower  scrolls,  with  dragons  and  phoenixes,  with  familiar 
scenes,  and  with  historical  subjects. 

Plates  (Tieli)^  decorated  outside  with  interlacing 
branches  of  the  tree-peony  supporting  eight  precious 
symbols,  with  crested  sea- waves,  with  the  Indian  lotus 
in  enameled  colors,  with  fabulous  monsters,  and  with  a 
group  of  beauties ; inside,  with  a pair  of  dragons  among 
clouds,  with  dragons  and  phoenixes  worked  in  the 
paste  under  the  glaze,  with  flowers  of  paradise,  with  lions 
sporting  with  embroidered  balls,  with  the  eight  Buddhist 
emblems  of  happy  augury,  with  propitiously  scrolled 
clouds  and  branches  of  sacred  fungus,  with  flowers  and 
fruit. 


MING  DYNASTY. 


245 


Plates  (Tieli),  decorated  outside  with  the  jasmine  and 
interlacing  sprays  of  fairy  flowers,  with  archaic  lizardlike 
dragons  bringing  branches  of  sacred  fungus ; inside,  with 
dragons  and  phcenixes  painted  in  enamel  colors,  encircled 
round  the  rim  with  the  inscription  Fu  ju  tung  liai — i.  e.. 
Rich  as  the  eastern  ocean  ! ” — with  the  eight  Buddhist 
emblems  upon  a brocaded  ground,  encircled  round  the 
border  with  a set  of  eight  precious  symbols  borne  upon 
scrolls  of  fairy  flowers. 

Plates  (Tieli),  decorated  outside  with  chains  of  bamboo 
sprays  and  sacred  fungus,  with  flowers  and  fruit,  with  a 
set  of  eight  precious  symbols,  with  pairs  of  dragons  in 
elouds  and  phoenixes ; inside,  with  dragons  in  the  midst 
of  the  typical  flowers  of  the  four  seasons,  with  longevity 
scenes  enameled  in  colors,  with  pictures  of  family  life, 
with  sacred  peach  trees ; round  the  rim,  with  grapes. 

Wine-Clips  (^Chung^^  decorated  outside  with  a pair  of 
dragons  among  clouds,  with  interlacing  bands  of  exotic 
pomegranates,  with  lions  sporting  with  embroidered  balls ; 
inside,  with  dragons  among  clouds  surrounded  by  flowers, 
with  propitious  scrolls  of  clouds  and  a border  of  fragi’ant 
plants,  with  nine  dragons  painted  in  red  in  the  midst  of 
blue  sea-waves,  with  water  birds  and  lotus  flowers  enam- 
-eled  in  colors,  and  with  Buddhist  invocations  in  Sanskrit 
round  the  sides. 

Wine- Cups  {Gliung^-  decorated  outside  with  wreaths 
of  pepches  having  archaic  longevity  characters  inscribed 
upon  the  fruit,  with  interlacing  sprays  of  the  flowers  of 
the  four  seasons,  with  Sanskrit  Buddhist  invocations ; 
inside,  with  storks  flying  in  clouds,  with  jewels  emitting 
effulgent  rays,  pursued  by  a pair  of  dragons  ainoug 
clouds  worked  in  the  paste  under  the  glaze,  with  lotus 
flowers  and  fishes,  with  sea-waves  penciled  upon  a blue 
ground. 

Teacups  {Ou)^  decorated  outside  with  di*agons  and 


246 


OEIENTAL  CEEAMIC  AET. 


phoenixes  in  the  midst  of  flowers,  with  the  eight  Taoist 
immortals  worshiping  the  god  of  longevity,  with  ara- 
besque scrolls  of  conventional  fairy  flowers ; inside,  with 
dragons  and  clouds  in  a medallion,  with  fishes  and  lotus 
flowers,  with  a river  scene  and  reeds,  with  Sanskrit  invo- 
cations supported  by  flowers. 

Teacups  decorated  outside  with  medallions  of 

dragons  and  scrolled  clouds,  with  bamboo  sprays  and 
sacred  fungus,  with  fishes  and  water-weeds  painted  in 
enamel  colors;  inside,  with  longevity  characters  in  seal 
script,  withyVi  scepters,  with  moutan  peony  flowers,  and 
with^V^'  wands  enameled  in  colors. 

Wine-Cups  (^Chan\  decorated  outside  with  dragons 
among  clouds,  with  jasmine  flowers,  with  birds,  with 
graceful  ladies,  with  playing  boys,  with  the  eight  Bud- 
dhist emblems  of  happy  augury  supported  upon  scrolls 
of  sacred  fungus ; inside,  with  grapes,  with  sprays  of  the 
flowers  of  the  four  seasons,  with  Buddhist  dliarani  in 
Sanskrit  script,  with  garlands  of  the  floral  emblems  of 
longevity. 

Wine- Cups  {Cliau^^  decorated  outside  with  a pair  of 
dragons  among  clouds  in  the  midst  of  flowers,  with  famil- 
iar scenes,  with  historical  subjects,  with  nine  monsters  in 
blue  surrounded  by  red  sea-waves ; inside,  W\ihju4  wands 
and  fragrant  flowers,  with  plum  flowers  upon  scrolled 
waves,  with  pheasants  flying  through  flowers,  with  red 
sea- waves  rising  into  white  crests. 

Wine-Cups  {GhaiC)^  decoi’ated  outside  with  pairs  of 
dragons  and  phoenixes  surrounded  by  clouds  ; inside,  with 
yellow  hibiscus  flowers,  with  twining  scrolls  of  sacred 
fungus,  witli  clirysanthemum  flowers  enameled  in  colors. 

Boxes  decorated  with  dragons  in  propitious 

scrolls  of  clouds,  with  dragons  and  phoenixes  in  the 
midst  of  flowers,  with  the  inscription  Feng  tHao  yu  sliun^ 
Tien  hsia  faipHng — i.  e.,  ^^With  favorable  winds  and 


MING  DYNASTY. 


247 


seasonable  rains,  may  peace  prevail  throughout  the 
world  ! ” with  a symbolical  head  having  the  hair  dressed 
in  four  puffs  bearing  the  characters  Yung  pao  cKang 
cKun — i.  e.,  Ever  preserving  lasting  spring  ! ” — with 
the  eight  mystic  trigrams  and  the  monad  y inpang  sym- 
bol, with  Taoist  divinities  holding  the  characters  GYien 
Vun  cKing  tai — i.  e.,  May  heaven  and  earth  be  fair  and 
fruitful ! ” 

Boxes  {Ho),  decorated  with  fabulous  monsters  paying 
court  to  the  celestial  dragon,  with  brocades  of  scroll  pat- 
tern, with  a group  of  beautiful  forms,  with  diapered 
grounds,  with  hibiscus  flowers,  with  interlacing  lozenges 
{fang^sheng),  with  flowers,  fruit,  and  birds,  with  flower- 
ing plants  and  insects. 

Boxes  {Ho),  inscribed  Wan  leu  cJi’ang  cKun,  Ssu  liai 
lai  cKao — i.  e.,  ‘‘Through  myriads  of  ages  everlasting 
spring,  and  tribute  coming  from  the  four  seas  ” — dec- 
orated on  the  covers  with  dragons,  with  the  typical 
flowers  of  the  four  seasons,  with  familiar  scenes,  and 
with  historical  subjects. 

Boxes  {Ho),  inscribed  THen  lisia  fai  pHiig,  Ssu  fang 
hsiang  ts'ao — i.  e.,  “Peace  prevailing  throughout  the 
world,  and  aromatic  plants  from  the  four  quarters” — 
decorated  withy^^-^  scepters,  and  on  the  covers  with  ara- 
besques, with  flgure  scenes,  and  with  lozenge  symbols 
enameled  in  colors. 

Boxes  {Ho),  decorated  with  familiar  scenes  and  with 
historical  subjects ; and  on  the  covers  with  dragons  and 
clouds,  with  playing  boys,  with  the  typical  flowers  of  the 
four  seasons ; and  enameled  in  colors  with  dragons  and 
clouds,  with  flowers,  fruit,  and  birds,  with  longevity  seal 
characters  supported  upon  scrolls  of  sacred  fungus. 

Ciqys  {Pei),  decorated  outside  with  winged  lions  flying 
over  sea- waves,  with  interlacing  sprays  of  the  typical 
flowers  of  the  four  seasons,  with  antique  dragons  carry- 


248 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


ing  jasmine  flowers,  with  branches  of  sacred  fungus,  with 
pomegranates;  inside,  with  hibiscus  flowers,  with  tree 
peonies,  with  scrolled  sea-waves,  with  fairy  flowers. 

Cups  (^Pei)  and  Saucers  {P''ari^^  decorated  outside  with 
moutan  peonies ; in  gold,  with  chrysanthemums,  with 
hibiscus  flowers,  with  the  typical  flowers  of  the  four 
seasons;  in  enamel  colors,  with  a set  of  eight  precious 
symbols,  with  grapes,  with  bees  hovering  round  a 
blossoming  plum ; inside,  with  hibiscus  flowers,  wdth 
moutan  peonies,  with  seal  longevity  characters  ; in  enamel 
colors,  with  lotus  flowers,  with  figures  of  ancient  coins. 

Cliopstich  Saucers  {Cliu  P'^an),  decorated  outside 
with  dragons  in  the  clouds  and  sea- waves ; inside,  with 
the  center  worked  in  relief,  encircled  by  clouds  and 
dragons. 

Wine  Seas  {Chiu  Hai),  decorated  with  scrolls  of 
gilded  lotus  flowers  supporting  longevity  characters  in 
antique  seal  script. 

Censers  {Hsiang  Lu\  decorated  with  the  eight  mysti- 
cal trigrams  and  the  monad  yin-yang  symbol,  with 
branches  of  sacred  fungus,  with  landscapes,  with  dragons 
and  clouds. 

Censers  {Hsiang  Lu),  decorated  outside  with  lotus 
flowers,  with  fragrant  plants  and  ju-i  wands,  with 
dragons  and  clouds  worked  in  relief,  with  arabesques 
and  fragrant  flowers,  with  dragons  surrounded  by  clouds, 
with  branches  of  sacred  fungus,  with  conventional  fairy 
flowers,  with  branches  of  sacred  fungus  carved  in  oj)en- 
work,  with  figures  of  ancient  cash.” 

Vases  {PHng)^  decorated  with  dragons  and  phoenixes 
enveloped  in  flowers,  with  pictures  of  animal  life,  with 
the  ginseng  plant  and  sacred  fungus,  with  argus  pheas- 
ants and  tree-peonies,  with  storks  flying  through  clouds, 
with  the  eight  trigram  symbols,  with  the  hemp-leaved 
lotus  of  India. 


MING  DYNASTY. 


249 


Beaker-shaped  Vases  {Hu  PHng)^  decorated  with 
medallions  of  dragons  surrounded  by  the  typical  flowers 
of  the  four  seasons,  with  religious  inscriptions  in  Sanskrit 
script  supported  upon  scrolls  of  Indian  lotus,  with  phoe- 
nixes flying  through  flowers  of  the  four  seasons,  with 
grapes  and  slices  of  watermelon,  with  dragons  holding 
up  the  characters  sheng  shou — i.  e.,  “ Wisdom  and  long 
life  ” — with  leafy  sprays  of  apricot,  with  gilded  fishes 
swimming  among  water- weeds  enameled  in  colors. 

JFloiver  Vases  {Hua  PHng^^  modeled  in  the  shape  of 
one  of  the  halves  of  a double  gourd  (Jiu-lu\  split  longi- 
tudinally, so  as  to  hang  against  the  wall,  decorated  with 
dragons  among  clouds,  with  wild  geese  in  reeds,  with  the 
pine,  bamboo,  and  ijlum. 

Flower  Vases  {Hua  P^ing),  decorated  with  flowers 
and  fruit,  with  pictures  of  birds,  with  flowering  plants 
and  butterflies,  with  familiar  scenes,  with  historical 
subjects. 

Floioer  Vases  {Hua  P Hng^^  decorated  with  phoenixes 
flying  through  the  typical  flowers  of  the  four  seasons, 
with  groups  of  beautiful  figures ; and,  in  enamel  colors, 
with  dragons  enveloped  by  the  flowers  of  the  four 
seasons,  with  a set  of  eiglit  precious  symbols  supported 
upon  sci’olls  of  sacred  fungus,  with  strings  of  jewels  and 
fragrant  plants. 

Jars  {Kuan),  decorated  with  landscapes,  with  flying 
lions,  with  dragons  and  clouds,  with  peacocks  and 
moutan  peonies,  with  the  eight  Taoist  immortals  crossing 
the  ocean,  with  the  four  lights  ” worshiping  the  star  of 
longevity,  and  six  cranes  symbolizing  the  cardinal  points 
of  the  universe ; and  Jars  enameled  in  colors  Avith 
familiar  scenes  and  historical  subjects. 

Slo}}  Peceptacles  {CVa  Toii)^  decorated  with  a pair  of 
dragons  in  the  midst  of  clouds,  and  with  a string  of  mag- 
pies flying  through  flowers. 


250 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


Slop  Receptacles  {CKa  Tnt^^  decorated  with  dragons 
and  clouds,  with  arabesques  of  fragrant  plants,  with 
familiar  scenes,  with  historical  subjects,  with  flowers 
and  fruit,  with  branches  of  sacred  fungus. 

Vinegar  Ewers  {T^u  Ti)^  decorated  with  a pair  of 
dragons  among  clouds,  with  interlacing  scrolls  of  fairy 
flowers. 

Chess-Board  {CVi  Ean),  decorated  with  dragons 
surrounded  by  clouds. 

Hanging  Oil-Lamps  {Cliing  Eai)^  decorated  with 
dragons  mounting  from  sea- waves  into  clouds,  with  the 
typical  flowers  of  the  four  seasons,  with  gilded  chrysan- 
themums and  hibiscus  flowers. 

Rrichet  Candlesticks  {Gliu  Eai),  decorated  with  six 
storks  flying  to  the  six  cardinal  points  of  the  universe^ 
with  the  sacred  fungus  supporting  a set  of  eight  precious 
symbols  and  fairy  flowers,  with  ju-i  scepters  and  dragons 
in  clouds. 

Rrichet  Candlestichs  {Gliu  Eai),  decorated  with  Jewel 
mountains  in  the  midst  of  the  sea  and  with  dragons  in 
clouds,  with  medallions  containing  boys  seated,  with 
twigs  of  Oleafragrans  in  their  hands,  with  water-plants^ 
lotus-leaf  borders,  and  flowers. 

Jars  for  Candle-Snuff  (fjliien  Cliu  decorated 

with  dragons  and  phoenixes  among  clouds  enveloped  in 
typical  flowers  of  the  four  seasons. 

Screens  {Pdng')^  decorated  round  the  border  with 
brocaded  bands  inclosing  flowers,  fruit,  and  birds,  in  the 
center  with  a pair  of  dragons  grasping  Jewels  in  their 
claws. 

Pencil-Brush  Handles  {Pi  Kuan)^  decorated  with 
brocaded  designs,  with  conventional  fairy  flowers  and 
sacred  fungus  surrounded  by  clouds,  with  the  river 
pictures  and  writings  discovered  in  ancient  times. 

Brush-Pots  {Pi  C Idling)^  of  cylindrical  form,  deco- 


MING  DYNASTY. 


251 


rated  with  dragon  medallions  and  a set  of  eight  precious 
symbols. 

Perfume- Boxes  {Hsiang  Lien'),  decorated  with  kilin 
{cKi-lin)  and  ornamental  medallions,  with  winding  scrolls 
of  conventional  fairy  howers,  with  spiral  bands  inclosing 
flowers  and  fruit,  with  the  eight  Buddhist  emblems  of 
happy  augury,  with  branches  of  the  sacred  fungus,  with 
plum  blossoms  and  sea-waves. 

Fan  Cases  {Shan  Hsia),  decorated  with  dragons  in 
clouds  and  borders  of  spiral  fret. 

Pencil  Pests  {Pi  Chia),  decorated  with  borders  of  sea- 
waves  surrounding  three  dragons  in  the  midst  worked  in 
high  relief  with  o^^enwork  carving,  and  with  landscape 
pictures. 

Pallet  Water-Pots  {Yen  Shui  Ti),  decorated  with 
couchant  dragons,  with  elephants  carrying  vases  of 
jewels,  with  familiar  scenes. 

Betel-nut  Boxes  {Pin-lang  Lii),  decorated  with  familiar 
scenes,  with  historical  subjects,  with  fragrant  plants  and 
lotus  petals. 

Hat  Boxes  {Htan  Lu),  decorated  with  brocaded 
grounds  interrupted  by  round  medallions,  and  with 
dragons  coiling  through  branches  of  the  typical  flowers 
of  the  four  seasons. 

Handkerchief  Boxes  {Chin  Lu),  decorated  outside  with 
round  medallions  upon  a brocaded  ground,  with  a pair 
of  dragons  grasping  the  eight  characters,  Yung  pao 
cKang  shou,  ssu  hai  lai  cli’ao,  meaning  Ever  preserving 
long  life.  Homage  coming  from  the  four  seas ! ” with 
familiar  scenes,  with  historical  subjects,  with  the  typical 
flowers  of  the  four  seasons ; inside,  with  branches  of  the 
sacred  fungus,  with  the  pine,  bamboo,  and  plum,  with 
blossomiim  orchids. 

O 

Garden  Seats  {Liang  Tan),  barrel-shaped,  carved  in 
pierced  openwork  with  designs  of  a pair  of  dragons 


252 


OKIE]N^TAL  CEKAMIC  ART. 


grasping  jewels  in  their  claws,  with  flying  dragons,  with 
lions,  with  sea-horses. 

Wine- Jars  {T'^aii)^  of  tall  ovoid  form,  decorated  with 
propitious  scrolls  of  clouds,  with  a hundred  dragons^ 
with  a hundred  storks ; others  enameled  in  colors  with 
a hundred  deer  and  inscribed  Yung  pao  cTiHen  h^un — i.  e.^ 
Ever  protecting  heaven  and  earth  ! ” 

Garden  Bowls  {Kang),  for  fish  or  flowers,  decorated 
with  fishes  and  water-weeds,  with  a set  of  eight  precious 
symbols  and  fragrant  plants,  with  lotus  flowers,  with 
groups  of  graceful  forms,  with  sea- waves  and  plum- 
blossoms. 

There  are  two  typical  examples  in  the  collection  of  the 
blue  and  white  porcelain  of  this  period  which  have  beeu 
illustrated  to  show  the  general  style  of  decoration.  The 
first,  Fig.  153,  is  a jar  with  a procession  of  the  eight 
Taoist  genii  crossing  the  sea  holding  up  their  several 
emblems.  Pa  Hsien  huo  liai,  which  is  inscribed  under- 
neath with  the  ‘^six-character  mark  ” of  the  reign  inclosed 
within  a double  ring.  The  second.  Fig.  81,  is  a tall  ewer 
with  long  spout  and  flowing  handle,  decorated  with 
phcenixes  and  storks  flying  among  scrolled  clouds,  subse- 
cpiently  mounted  with  metal  of  Oriental  workmanship 
and  studded  all  over  with  precious  stones. 


2.  Painted  in  Enamel  Colors. 

Cliess  Boards  {CYi  P\m),  decorated  with  dragons 
among  clouds. 

Brush  Handles  {Pi  Kuaii),  decorated  with  sea-waves 
and  clouds  and  ascending  and  descending  dragons. 

Brush  Cylinders  {Pi  Chhmg),  decorated  with  dragons 
and  sea-waves,  and  with  the  typical  flowers  of  the  four 
seasons  in  circular  medallions. 

Flower  Vases  {Hua  Tsun),  with  trumpet-shaped 


MING  DYNASTY. 


253 


mouths,  decorated  with  waving  fillets  and  ju-i  wands, 
with  landscape  pictures,  with  groups  of  sacred  fungus. 

Pricket  Candlesticks  {Chu  Pai)^  decorated  with  jewel 
mountains  in  the  midst  of  the  sea,  with  dragons  and 
clouds,  with  familiar  scenes,  with  historical  subjects, 
with  sprays  of  fragrant  plants  and  rings  of  lotus  petals. 

Candle-Snuff  Jars  (^Cliien  Chu  KuarC)^  decorated  with 
dragons  enveloped  in  clouds,  and  with  phoenixes  flying 
through  the  typical  flowers  of  the  four  seasons. 

Fish- Bowls  (^Kang)^  decorated  Avith  flowers  interrupted 
by  medallions  containing  landscapes,  Avith  dragons 
ascending;  and  descending;  throug;h  blue  clouds,  with 
phoenixes  in  couples. 

Perfume- Boxes  {Hsiang  Lien')^  decorated  Avith  fragrant 
plants,  Avith  fir-leaf  pattern  brocades  pierced  in  open- 
Avork,  AAuth  the  typical  floAvers  of  the  four  seasons. 

Jars  {ICtan),  decorated  with  circular  medallions  on  a 
brocaded  ground,  with  the  typical  flowers  of  the  four  sea- 
sons, with  fruit  and  birds,  AAuth  the  eight  precious 
symbols. 

Fan  Cases  {Shan  Hsia),  decorated  Avith  dragons  and 
clouds  and  borders  of  spiral  fret. 

Pencil  Rests  {Pi  Chia)^  decorated  Avith  mountain  land- 
scapes and  carved  in  pierced  open-Avo]*k. 

Handkerchief  Boxes  {Chin  Lu)^  decorated  with  the 
typical  flowers  of  the  four  seasons. 

Slop  Receptacles  {Cha  Toii)^  decorated  Avith  dragons 
in  clouds  and  arabesque  scrolls,  Avith  the  typical  flowers 
of  the  four  seasons. 

Fish-Boiols  {Kang^^  decorated  Avith  dragons  ascending 
and  descending  through  clouds,  Avith  arabesques  and 
sprays  of  fragrant  flowers. 


254 


OKIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


3.  Painted  in  Mixed  Colors. 

Teacups  {Ov^^  plain  white  inside,  decorated  outside 
with  waving  fillets  and  exotic  pomegranates,  penciled  in 
reserve  upon  a blue  ground. 

Fish- Bowls  {Kang)^  white  inside,  and  with  a blue 
ground  outside,  decorated  with  pairs  of  dragons  in  the 
midst  of  clouds,  with  lions  playing  with  embroidered 
balls,  with  interlacing  scrolls  of  gilded  lotus  fiowers,  with 
conventional  fairy  flowers. 

Brush  Cylinders  (^JPi  CKung)^  decorated  with  white 
flowers  reserved  upon  a blue  ground,  and  with  white 
dragons  enveloped  in  the  typical  flowers  of  the  four  sea- 
sons in  the  same  style  of  decoration. 

Wine- Jars  (^Tan)^  of  tall  ovoid  form,  with  a blue 
ground,  decorated  with  a j)air  of  dragons  in  clouds  grasp- 
ing antique  shou  longevity  ”)  characters,  with  winged 
threadlike  dragons  flying  through  a field  of  sacred  fun- 
gus, with  woods  and  wild  animals,  with  familiar  scenes, 
with  historical  subjects,  and  with  the  picture  of  the  hun- 
dred boys. 

Barrel- Seats  {Liang  Tmi)^  decoi’ated  in  enamel  colors 
with  lotus  flowers  and  dragons  encircled  by  clouds ; and 
others  enameled  with  a monochrome  yellow  ground,  in- 
closing lotus  flowers  penciled  in  brown. 

Teacups  {CKa  Chung),  enameled  yellow  inside  and 
out,  with  dragons  in  the  midst  of  clouds  and  conventional 
flowers  engraved  in  the  paste  under  the  glaze. 

Censers  {Hsiang  Ltt),  enameled  white  inside,  and  deco- 
rated outside  with  designs  painted  in  enamel  colors  sur- 
rounded by  a yellow  gi’ound,  with  archaic  lizardlike 
dragons  carrying  branches  of  sacred  fungus,  with  the 
typical  flowers  of  the  four  seasons,  with  fragrant  plants 
and  arabesque  scrolls. 


MING  DYNASTY. 


255 


Vases  (JP^ing)^  of  plain  white  porcelain,  with  phoenixes 
in  couples  and  conventional  fairy  flowers  engraved  in  the 
paste  under  the  glaze. 

Banquet  Dishes  {Shan  B''an\  enameled  white  inside, 
decorated  outside  with  dragons  in  the  midst  of  clouds, 
penciled  in  red,  green,  yellow,  or  brown. 

It  is  a long  list,  but  useful  in  supplying  authentic 
materials  as  an  aid  to  the  proper  classiflcatiou  of  porcelain. 
It  has  been  compiled  from  the  series  of  lists  of  porcelain 
sent  to  Ching-te-chen  from  the  palace,  so  that  each  head- 
ing of  bowls,  for  example,  may  comprise  10,000  or  more, 
of  ditferent  size  and  style  of  decoration.  It  is  useful, 
too,  in  a negative  way,  as  we  may  infer  that  any  impor- 
tant decoration  or  peculiar  color  not  included  in  the  list 
was  of  subsequent  invention. 

The  decorative  designs  were  for  the  most  part  taken 
from  the  patterns  of  ancient  brocades  and  embroidered 
silks  in  which  China  is  so  rich.  The  author  of  the  Dao 
Shuo  traces  back  to  the  third  century  a.  d.  ofiicial  notices 
of  presents  from  the  emperor  of  robes  of  brocaded  silks, 
woven  with  designs  of  intertwining  dragons  on  a crimson 
ground  ; and  he  quotes  a decree  of  the  Emperor  Jen 
Tsiing  of  the  Sung  dynasty,  issued  in  the  period  Ching- 
yu  (1034-37),  ordering  that  his  ceremonial  hat  should 
be  made  of  dark  blue  gauze  worked  with  medallions  of 
dragons  and  kilins,  having  the  interspaces  filled  in  with 
dragons  and  scrolled  clouds  in  gold,”  and  he  compares 
these  designs  with  those  used  subsequently  in  the  decora- 
tion of  porcelains.  He  cites  as  well-known  names  of 
ancient  brocade  patterns  : Coiling  Dragons,”  “ Phoenixes 

in  Clouds,”  Kilin,”  ‘‘  Lions,”  “ Mandarin  Ducks,”  The 
Myriad  Gems,”  Di’agon  Medallions,”  Phoenixes  in 
Couples,”  ‘^Peacocks,”  ‘‘Sacred  Storks,”  “The  Fungus 
Plant,”  “ Large  Lions  in  their  Lair,”  “ Wild  Geese  nesting 
in  the  Clouds,”  “ Phoenixes  enveloped  in  Cloud  Scrolls,” 


256 


OKIENTAL  CEKAMIC  AET. 


The  Lily  as  an  Emblem  of  Fertility,”  “ The  Hundred 
Flowers,”  Phoenixes  hidden  in  Flowers,”  “ Group  of 
Eight  Taoist  Immortals,”  Dragons  pursuing  Jewels,” 
Lions  sporting  with  Embroidered  Balls,”  Fish  swim- 
ming among  Water-Weeds  ”;  and  all  of  these  were  repro- 
duced by  the  artists  on  imperial  porcelain.  The  addition 
of  colored  monochrome  grounds  was  also  suggested,  he 
thinks,  by  brocades,  accounting  thus  for  the  mottled 
blue,  the  plain  yellow,  and  the  brown  or  burnished 
gold  ” grounds  given  in  the  list.  He  estimates  that 
about  two-thirds  of  the  designs  in  the  Ming  dynasty 
were  imitated  from  brocades,  the  remaining  third  being 
either  taken  from  Nature  or  copied  from  antiques  ; while 
of  modern  Chinese  porcelain  forty  per  cent  are  enameled 
in  foreign  style,  in  thirty  per  cent  the  designs  are  taken 
from  Nature,  twenty  per  cent  have  antique  designs,  and 
only  ten  per  cent  brocade  patterns. 

The  decoration  of  Chinese  porcelain  during  the  Ming 
dynasty  was,  however,  certainly  not  free  from  foreign 
influence.  The  brilliance  of  the  blue  which  dis- 
tinguishes the  reign  of  Cliia-cliing  was  confessedly  due 
to  the  cobalt  ore  called  Hui-Jmi  cli’ing,  or  Moham- 
medan blue,”  which  was  imported  from  abroad,  to  be 
used  in  the  imperial  manufactory,  and  we  occasionally 
meet  in  the  descriptions  of  the  designs  with  the  expres- 
sion Hui-liui  Weii^  or  ‘‘Mohammedan  scrolls,”  which  I 
have  translated  “ arabesques.”  There  was  frequent 
intercourse  with  Persia  after  the  conquest  of  that 
country  by  the  Mongols,  at  which  time  Hulugu  (1253- 
64),  the  grandson  of  Genghis  Khan,  brought  over  a 
thousand  Chinese  artificers  to  his  new  country;  and, 
later,  Shah  Abbas  (1585-1627)  is  said  to  have  settled 
a colony  of  Chinese  potters  at  Ispahan.  Previously  to 
this,  as  we  have  seen  before,  in  the  account  of  the  pro- 
duction of  the  reign  of  Cheng-te,  porcelain  had  been 


MING  DYNASTY. 


257 


painted  in  blue,  with  Arabic  inscriptions,  at  Ching-te- 
chen,  after  designs  probably  sent  for  the  purpose  from 
Persia. 

Among  the  vases  in  the  collection  attributed  to  the 
reign  of  Wan-li  is  Fig.  167,  decorated  with  floral  ara- 
besques in  underglaze  blue,  and  in  emerald-green  and 
vermilion-red  enamels,  with  metal  mounts  of  Persian 
work;  and  Fig.  164,  a vase  of  the  same  cylindrical  form, 
with  birds,  fruit,  and  flowers  on  a diapered  ground, 
penciled  in  black  filled  in  with  brilliant  enamels. 

Fig.  173  shows  a unicorn  monster  in  blue  and  dark 
green  over  a crackled  ground;  Fig.  174  a vase  of  tur- 
quoise crackle  in  bold  open-work  relief  ; and  Fig.  38  (/;) 
a little  wine-pot  enameled  in  turquoise  blue  and  auber- 
gine purple. 

The  three  pieces  of  Lung-ch’iian  celadon  now  to  be 
mentioned  date  from  an  earlier  time  in  the  Ming\  Fig. 
159  shows  a large  solid  vase,  decorated  in  relief  with 
bands  of  peony  and  chrysanthemum  scrolls;  Fig.  44 
a large  fluted  dish,  with  foliated  rim  nearly  two  feet 
across,  engraved  under  the  glaze  with  fruit  and  flowers ; 
and  Fig.  175  a beaker-shaped  vase  of  crackled  celadon, 
with  foliated  rim  and  ribbed  body,  and  an  etched 
decoration  under  the  green  lustrous  glaze. 

The  last  specimen  of  the  dynasty  illustrated  he]*e  is 
a The  Ting  vase  of  the  yellowish-gray  ware  peculiar  to 
the  Ting-chou  potteries  in  the  province  of  Chihli,  Fig. 
177,  with  a molded  and  carved  decoration  under  the 
soft-looking  glaze  of  ivory-white  tone.  It  is  of  ai’chaic 
aspect  and  design,  with  a dragon  coiled  around  the  neck 
pursuing  the  jewel  of  omnipotence  among  the  clouds, 
and  swells  at  the  rim  in  the  form  of  a bulb  of  garlic. 


258 


OEIENTAL  CEEAMIC  AET. 


^ T’ien-ch’i  (1621-27)  AND  ^ jj}^,  Ch’ung-Ch^:n 

(1628-43). 

The  last  two  emperors  of  the  Ming  dynasty  reigned 
under  the  titles  of  THen-cKi  and  CKung-chen^  but  they 
were  too  busily  engaged  in  repelling  the  invasion  of  the 
Manchu  Tartars  in  the  north  to  pay  much  attention  to 
the  patronage  of  the  ceramic  art.  It  is  consequently 
remarkable  only  for  its  gradual  decline,  which  is  shown 
by  the  few  dated  pieces  of  these  two  periods  that  exist 
in  collections,  and  which  differ  from  other  porcelain  of 
the  dynasty  only  in  their  imperfect  finish  and  compara- 
tively coarse  decoration. 

The  only  exception  that  I know  of  is  in  the  case  of 
certain  small  water-jars  of  globular  shape  marked  under- 
neath with  a single  character  THen^  “ heaven,”  which  the 
Chinese  call  THen  Tzu  Kuan^  or  Heaven-Character 
Jars.”  They  say  that  the  inscription  is  only  a con- 
traction of  the  nien-hao^  T ’ien-ch’i ; and  the  style  of 
coloring,  resembling  that  of  the  preceding  reign  of 
Wan-li^  confirms  this  supposition.  I have  seen  speci- 
mens painted  in  blue  and  white  as  well  as  brilliantly 
decorated  in  vivid  enamel  colors. 

To  sum  up  in  a few  words  the  decorated  porcelain  in 
the  Ming  dynasty : 

1.  The  favorite  color  was  blue,  which  was  painted  on 
the  piece  before  it  was  glazed  or  fired.  Usually  this 
formed  the  sole  blue  and  white  ” decoration ; occasion- 
ally it  w^as  i*elieved  by  a monochrome  ground,  or,  on  the 
other  hand,  it  formed  a mottled  cobalt  ground  surround- 
ing designs  penciled  in  some  other  single  color. 

2.  The  earliest  decoration  in  different  colors  was  in 
colored  glazes,  combined  with  either  a feldspathic  or  a 


MING  DYNASTY. 


259 


lead  flux,  wliicli  were  applied  siir  biscuit  and  fired  in  the 
ordinary  furnace. 

3.  The  art  of  decorating  porcelain  in  vitreous  colors, 
such  as  had  been  used  previously  in  painted  and 
cloisonne  enameling  upon  metal,  and  which  were  painted 
on  over  the  ordinary  white  glaze  and  subsequently  fired 
a second  time  in  the  muffle  stove,  was  of  later  intro- 
duction, and  flourished  especially  in  the  Wan-li  period. 

4.  The  blue  that  was  generally  used  in  combination 
with  the  enamel  colors  was  always  laid  on  under  the 
glaze.  It  was  not  till  the  seventeenth  century,  in  the 
reign  of  K^ang-Tisi^  that  a cobalt  blue  of  vitreous  char- 
acter was  invented,  to  be  applied  over  the  glaze  like  the 
other  colors,  and  fired  like  them  in  the  mufile  stove. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


TECHNIQUE  DURING  THE  MING  PERIOD. COLORS. EMBOSS- 
ING.  CHISELING. OPENWORK  CARVING. GILDED  DEC- 
ORATION.  DECORATIONS  IN  ENAMELS. FIRING. 

HERE  is  an  abundance  of  material  in  the  official 


records  of  the  Ming  period  for  an  account  of  the 
technique  of  the  manufacture  of  porcelain,  but  here  we 
have  space  for  only  a short  abstract. 

The  best  poi*celain-earth  {iao  also  called  huan 
or  government  earth,”  was  obtained  from  the 
Ma-ts’ang  Mountains,  near  Hsin-cheng-tu,  within  the 
limits  of  the  district  of  Fou-liang-hsien,  where  it  was 
mined  in  four  different  places,  the  names  of  which  are 
given.  This  earth  is  described  as  of  rich  plastic 
structure,  with  sparkling  silvery  spots  of  crystalline 
mica  disseminated  throughout,  which  indicates  its 
kaolinic  character  derived  from  the  decomposition  of 
granite.  It  was  brought  down  the  river,  the  Chang  Ho, 
to  Chiug-te-cheu  in  boats,  four  days  being  spent  on  the 
journey  in  winter  and  autumn,  when  the  river  was  low; 
less  than  two  days  in  the  time  of  spring  floods.  The 
price  paid  for  this  earth  at  the  imperial  manufactory 
was  seven  tael-cents  of  silver  for  each  picul  of  one  hun- 
dred catties."^*  In  the  eleventh  year  of  the  i^eign  of 
Wan-li  (1583)  Chang  Hua-mei,  director  of  the  manu- 
factory, reported  in  a memorial  to  the  emperor  that  the 
hillsides  had  been  mined  and  countermined  in  every 
direction,  and  that  so  much  extra  labor  was  required  to 

* The  tael,  or  Chinese  ounce  of  silver,  is  equivalent  to  about  $1.40  (Mexican); 
the  catty  to  pounds,  so  that  a picul  would  weigh  133j^  pounds. 


260 


TECHNIQUE  DUEING  THE  MING  PEKIOD. 


261 


extract  the  earth  that  it  was  necessary  to  increase  the 
price  to  ten  tael-cents  a picul.  In  spite  of  this,  the 
supply  of  kaolin  from  these  hills  soon  became  exhausted, 
and  it  had  to  be  brought  from  Wu-men-t’o,  where  a new 
source  of  a similar  earth  had  been  discovered ; this  place 
was  twice  as  far  away,  although  within  the  bounds  of 
the  district  of  Fou-liang-hsien,  and  as  no  more  money 
was  paid,  it  was  difficult  to  get  it  in  sufficient  quantity. 
Several  other  kinds  of  porcelain-earth  were  brought  to 
Ching-te-chen  from  Po-yang-hsien  and  other  neighboring 
districts,  but  these  were  not  considered  good  enough  for 
the  imperial  manufactory. 

The  supply  of  petuntse,  the  feldspathic  mineral 
employed  in  combination  with  the  above  porcelain- 
earth  ” in  the  preparation  of  the  paste,  was  obtained 
from  Yli-kan-hsien,  in  the  south,  and  from  Wu-yuan- 
hsien,  in  the  east.  The  petuntse  obtained  from  Yii-kan 
was  valued  at  twenty  tael-cents  for  eighty  catties,  that 
from  Wu-yuan  at  eighty  tael-cents  for  ninety  catties, 
which  were  reduced  to  seventy-two  catties  after  a second 
washing  and  levigation.  The  feldspathic  rock  was 
pounded  on  the  hillside  where  it  was  found,  in  mills 
worked  by  the  mountain  torrents,  and  after  it  had  been 
washed  and  purified  by  levigation  it  was  cut  into 
briquettes  or  little  cubes,  hence  the  name  of  pai4un4zu^ 
or  “ white  briquettes.” 

The  several  kinds  of  rocks  which  were  ground  to  form 
the  material  for  the  different  i>:lazes  are  also  described  in 
order,  and  the  places  of  production  given.  The  best 
were  covered  with  arbor-vitae-leaf  ” marks,  the  Chinese 
term  for  the  dendrites  which  were  due  to  manganese 
oxide.  This  was  combined  with  the  lien  livp  or 

purified  ashes  ” made  by  burning  alternate  layers  of 
lime  and  ferns  on  the  mountains  called  Chang-shan,  and 
washing  the  residue. 


262 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


All  these  different  materials  were  worked  and  brought 
to  the  potteries  by  private  enterprise,  tunnels  being 
excavated  for  miles  at  vast  expense  and  with  a loss  of 
many  lives,  although  each  man’s  load  produced  only  a 
few  cents.  Yet,  in  the  thirty-second  year  of  Wan-1%  the 
governor  of  the  city,  Chou  Ch’i-yuan,  attempted  to  make 
the  working  of  kaolin  a government  monopoly,  till  the 
people  rebelled  and  forced  him  to  withdraw  his  procla- 
mations. It  appears  that  the  potters  were  always  ready 
to  resist  oppression,  as  in  the  tw^enty-fifth  year  of  the 
same  reign  they  had  burned  the  gate-house  of  the 
imperial  manufactory  during  a riot,  in  consequence  of 
which  the  officials  responsible  for  the  affair  were  recalled 
to  Peking  and  thrown  into  prison,  where  they  died. 

Colors. 

Blue  occupies  a paramount  position  among  the  colors 
of  the  Ming  dynasty.  We  have  referred  to  the  blue 
material  brought  from  abroad  by  sea  during  the  reign  of 
Hsilan-te  and  to  the  Mohammedan  blue,”  to  which  the 
blue  and  white  of  Cliia-ching  owes  its  brilliant  tint. 
There  is  a long  account  of  this  last  Tiui  cKing  in  the 
records  of  Fou-liano;-hsien.  The  best  was  described  as 
exhibiting  vermilion  spots  when  crushed  with  a hammer, 
while  the  ordinary  kind  was  sprinkled  with  silvery 
stars.  Sixteen  ounces  of  the  imported  material  yielded 
three  ounces  of  ‘^true  blue,”  otherwise  called  “crushed 
blue.”  The  residue  was  pounded  in  a mortar  with 
water,  filtered  through  a sti*atum  of  broken  porcelain, 
and  by  this  means  an  additional  quantity  of  about  half 
an  ounce  was  obtained  after  decantation.  This  was 
mixed  with  native  blue  in  different  proportions  to  be 
employed  for  the  undei‘glaze  decoration  of  porcelain,  a 
combination  of  ten  parts  to  one  forming  the  “ffrst-class 


TECHNIQUE  DUEING  THE  MING  :^EEIOD. 


268 


color,”  while  the  ordinary  bine  ” was  composed  of  six 
parts  of  the  Mussulman  blue  mixed  with  four  parts  of 
indigenous  ore. 

The  native  material,  called  W ^ fl  Cluing  liua 
liao^  or  blue  decoration  color,”  is  the  well-known 
cobaltiferous  ore  of  manganese,  found  in  many  different 
parts  of  China,  which  has  been  analyzed  by  M.  Ebel- 
men,"^  from  a specimen  obtained  from  the  province  of 
Yunnan.  During  the  Ming  dynasty  the  supply  for  the 
imperial  works  was  first  obtained  from  Po-t’ang,  in  the 
district  of  Lo-p’ing-hsien,  near  Jao-chou-fu,  in  the  province 
of  Kiangsi,  where  it  occurred  in  irregular  concretionary 
masses  of  peculiar  shape.  This  produced  a very  dark 
color,  and  it  is  sometimes  called  by  the  name  of 

Buddha’s-head  Blue,”  or  Fo-fou  cliHng^  the  traditional 
tint  of  the  hair  of  Sakyamuni  being  that  of  lapis  lazuli. 
This  source  was  exhausted  in  the  reign  of  Cliia-cliing^ 
when  the  mines  were  closed  in  consequence  of  disturb- 
ances, and  a new  supply  was  afterward  brought  from 
several  places  in  the  prefecture  of  Jui-chou-fu,  in  the 
same  province,  under  the  name  of  Sliih  tzu  cKing — -i.  e., 

stone  or  mineral  blue.” 

After  describing  the  different  kinds  of  blue,  the 
official  records  give  a list  of  the  materials  used  in  the 
composition  of  the  colored  glazes  used  in  the  Ming 
dynasty  from  the  reign  of  Cliia-cJiing  onward.  This  is 

* The  Scientific  Works  of  J.  J.  Ebelmen,  who  was  Superintendent  of  the 
Imperial  Porcelain  Manufactory  at  Sevres  for  many  years,  and  who  died  in 
1852,  have  been  published  in  three  volumes  under  the  title  Recueil  des  trataiix 
scientifique  de  M.  Ehelmen,  revu  et  corrige  par  M.  Salvetat,  Paris,  1861.  They 
include  three  memoirs  of  original  research  on  the  composition  of  the  materials 
employed  in  China  in  the  fabrication  and  for  the  decoration  of  porcelain,  pre- 
pared in  association  with  M.  Salvetat  (tome  i,  pp.  847-455).  The  materials 
were  sent  from  Ching-t^-ch6n  by  Pere  J.  Ly,  “ pr^tre  Chiiiois  de  la  congrega- 
tion de  Saint-Lazare,”  and  by  M.  Itier  from  Canton,  who  obtained  the  colors 
himself  from  the  palette  of  a Chinese  artist  actually  engaged  in  the  decoration 
of  porcelain.  These  memoirs,  read  before  the  Academy,  are  indispensable  for 
the  student  of  modern  Chinese  ceramic  art. 


264 


^ OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


most  important  and  interesting,  and  tlie  mineral  compo- 
nents can  be  generally  identified,  as  most  of  them  are 
still  in  use  under  the  same  names. 

They  include  cJiHen  fen,  lead  carbonate,” 

priced  at  four  tael-cents  the  catty ; yen-lisiao, 

‘‘‘  niter  crystals,”  priced  at  two  tael-cents  the  catty ; 
^ cliHng  fan,  ^4ron  sulphate,”  priced  at  three 
cash  ” the  catty ; ^ tai  die  sliili,  antimony 

ore,”  the  price  of  which  is  not  recorded  ; ^ liei  diHen, 
lead,”  priced  at  two  tael-cents  and  eight  cash  ” the 
catty  ; sung  lisiang,  “ turpentine,”  priced  at  five 

cash  ” the  catty  ; e R.  pai  fan,  white  charcoal,” 
priced  at  five  tael-cents  the  catty  ; ^ diin  po,  “ gold 
leaf,”  priced  at  twenty-five  tael-cents  the  hundred  sheets  ; 
and  hu  fung,  old  copper,”  priced  at  six  tael- 

cents  the  catty. 

The  list  of  materials  is  followed  by  a series  of  prescrip- 
tions for  the  preparation  of  the  colored  glazes,  ten  in 
number  altogether. 

1.  Celadon  Glaze,  ^ Wifi,  Tou-cliing  Yu,  composed 
of  ifi  7jc,  yu  shui,  It  M,  lien  Tiui,  and  ^ liuang 
fu,  mixed  together.  The  first  two  materials  are  f eld- 
spathic  mineral,  or  ]3etrosilex  ground  with  water,  and 
ashes  prepared  by  burning  lime  with  ferns,  the  ingredi- 
ents of  the  ordinary  ^vhite  glaze,  and  Imwng  fu,  literally 
yellow  earth,”  is  a ferruginous  clay.  The  peculiar 
grayish-gi’een  tint  known  to  us  as  “ celadon,”  passing  into 
shades  of  brown  if  the  iron  be  in  excess,  was  called  by 
the  Chinese  at  this  time  tou-dfing,  or  “ pea-green  ” ; we 
have  seen  in  the  official  indents  that  large  fish-bowls  were 
ordered  to  be  furnished  of  this  color  in  the  reign  of 
CJiia’diing.  Tlie  peculiar  tint  is  supposed  to  be  due  to 
the  silicates  of  lime  and  iron  developing  a greenish  shade 
under  the  influence  of  a reducing  atmosphere  in  the  fur- 
nace, maintaining  the  iron  at  a minimum  of  oxidation. 


TECHNIQUE  DURING  THE  MING  PERIOD. 


265 


2.  Brown  Glaze,  ^ ^ Tzu-chin  Yu,  composed 
of  prepared  lime  ground  witli  water,  mixed  with  tzu-chin 
and  pulverized  quartz  suspended  in  water.  This  is  the 
fond  laque  of  French  ceramists,  passing  from  the  darkest 
bronze  or  coffee-color  to  dead  leaf  ” and  old  gold  ” 
according  to  the  proportion  of  the  tzu-cJiin  mineral,  which 
is  rich  in  iron.  The  Chinese  name  means  “ burnished 
gold,”  which  is  an  appropriate  rendering  of  some  of  the 
clearer  shades.  The  composition  of  this  glaze  is  given 
in  full  detail  by  Pere  d’Entrecolles  in  his  second  letter, 
although  he  gives  it  wrongly  as  a new  invention  of  his 
time.  It  is  mixed  with  the  ordinary  white  glaze  and 
applied  upon  the  unburned  ware. 

3.  Turquoise  Glaze,  W-  ^ Tdui  se  Yu,  composed 
of  a mixture  of  lien  cKeng  hu  timg  sliui,  a pulverized 
preparation  of  copper  suspended  in  water,  niter  (lisiao), 
and  quartz  (sMIi).  It  is  uncertain  whether  laniinm  of 
metallic  copper,  or  an  oxide  like  verdigils,  was  employed 
in  this  mixture.  Whichever  it  was,  the  result  would  be 
a silicate  of  copper,  producing  the  beautiful  finely  crackled 
glaze  of  turquoise  tint  known  to  the  Chinese  as  tdui,  from 
its  resemblance  to  the  color  of  the  plumes  of  the  king- 
fisher, which  they  use  in  jewelry.  Bowls  and  saucer- 
shaped plates  enameled  with  this  monochrome  glaze, 
with  the  mark  of  the  reign  of  Clvia-ching  underneath,  are 
not  rare. 

4.  Bright  Yelloiv  Glaze,  ^ ^ Chin  huang  Yu, 
composed  by  mixing  sixteen  ounces  of  pulverized  lead 
(hei  cli  ien  mo)  with  one  and  one-fifth  ounces  of  antimony 
ore  {che  shili),  and  grinding  them  together  in  a mortar. 
Hei  die  shiJi,  also  oalled  Tai  die  shih,  hei  and  tai  both 
meaning  “ black,”  is  a mineral  containiim  iron  and  anti- 
mony.  It  was  analyzed  by  Brongniart  under  the  name 
oifer  oligistique  terreux.  The  antimony  is  the  source  of 
the  yellow,  which  becomes  more  or  less  orange  on  account 


266 


0EIENT4L  CERAMIC  ART. 


of  the  presence  of  iron  in  the  ore.  It  is  the  imperial 
yellow  ” of  collectors,  and  often  occurs  as  a monochrome 
glaze,  with  the  marks  of  all  the  reigns  of  this  dynasty 
from  Hung-chill  downward,  either  plain  or  enameled 
over  five-clawed  dragons  and  other  designs  incised  in  the 
paste. 

5.  Bright  Green  Glaze ^ ^ Chin  lil  Yu^  com- 

posed by  mixing  together  sixteen  ounces  of  pulveilzed 
lead,  one  and  two-fifths  ounces  of  pulverized  copper 
(hu  f ung  mo)^  and  six  ounces  of  pounded  quartz  (shih 
ni6).  The  copper  is  the  source  of  the  green,  forming  a 
silicate,  which  is  dissolved  in  the  vitrified  glaze  charged 
with  oxide  of  lead.  The  last  three  glazes  in  this  list — 
viz.,  the  turquoise,  yellow,  and  green — are  often  classed, 
by  French  writers,  with  the  purple  glaze  which  follows 
afterward  under  No.  8,  as  couleurs  de  denii-grand  feu,. 
They  differ  from  the  rest  in  having  either  a lead  or  an 
alkaline  flux. 

6.  Bright  Blue  Glaze^  Chin  chHng  Yu,  com- 

posed by  mixing  sixteen  ounces  of  tdui,  finely  pow- 
dered, with  one  ounce  of  ^ shih  tzu  cluing.  The 

dark  blue  glaze  used  by  enamelers  on  metal,  colored  with 
silicate  of  cobalt,  is  called  tdui,  and  the  shih  tzu  chHng  is 
the  native  cobaltiferous  ore  of  manganese  found,  as  we 
saw  above,  at  Ju-choii-fu,  in  Kiang-si  province.  The 
combination  would  produce  the  brilliant  sapphire-blue  of 
piu’plish  tint,  like  the  hleu  du  roi  of  Sevres,  which  is 
occasionally  seen  in  a collection  of  Chia-chmg  cups.  It 
is  distinguished  from  the  ordinaiy  pui*ple  glaze  of  the 
period  by  being  a couleur  du  grand  feu. 

7.  Cored-Bed,  or  IrourBed,  Fan  Hung,  com- 

posed of  one  ounce  of  calcined  sulphate  of  iron  {cKing 
fan)  and  five  ounces  of  carbonate  of  lead  (chHen  fen) 
mixed  together  with  Canton  ox-glue  {Kuemg  chiao). 
This  is  the  well-known  coral  red  ” of  the  muffle  stove, 


TECHNIQUE  DUEING  THE  3IING  PERIOH. 


267 


which  came  into  vogue  in  the  reign  of  Cliia-cliing^  and 
seems,  from  its  cheapness  and  facility  of  firing,  to  have 
completely  supplanted  the  more  brilliant  copper-red 
dii  grand  feu,  which  made  the  reign  of  Hsilan-te  so 
illustrious,  and  which  reappears  in  the  reign  of  K'^angdisi 
in  the  sang-de-hceuf  glaze  of  the  Lang  Yao.  With  the 
exception  of  gold  it  is  the  only  mufiie  color  in  the  list, 
and  it  is  a curious  fact  that  even  in  the  present  day  the 
workshops  of  the  decorators  in  enamel  colors  at  Ching- 
te-chen  are  called  hung  tien,  ov  ‘‘red  shops,”  another 
independent  evidence  of  the  early  appearance  of  this 
glaze. 

8.  Purple  Glaze,  ^ Vfi,  Tzu  se  Yu,  composed  of 
sixteen  ounces  of  pulverized  lead  (liei  cKien  mo),  one 
ounce  of  cobaltiferous  oi-e  of  manganese  (shih  tzu  cli’ing), 
and  six  ounces  of  pounded  cpiartz  (sink  mo).  This  is 
the  manganese  purple  formed  by  the  solution  of  a slightly 
cobaltiferous  oxide  of  manganese  in  a lead  fiux,  which  is 
so  often  found  in  association  with  the  turquoise  glaze, 
and,  like  this  last,  it  is  generally  minutely  crackled 
throimhout. 

o ^ 

9.  Pale  Blue  Glaze,  Cliiao  cVing  Y%l,  com- 

posed of  yii  shui  and  lien  liui,  the  ingredients  of  the 
ordinary  white  glaze,  combined  with  shili  tzu  cliHng,  the 
indigenous  ore  of  cobalt.  Chiao  clCing  means  literally 

watered  blue.”  This  is  the  ordinary  blue  of  the  grand 
feu,  as  M.  Salvetat  remarks,  proved  by  the  presence  of 
lime  and  petrosilex.  The  intensity  of  the  blue  would 
depend  on  the  amount  of  cobalt  in  the  crude  material, 
but  it  would  always  have  a grayish  hue  when  compared 
with  the  bright  blue  glaze  of  Xo.  6. 

10.  PureWhite  Glaze,  Cl  fun  pai  Yu,  com- 

posed of  pounded  feldspathic  mineral  or  petrosilex 
ground  wdth  water  {yu  shui)  and  incinerated  lime  {lAen 
liui).  This  is  the  ordinary  white  glaze  of  Chinese  por- 


268 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


celain,  which  was  often  called  at  the  time  THen  pa%  fieri 
meaning  also  “ pure.” 

Among  the  other  decorative  processes  described  in  the 
records  of  the  imperial  manufactory  during  the  reign  of 
Wan-li  are  : 

1.  Embossing. 

2.  Chiseling. 

3.  Openwork  Carving. 

4.  Gilded  Decoration. 

5.  Decoration  in  Enamel  Colors. 

1.  Embossed  Fieces^  Tui  C]f%  were  made  by 

applying  to  the  surface,  before  tiring,  cuttings  of  the 
same  paste  of  which  they  were  formed,  and  working 
these  with  a moist  brush  into  the  shape  of  dragons,  phoe- 
nixes, flowers,  or  other  ornamental  designs.  The  por- 
celain thus  decorated  in  relief  was  afterward  invested 
with  glaze  and  finally  fired  in  the  kiln. 

2.  Engraved  Pieces^  mm,  Cliiii  Clfi,  were  incised  in 
the  paste,  as  soon  as  it  had  been  sutficiently  dried,  with 
dragons  and  other  designs,  chiseled  with  an  iron  style, 
and  were  subsequently  glazed  and  fired.  The  work  was 
sometimes  so  delicately  executed  that  the  pattern  could 
be  seen  only  by  holding  the  porcelain  up  to  the  lights 
like  tlie  Avater-mark  in  paper,  and  the  mark  was  penciled 
under  the  glaze  in  a similar  fashion,  which  had  the  spe- 
cial name  of  0^  aa  hva — i.  e.,  “ hidden  or  veiled  deco- 
ration.” These  pi'ocesses  were  uot  invented  at  this  time,, 
however,  as  we  often  find  specimens  of  Ting-chou  por- 
celain of  the  Swig  dynasty  with  embossed  and  chiseled 
ornament. 

3.  Openworh  Carving^  Jp  Lingdung,  of  porcelains 
Avitli  ornamental  designs  in  pierced  work,  is  described 
as  having  been  executed  by  the  potters  at  this  period^ 
although  protested  against  by  the  censoi's  as  too  elab- 
orate and  costly  even  for  the  emperor’s  palace. 


TECHNIQUE  DUEING  THE  MING  PEEIOD. 


269 


I will  pause  here  a while  to  describe  an  openwork 
vase  of  the  time  decorated  in  colors  which  is  in  my  col- 
lection at  Peking.  It  is  bottle-shaped,  eighteen  inches 
high,  with  an  ovoid  body,  gradually  tapering  into  a 
broad,  cylindrical  neck,  which  swells  again  toward  the 
mouth.  The  mouth  is  surrounded  by  a broad  upright 
lip,  which  is  carved  with  an  open  band  of  ornamental 
scrolls,  and  the  body  is  perforated  throughout  in  the 
interstices  of  the  design,  so  as  to  allow  an  inner  solid 
casing  to  be  visible  through  an  irregular  open  network, 
which  is  carved  to  represent  two  pairs  of  phoenixes  dis- 
played hying  through  clouds.  The  entire  surface  of  the 
vase  is  richly  brocaded  in  coloi-s.  The  broad  outlines  of 
the  decoration  having  been  first  limned  in  cobalt-blue  of 
pale  shade  and  penciled  with  lines  of  darker  blue,  the 
remaining  parts  are  painted  in  enamel  colors,  including  a 
rich  vermilion  red,  a green  of  camellia-leaf  tint,  and 
a yellow  of  palish  tone.  The  yellow  parts  are  outlined 
in  red,  the  other  colors  penciled  with  darker  lines  of  red 
and  green  respectively,  the  last  becoming  almost  black. 
The  two  rings  of  palmations  which  spread  upward  and 
downward  to  decorate  the  upper  part  of  the  neck  exhibit 
all  the  four  colors,  the  leaves  being  painted  in  regular 
series — blue,  red,  green,  and  yellow.  The  lower  half  of 
the  neck  is  covered  with  a broad  band  of  peony  scrolls, 
interrupted  by  two  projecting  mask-handles,  carved  in 
openwork  relief,  perforated  for  rings,  and  enameled  to 
represent  lions’  heads.  The  shoulder  of  the  vase  is  encir- 
cled by  a floral  diaper  of  lozenge  pattern,  penciled  in 
red,  displaying  a ring  of  the  eight  Buddhist  emblems 
with  waving  fillets  painted  in  underglaze  cobalt-blue, 
and  a li2:iitlv  sketched  border  of  conventional  foliations 

O «. 

suri’ounds  the  base,  which  is  perforated  at  regular  inter- 
vals with  four  large  holes,  through  which  sti’aps  could 
lie  passed. 


270 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


The  vase  is  a specimen  of  the  class  which  furnished 
models  for  the  ‘‘old  Japan  ” Imari  pieces,  which  Jacque- 
mart  comprised  in  his  famille  clirysaniliemo-peonienne^ 
although  the  Japanese  copies  are  of  rough  crude  work. 
It  is  interesting,  on  the  other  hand,  to  compare  the  per- 
fectly finished  technique  of  the  CliHen-lung  period,  of 
which  Fig.  185  exhibits  a most  excellent  example.  The 
waist  of  the  gourd  is  fitted  with  a revolving  belt,  and 
the  inner  vase  is  painted  with  bats  flying  among  clouds, 
seen  through  the  rifts  of  the  ornamental  trellis  bands  of 
the  outer  casing.  The  delicate  profusion  of  ornamental 
design  is  well  indicated  in  the  picture ; it  is  executed 
in  fine  enamel  colors,  with  touches  of  gilding.  It  offers  a 
complete  contrast  to  the  bold  execution  and  strong  color- 
ing of  the  old  Ming  vase,  which  is  still  not  without  its 
charm. 

4.  Decoration  in  Gold,  , Miao  Ch  in,  was  applied 

to  porcelain  that  had  been  previously  fired.  The  gold 
leaf,  combined  with  a tenth  part  by  weight  of  carbonate 
of  lead,  was  mixed  with  gum  and  spread  on  with  the 
brush,  and  the  porcelain  was  fired  again  in  the  stove  that 
was  employed  to  fire  the  coral-red.  A second  coat  was 
sometimes  applied  afterward,  and  the  piece  was  again 
fired  in  the  mufile  stove.  It  was  used  solely  as  a gilded 
monochrome,  as  well  as  in  comliination  with  other  colors. 
The  lists  already  mentioned  give  instances  of  the  use  of 
gilding  in  combination  with  blue  and  white,  directing 
chrysanthemum  flowers  and  yellow  liibiscus  blossoms  to 
be  penciled  in  gold. 

5.  Decoration  in  Enamel  Colors,  £ w tdai,  lit- 
ei’ally  “in  five  colors,”  was  only  occasionally  employed 
in  the  imperial  manufactory,  although  it  was  much  used 
in  the  private  potteries  at  Ching-te-chen  in  the  reign  of 
Wandi,  when  the  art  of  painting  in  blue  declined,  from 
the  want  of  proper  materials.  The  colors  employed  were 


TECHNIQUE  DURING  THE  MING  PERIOD. 


271 


vitreous  fluxes,  containing  only  a small  percentage  of 
metallic  oxides,  the  same  that  had  previously  been  em- 
ployed in  enameling  upon  metal.  They  were  painted 
upon  white  porcelain  that  had  been  fired  in  the  furnace, 
and  then  baked  a second  time  in  a muffle  stove  to  fix  the 
colors.  Some  parts  of  the  decoration  had  often  been 
previously  penciled  in  underglaze  cobalt-blue,  and  the 
outlines  of  the  designs  were  usually  sketched  in  the  same 
color. 


Firing. 

Several  kinds  of  furnaces  are  mentioned  in  the  records. 
The  imperial  manufactory  in  the  beginning  of  the  reign 
of  Cliia-cliing  contained  fifty-two  furnaces,  of  which  thir- 
ty-two were  Itang  yao^  in  which  the  large  fish-bowls  Avere 
fired,  the  I’emainder  being  either  cliHng  yao^  for  baking 
the  ordinary  blue  and  white,  or  se  yao^  for  firing  the  col- 
ored ware.  Later  in  the  reign,  when  more  blue  and 
Avhite  was  required,  it  is  related  that  sixteen  of  the  ~kang 
yao  Avere  converted  into  cKing  yao.  Besides  these  there 
Avere  the  lisia  yao  kilns  for  baking  the  clay  cases  or  seg- 
gars,  in  Avhich  the  porcelain  Avas  placed  inside  the  fur- 
nace to  shield  it  from  the  blast  of  the  fire. 

The  Tcang  yao  are  described  as  measuring  six  feet 
broad  in  front,  six  and  a half  feet  broad  at  the  back,  and 
six  feet  in  depth,  Avith  rounded  top.  Only  one  fish-bowl 
of  the  largest  size  or  of  the  second  size  could  be  fired  at  a 
time,  or  tAVo  of  the  third  size,  placed  one  above  the 
other.  A gentle  fire  Avas  kept  up  for  seven  days  and 
nights,  so  as  gradually  to  dry  the  materials,  then  a fierce 
fire  Avas  raised  and  maintained  for  t\vo  days,  till  the  seg- 
gars  Avere  seen  to  be  red  all  over  and  emitting  rays  of 
Avhite  heat.  The  fire  Avas  then  stopped,  all  the  orifices 
sealed  up,  and  the  contents  Avere  left  undisturbed  for  ten 


272 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


days  more  before  the  kiln  was  opened.  The  fuel  was 
pine  billets,  of  which  one  hundred  and  twenty  loads,  of 
one  hundred  catties,  each  valued  at  four  tael-cents  of 
silver,  were  consumed  for  each  tiring,  ten  more  being 
allowed  in  rainy  weather.  The  largest  bowls  were 
valued  at  fifty-eight  taels  each,  those  of  the  second  size  at 
fifty  taels,  although  only  twenty  and  eighteen,  afterward 
raised  to  twenty-three  and  twenty  taels,  used  to  be  paid 
by  the  officials  for  those  fabricated  at  private  kilns» 
The  official  “ squeeze  ” was  tight  in  China,  even  four 
centuries  ago. 

The  cKing  yao,  or  blue  kilns,”  were  of  similar  shape 
to  the  above,  but  of  smaller  size,  the  corresponding 
dimensions  in  Chinese  feet  being  five,  five  and  a half,  and 
four  and  a half.  The  chars^e  consisted  of  about  two  hun- 
dred  of  the  ordinary  round  dishes  and  saucer  plates;  or 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  one  hundred  and  sixty  of 
those  of  larger  diameter.  It  would  hold  twenty-four  of 
the  largest  bowls,  or  thirty  bowls  one  foot  in  diameter, 
only  sixteen  or  seventeen  of  the  ovoid  jars  with  bulging 
shoulder  called  fan,  but  five  hundred  to  six  hundred 
little  wine-cups.  The  gentle  fire  lasted  two  days,  the 
fierce  fire  twenty-four  hours,  the  period  being  judged  by 
the  state  of  the  seggars  as  befoi*e,  after  which  the  furnace 
was  sealed  up.  From  first  to  last  the  firing  of  the  blue 
kilns  took  five  days,  and  about  sixty  loads  of  fuel  were 
consumed,  ten  more  if  the  charge  consisted  of  large 
bowls,  tall  jars,  oi*  temple  bi’icks,  or  if  the  weather  were 
wet. 

The  private  kilns  for  firing  blue  and  white  were  of 
larger  size  and  held  several  times  the  quantity,  the 
charge  consisting  of  over  one  thousand  of  the  smaller 
pieces,  yet  they  are  said  to  have  used  only  about  the 
same  amount  of  fuel.  The  seggars  were  piled  in  tiers 
and  ranged  in  seven  rows  ; the  first  two  rows  next  the 


TECHNIQUE  DURING  THE  MING  PERIOD. 


2n 


eDtrance  were  filled  witli  coarse  pieces,  the  third  row 
contained  a few  good  pieces,  the  middle  three  rows  all 
the  best  porcelain,  and  the  last  three  rows  next  the 
chimney  coarser  ware  again.  In  the  imperial  furnace, 
where  all  the  porcelain  was  of  the  highest  class,  empty 
cases  stood  at  the  front  and  back,  to  screen  those  in  the 
middle  from  the  blast. 

There  is  no  particular  account  in  the  official  records  of 
the  se  yao,  or  furnaces  for  the  colored  ware,  but  in  the 
T'^ien  Icung  Vai  a small  manual  of  the  industrial  arts 
published  toward  the  end  of  the  Ming  dynasty,  there  is 
an  illustration  showing  the  form  of  the  open  and  closed 
stoves  used  at  the  time  to  fire  the  porcelain  decorated 
with  enamel  colors.  This  picture  is  reproduced  among  the 
woodcuts  illustrating  the  article  Porcelain  ” in  the  large 
Chinese  encyclopiedia,  T'’ou  shu  chi  cli'eng^  in  10,000 
books,  a copy  of  which  is  in  the  British  Museum. 

Some  of  the  private  pottei*s  acquired  i*enown  for  their 
ceramic  productions  in  the  reign  of  Wan-li^  and  at  this 
time  we  begin  to  hear  of  copies  of  antiques,  a branch  of 
art  so  much  developed  afterward.  In  the  province  of 
Kiang-nan  at  the  boccaro  ” potteries  of  Yi-hsing-hsien,  to 
which  reference  has  already  been  made,  a man  named  On 
became  celebrated  for  his  productions,  which  were  called 
after  him  Ou  Yao.  He  succeeded  in  reproducing  the 
crackled  crlaze  of  the  ancient  Ko  Yao,  and  the  different 
colors  of  the  imperial  ware  and  Chun-chou  porcelain  of 
the  Sung  dynasty,  upon  the  characteristic  brown  stone- 
^vare  of  the  place.  Two  of  his  glazes  were  afterward 
copied  in  turn  by  T’ang  Ying,  as  we  shall  see  presently. 

The  imitations  of  Ting-chou  ^vhite  porcelain  made  at 
Ching-te-chen  were  still  more  successful.  The  Po  vm  yao 
Ian  says  of  these  : The  new  censers  modeled  in  the 

form  of  the  four-legged  sacrificial  ting  of  the  ancient 
sovereign  Wen  Wang^  and  of  the  bronzed  bowl-shaped 


274 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


yi  with  mask-handles  of  monsters’  heads  and  halberd- 
shaped ^ ears,’  are  in  no  way  inferior  to  the  original  pro- 
ductions of  the  Ting-chou  potters,  and  they  may  even  be 
mistaken  for  genuine  old  specimens,  if  the  gloss  of  the 
furnace  has  been  removed  by  friction.  The  best  are 
those  made  by  Chou  Tan-ch’uan.”  Many  stories  are  told 
of  the  marvelous  ingenuity  of  this  artist,  who  seems  to 
have  been  on  friendly  terms  with  some  of  the  foremost 
scholars  of  the  time,  of  which  I may  quote  one  : One 

day,  as  Chou  Tan-ch’uan  was  traveling  along  the  river  in 
a merchant  boat  to  the  province  of  Kiang-nan,  he  landed 
at  Pi-ling  to  visit  his  friend  T’ang,  President  of  the 
Imperial  Sacrificial  Court,  and  asked  to  be  allowed  to 
look  at  an  ancient  Ting-chou  censer,  the  dimensions  of 
which  he  measured  with  his  fingers,  while  he  took  impres- 
sions of  the  chiseled  decoration  upon  paper,  which  he  put 
in  his  sleeve  and  carried  with  him  back  to  Ching-te-chen. 
Six  months  later  he  returned,  and  when  he  saw  T’ang 
again  he  drew  from  his  sleeve  a censer,  exclaiming : 
^Your  Excellency  has  a white  Ting-chou  censer;  I have 
got  its  fellow  ! ’ T’ang  was  greatly  surprised.  He  com- 
pared it  with  the  ancient  censer  in  his  own  collection,  and 
there  was  not  a hair’s-bi’eadth  difference.  He  tried  the 
cover  and  the  stand  of  his  own,  and  they  fitted  exactly. 
He  asked  him  where  he  had  got  it.  Chou  replied:  H 
made  it  as  a copy.  I will  not  deceive  you.’  The  presi- 
dent, delighted,  purchased  it  for  forty  taels  of  silver,  and 
put  it  in  his  cabinet,  beside  the  original  censer,  as  if  they 
were  a pair.  Some  years  later,  at  the  end  of  the  reign  of 
Wan-li,  Tu  Chiu-ju,  of  Huai-an,  after  he  had  seen  in  a 
dream  a vision  of  T ’ang’s  ancient  censer,  succeeded  in 
obtaining  from  Cliun-yii,  a grandson  of  the  president,  the 
imitation  made  by  Chou  for  one  thousand  taels.” 

A still  moi*e  famous  potter  was  the  famous  Hao  Shih- 
chiu,  who  adopted  the  sobriquet  of  “ Hermit  hidden  in 


TECHNIQUE  DURING  THE  MING  PERIOD. 


275 


the  teapot,”  and  lived  in  a hjLit  with  a broken  potsherd 
for  a window,  where  he  capped  the  verses  of  his  literary 
friends,  and  fabricated  the  delicate  wine-cups  which 
people  thronged  from  all  parts  of  the  empire  to  buy. 
The  most  beautiful  of  these  tiny  cups  were  the  ^ 
liu  lisia  chwii,  or  cups  of  liquid  dawn,”  invested  with 
undulations  of  brightest  vermilion  tint,  and  the  ^ 
luan  mu  pel,  or  “ eggshell  cups,”  of  pure  translucent 
white,  so  thin  that  they  were  said  to  float  upon  water, 
and  so  light  that  they  weighed  only  half  a cliu — that  is, 
less  than  a gramme  each.  He  also  excelled  in  the  manu- 
facture of  teapots,  some  of  which  were  of  pale  celadon 
color,  like  the  old  ware  of  the  Sung  dynasty,  but 
uncrackled ; others  enameled  in  reddish  shades  of  brown 
(tzu  chin^  or  ^^dead  leaf,”  made  after  the  “ boccaro  ” tea- 
pots of  that  color  fabricated  at  Yi-hsing-hsien  by  the 
Ch’en  family  of  potters,  all  of  which  he  inscribed  under- 
neath with  his  own  hermit  mark.” 

An  eggshell  wine-cup  of  this  reign  is  shown  in  Fig.  18, 
one  of  a pair  fit  to  be  compared  with  the  translucent 
cups  of  the  hermit  Hao  Shih-chiu,  which  have  the  mark 
of  the  reim  of  Wan-li  inscribed  underneath.  Pressed 

o 

upon  a mold  before  glazing,  the  decoration  appears 
inside  in  gentle  relief,  becoming  more  visible  when  the 
delicate  cup  is  held  up  to  the  light  filled  with  yellow 
Shao-hsing  wine.  The  lineaments  of  one  of  the  dragons 
are  but  dimly  visible  in  the  picture. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


€HING-Tl:-CHtN. THE  IMPERIAL  PORCELAIH  MANUFACTORY. 

Before  proceeding  to  tlie  consideration  of  the 
ceramic  productions  of  the  present  dynasty  it  is 
necessary  to  give  a short  description  of  Ching-te-chen, 
which,  as  we  have  already  shown,  has  long  been  the 
chief  seat  of  the  porcelain  industry  in  China,  where  it 
occupies  a more  prominent  position  than  does  Sevres,  in 
France,  or  Meissen,  in  Germany.  It  has,  indeed,  become 
the  exclusive  source  of  artistic  porcelain,  and  supplies 
the  demands  of  the  whole  empire,  not  only  for  objets  de 
luxe^  but  also  for  the  better  class  of  household  porcelain 
ware,  such  as  dinner  services,  teapots,  and  the  like.  The 
factories  in  the  other  provinces,  established  where  there 
happened  to  be  available  deposits  of  white  plastic  clay, 
furnish  only  coarse  ware  for  local  consumption.  The 
exception  is  that  of  Te-hua,  in  the  province  of  Fuchien 
(Fukien),  where  a kind  of  white  porcelain  is  produced 
covered  with  a soft,  velvety  glaze  of  creamy  tint,  com- 
prising ornamental  vases,  wine-ewers  and  wine-cups,  tea- 
pots, horn-shaped  cups  of  archaic  design,  etc.,  and  which 
is  especially  celebrated  for  its  statuettes  of  divinities  and 
fantastic  figures.  This  will  be  referred  to  more  fully  in 
Chapter  XXII. 

The  manufacture  of  porcelain  at  Ching-te-chen,  accord- 
ing to  local  tradition,  as  it  is  stated  in  the  ofi&cial  de- 
scription of  the  province,  dates  from  the  Han  dynasty 
(b.  c.  206 — A.  D.  220),  but  the  annalist  adds  that  nothing 
is  known  with  certainty  about  the  productions  of  these 
remote  times. 


276 


CHiNG-T^:-CH^:]sr. 


277 


The  earliest  record  of  the  place  in  the  general  annals 
of  the  empire  is  in  a.  d.  583,  the  first  year  of  the  reign  of 
the  last  sovereign  of  the  short-lived  CKen  dynasty,  who 
ordered  a supply  of  porcelain  plinths  (fao  cli’u)  to  be 
made  there,  to  serve  as  pedestals  for  the  support  of  the 
wooden  pillars  of  the  large  palaces  which  he  was  build- 
ing at  his  capital,  Chien-k’ang  (the  modern  Nanking). 
They  were  sent,  elaborately  molded  in  ornamental  designs, 
in  the  style  of  the  ordinary  plinths  carved  out  of  solid 
stone,  but  were  rejected  as  not  sufficiently  solid.  A 
second  supply  was  furnished  in  due  course,  but  still  they 
were  not  strong  enough  for  the  purpose  required,  and 
-the  imperial  decree  had  to  be  withdrawn.  The  plinths 
of  the  immense  columns  which  support  the  roofs  of  such 
large  buildings  are  usually  made  of  carved  marble  or  of 
some  other  hard  stone,  and  molded  white  porcelain  seems 
to  be  the  most  unsuitable  of  materials.  It  is,  however, 
employed  with  success  in  Chinese  architecture  where 
less  strain  is  required,  as  in  the  famous  porcelain  tower 
of  Nanking,  which  was  rebuilt  in  the  reign  of  the 
Emperor  Ymig-lo  (1404-24),  and  formed  one  of  the  chief 
ornaments  of  the  ancient  capital  till  the  pagoda  was 
destroyed  by  the  Taiping  rebels  during  their  occupancy 
of  the  city  (March  19,  1853,  to  July  19,  1864).  Most 
museums  possess  a specimen  of  the  white  L-shaped  bricks 
of  which  it  was  built,  coated  with  a lustrous  white  glaze, 
which  were  made  at  Ching-te-chen.  The  porcelain  of  the 
sixth  and  seventh  centuries  must  have  been  of  much  the 
same  character  as  these  bricks,  being  always  compared  by 
Avi'iters  of  the  time  to  pure  white  jade. 

It  was  under  the  name  of  imitation  jade  {cliia  yil) 
that  the  potters  of  Hsin-p’ing  (the  modern  Fou-liang) 
presented  their  ceramic  ware  to  the  founder  of  the 
celebrated  Yang  dynasty  in  the  year  621,  when  they 
carried  it  to  the  distant  capital  of  Ch’ang-an,  in  the 


278 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


province  of  Shensi,  and  it  is  said  to  have  rivaled  this 
stone,  so  precious  to  the  Chinese,  in  its  whiteness,  trans- 
lucency,  and  musical  ring.  The  new  porcelain  soon 
became  more  widely  known,  and  we  find  in  the  official 
biography  of  Chu  Sui  a notice  of  an  imperial  decree 
received  by  him,  when  he  was  Governor  of  Hsin-p’ing, 
in  the  year  707,  ordering  the  production  of  a set  of 
sacrificial  vases  for  the  funeral  temple  of  the  Emperor 
Chung-Tsung^  the  fourth  of  the  T'^ang  dynasty,  who  had 
just  died.  The  manufacture  seems  to  have  degenerated 
afterward,  and  the  pale  blue  ware  of  other  potteries  came 
into  wider  vogue,  the  new  color  being  preferred  from  its 
enhancing  the  tints  of  wine  and  tea,  so  that  the  com- 
paratively coarse  fabric  of  the  cups  made  at  these  places 
was  overlooked. 

It  was  not  until  the  Sung  dynasty  that  regular  officials 
were  appointed  to  superintend  the  manufacture  of 
porcelain  and  to  send  supplies  to  the  capital  for  the  use 
of  the  imperial  court.  The  name  of  Ching-te-chen  dates 
from  this  time,  and  it  is  derived  from  that  of  the  period 
Cliing-te  (1004-1007),  in  the  first  year  of  which  a decree 
was  issued  ordering  the  official  in  charge  of  the  manu- 
factory to  inscribe  underneath  the  pieces  the  mark  Cliing 
te  nien  cliih^  Made  in  the  peiiod  Ching-teP  The  place 
had  been  previously  known  as  Ch’ang-nan-chen,  from  its 
position  on  the  southern  bank  of  the  Ch’ang  River,  the 
term  chen^  which  may  be  translated  mart,”  being  applied 
in  China  to  a few  populous  centers  of  trade  which  are 
not  fortified  with  regular  walls. 

Ching-te-chen  is  in  the  province  of  Kiangsi,  on  the 
south  of  the  great  Yangtze  River,  in  latitude  29^  16' 
north,  and  longitude  0°  48'  Avest  of  the  meridian  of 
Peking,  according  to  tlie  observations  of  the  French 
missionaries  of  the  eighteenth  century.  ^ The  river 
Ch’ang,  which  rises  in  the  mountains  Avhich  separate 


279 


the  provinces  of  Kiangsi  and  Anhui,  after  a course  of 
about  one  hundred  miles  in  a southwest  direction  runs 
into  the  Poyang  Lake.  On  its  northern  bank,  about  the 
middle  of  its  course,  is  the  small  district  town  of  Fou- 
liangdisien,  and  near  its  mouth  the  prefectural  city  of 
Jao-chou-fu,  which  has  jurisdiction  over  this  and  six  other 
walled  towns.  Ching-te-chen  is  situated  about  four  miles 
below  Fou-liang,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  and  is 
under  its  jurisdiction,  although  the  mandarin  in  immediate 
charge  is  appointed  from  Jao-chou,  with  the  rank  of 
T\ing-clii\  or  sub-prefect.  There  is  another  official  in 
charge  of  the  imperial  manufactory,  who  is  usually 
deputed  from  the  imperial  household  (Nei  Wu  Fu)  at 
Peking,  and  who  is  at  the  same  time  commissioner  of  the 
important  customs  station  at  Kiukiang,  established  near 
the  point  where  the  Poyang  Lake  communicates  with  the 
Yangtze.  The  funds  for  the  porcelain  works  are  directed 
to  be  taken  from  the  customs-chest.  The  commissioner 
forwards  the  porcelain  by  boats  to  Peking,  which  go 
down  the  Yangtze  River  to  Chinkiang,  and  thence  up 
the  Grand  Canal  to  Tien-tsin.  At  the  junction  of  the 
Grand  Canal  with  the  Yellow  River  there  is  another 
large  customs  barrier,  with  an  imperial  commissioner, 
stationed  at  Huai-an-fu,  who  used  formerly  to  be  ex-officio 
superintendent  of  the  porcelain  works  and  privileged  to 
find  the  funds.  T’ang  Ying  succeeded  Nien-si-yao  as 
commissioner  of  customs  at  Huai-an-fu  in  1736,  with  the 
control  of  the  customs  of  the  three  provinces  of  Kiangsi, 
Kiangsu,  and  Anhui,  and  he  held  the  post  till  he  was 
transferred  to  Kiukiang,  uhere  he  remained  till  1749, 
when  his  successor,  Ch’in  Yung-chiin,  was  appointed. 
The  annual  sum  allowed  from  the  Huai-au  transit  dues 
had  been  eight  thousand  taels.  Tang  Ying  says  in  his 
preface  to  the  FouAiang-lisien-cMli,  dated  1740:  ^Hn  the 
sixtli  year  of  the  reign  of  Yung-clieng  (1728)  I was 


280 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


appointed  to  take  charge  of  the  imperial  potteries.  In 
the  first  year  of  CliHeM-lung  (1736)  I was  appointed 
commissioner  of  customs  at  Huai-an,  remaining  also  in 
superintendence  of  the  potteries,  but  during  my  time 
there,  on  account  of  the  great  distance,  I was  only  once 
able  to  visit  Ching-te-chen,  when  I found  everything 
going  on  satisfactorily.  Last  year  (1739)'^  I was  trans- 
ferred to  Kiukiang.  During  my  regime  over  ten  thousand 
taels  have  been  devoted  yearly  to  the  work,  and  several 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  articles  of  porcelain  have  been 
provided  for  the  use  of  the  emperor.” 

To  the  south  of  the  Poyang  Lake,  twenty  miles  distant 
by  river,  is  the  large  city  of  Nan-ch’ang-fu,  the  capital  of 
the  province  of  Kiangsi,  which  is  full  of  porcelain  shops, 
its  principal  staple  being  the  porcelain  of  Ching-te-chen, 
which  it  distributes  to  all  parts  of  the  south  of  China. 
The  trade  route  to  Canton  passes  this  city,  and  large 
quantities  are  conveyed  thither,  consisting  partly  of 
finished  pieces,  partly  of  plain  white  porcelain,  which  has 
to  be  decorated  in  enamel  colors  by  the  Cantonese  artist 
before  it  is  finally  exported.  The  journey  is  made  by 
water  with  the  exception  of  a day’s  portage  across  the 
Mei-ling  pass.  This  is  shown  in  a series  of  water-color 
pictures  from  Canton,  intended  to  illusti’ate  the  porce- 
lain manufacture  of  China,  which  hang  framed  in  the 
British  Museum,  and  which  conclude  with  pictures  of 
the  land  journey  to  Canton  and  of  the  final  packing  of 
the  things  in  boxes  for  shipment  to  Western  countries. 

* It  was  in  this  year,  according  to  the  history  of  the  province  of  Kiangsi, 
that  the  chief  commissionership  of  customs  was  transferred  to  Kiukiang,  T’ang 
Ying  remaining  in  charge  and  retaining  also  the  directorship  of  the  potteries. 
This  city  is  much  nearer  to  Ching-t6-cli6n,  and  the  director  resided  there  part 
of  every  year  to  superintend  the  work  in  person.  Directors  were  appointed 
from  the  imperial  household  in  rotation  up  to  the  forty-third  year  of  ClCien- 
lunxj  (1778),  after  which  the  control  was  left  to  the  provincial  authorities.  In 
the  present  day  the  Tao-t’ai  of  Kiukiang,  who  is  the  native  commissioner  of  cus- 
toms, is  also  ex-officio  superintendent  of  the  imperial  potteries  at  Ching-t^-chen. 


ching-t^:-chI:n. 


281 


Fou-liang  is  situated  in  a hilly  country  surrounded  by 
mountains  of  graphitic  granite,  from  the  gradual  decom- 
position of  which  the  kaolinic  deposits  have  been  formed. 
The  natives,  as  the  annalist  quaintly  remarks,  partake  of 
the  rude  and  rugged  nature  of  their  surroundings.  The 
river  runs  down  a rocky  go]*ge  till  it  reaches  Ching-te- 
chen,  where  there  is  a tract  of  open  country  about  two 
miles  in  length  and  breadth,  bounded  on  the  north  and 
west  by  the  river,  which  makes  a wide  curve,  on  the 
south  by  a smaller  stream  flowing  from  the  west  to  join 
the  river,  and  on  the  east  by  the  Ma-an  Shan  or  Saddle- 
back Mountains.”  These  hills  supply  the  red  clay  for 
the  seggars  and  for  the  reproduction  of  antiques  with 
colored  bodies.  Across  the  south  river  is  the  hamlet  of 
Hu-t’ien-shih,  with  a pagoda  and  the  ruins  of  ancient 
potteries  of  the  Sung  dynasty.  A quantity  of  potsherds 
•of  ancient  porcelain  wei'e  collected  from  these  ruins  in 
the  eighteenth  century  and  used  as  models  for  mono- 
chrome glazes,  as  will  presently  be  seen.  The  river 
strand  at  Ching-te-chen  is  thirteen  li  long,  reckoning 
from  the  temple  of  the  goddess  of  Mercy,  where  it 
emerges  from  the  hills,  to  the  southwest,  where  it  enters 
the  hills  again,  re-enforced  by  the  southern  stream,  and  it 
derives  from  this  its  common  name  of  The  Thirteen  Li 
Mart.”  Within  the  angle  of  junction  of  the  two  rivers 
there  is  an  open  space  of  waste  ground  known  as  Hsi- 
kua  Chou,  or  “Watermelon  Island,”  which  forms  a mar- 
ket-place where  the  porcelain  peddlers  display  their 
stalls.  The  rest  of  the  space  is  densely  packed  ^vith 
streets  of  shops,  temples,  and  guild-houses,  the  intervals 
being  filled  with  the  kilns  and  workshops. 

There  is  a good  general  map  of  the  place  given  in  the 
Cldng-te-chen  T\to  lu^  as  well  as  a bird’s-eye  view  of  the 
Yli  ch’i  ch’ang,  the  imperial  manufactory.  I have  seen  it 
also  penciled  in  blue  upon  one  of  the  porcelain  slabs  of  a 


282 


OEIENTAL  CEEAMIC  AET. 


large  screen,  with  the  impei  ial  porcelain  manufactory  in 
the  middle,  encircled  by  a number  of  scattered  kiln& 
vomiting  flames  and  smoke  from  their  wide  chimneys. 

Pere  d’Entrecolles  writes  in  his  first  letter,"^  dated 
Jao-chou,  September  1,  1712  : “ The  sojourn  that  I make 
from  time  to  time  at  King-te-tching,  for  the  spiritual 
needs  of  my  converts,  has  afforded  me  an  opportunity  of 
learning  the  way  they  make  there  that  beautiful  porce- 
lain which  is  so  highly  esteemed,  and  which  is  exported 
to  all  parts  of  the  world.  Besides  what  I have  myself 
seen,  I have  gathered  many  particulars  from  the  Chris- 
tians, among  whom  there  are  several  who  work  in  porce- 
lain, and  from  others  engaged  in  its  commerce  on  a large 
scale.  I have  assured  myself  of  the  truth  of  their  replies 
by  a constant  reference  to  Chinese  books  treating  upon 
the  subject,  more  especially  the  annals  of  Feou-leam^  the 
fourth  volume  of  which  contains  an  article  on  porcelain. 

‘‘King-te-tching,  which  is  a dependency  of  Feou-leam,, 
is  hardly  more  than  a good  league  distant  from  it,  and 
this  last  city  is  under  the  jurisdiction  of  Jao-tcheou. 
The  annals  do  not  tell  us  who  was  the  inventor  of  porce- 
lain, nor  refer  to  what  experiments  or  to  what  happy 
chance  the  invention  is  due.  They  only  say  that  in 
ancient  times  the  porcelain  was  exrpnsitely  white  and 
free  from  any  fault,  and  that  the  articles  that  were  made 
of  it  and  transported  to  other  kingdoms  were  called 
‘precious  jewels  of  Jao-tcheou.’  Lower  down  they  add  :: 
‘ The  beautiful  porcelain  of  a vivid  brilliant  white  and  of  a 
fine  sky-blue  is  all  produced  at  King-te-tching ; that  made 
in  other  places  differs  widely  both  in  color  and  quality.’ 

“ In  fact,  without  speaking  of  the  works  of  pottery 
Avhich  are  made  everywhere  throughout  China,  and 
which  ai’e  never  called  porcelain,  there  are  some  prov- 
inces like  Fou-kien  and  Canton  where  they  work  in 

Lettres  kUjiantes  ct  curienses,  xviii,  p.  224. 


chinCt-tI:-chI:n. 


283 


porcelain,  but  strangers  can  not  be  deceived  with  these 
products ; that  of  Fou-kieu  is  of  a snow  white  which  has 
no  brilliancy,  and  which  is  not  decorated  with  other 
colors.  Workmen  from  King-te-tching  carried  there  for- 
merly all  their  materials,  in  the  hope  that  they  would 
reap  a rich  harvest  from  the  Europeans  who  drive  a large 
trade  with  Emouy  (Amoy),  but  it  was  all  in  vain  ; they 
never  succeeded  there.  The  reigning  emperor  {K\ing- 
hsi)^  who  will  ignore  nothing,  also  brought  workmen  in 
porcelain  to  Peking,  with  everything  employed  by  them 
in  the  work  ; they  neglected  nothing,  in  order  to  succeed 
under  his  supervision,  yet  all  tlieir  labor  was  wasted.  It 
is  possible  that  interested  motives  may  have  contributed 
to  their  want  of  success ; however  that  may  be,  it  is 
Kiui^-te-t chines  alone  whicli  has  the  lionor  of  furnishiuo: 
porcelain  for  all  ]3arts  of  the  world.  Even  Japan  comes 
to  buy  it  in  China. 

King-te-tching  only  needs  to  be  surrounded  by  walls 
to  be  called  a city,  and  even  to  be  compared  witli  the 
largest  and  most  populous  cities  of  China.  The  places 
called  telling  {clmi)^  which  are  few  in  number,  but  dis- 
tinguished by  a large  traffic  and  trade,  are  not  usually 
walled — perhaps  in  order  that  they  may  grow  without 
hindrance,  perhaps  to  facilitate  embarking  and  disem- 
barking merchandise.  King-te-tching  is  estimated  to 
contain  eighteen  thousand  households,  but  some  of  the 
large  merchants  have  premises  of  vast  extent,  lodging  a 
prodigious  multitude  of  workmen,  so  that  the  population 
is  said  to  number  over  a million  souls,  who  consume 
daily  over  ten  thousand  loads  of  rice  and  more  than  a 
thousand  hogs.  It  extends  for  more  than  a league  along 
the  bank  of  a fine  river.  It  is  not,  as  you  might  imagine, 
an  indiscriminate  mass  of  houses ; the  streets  are  stmight 
as  a line  and  cross  at  regular  intervals ; every  inch  of 
ground  is  occupied,  so  that  the  houses  are  too  crowded 


284 


ORIEOTAL  CEEAMIC  AET. 


and  the  streets  far  too  narrow ; when  passing  along  yon 
seem  to  be  in  the  midst  of  a fair,  and  hear  nothing  but 
the  cries  of  the  street  porters  trying  to  force  their  way 
throuo^h. 

Living  is  much  more  expensive  at  King-te-tching 
than  at  Jao-tcheou,  because  everything  consumed  there 
has  to  be  brought  from  elsewhere,  even  the  w^ood  burned 
in  the  furnaces.  Nevertheless,  it  is  an  asylum  for  num- 
berless poor  families,  who  can  not  subsist  in  the  neigh- 
boring towns,  and  employment  is  found  there  for  the 
young  as  w’ell  as  for  the  less  robust*;  even  the  blind  and 
maimed  can  make  a living  by  grinding  colors.  In 
ancient  times,  according  to  the  history  of  Feou-leam, 
there  were  only  three  hundred  porcelain  furnaces  at 
Kino:-te-tchlno; — now  there  are  at  least  three  thousand. 
Fires  are  of  frequent  occurrence,  and  the  god  of  fire  has 
many  temples,  one  of  which  has  been  recently  dedicated 
by  the  present  mandarin.  Not  long  ago  eight  hundred 
houses  were  burned,  but  the  large  profits  their  owners 
drew  from  their  rental  caused  their  speedy  reconstruction. 

The  town  is  situated  in  a plain  surrounded  by  high 
mountains.  The  hill  to  the  east  forms  a kind  of  semi- 
circle in  the  background,  while  from  the  mountains 
at  the  sides  issue  two  rivers,  which  unite  afterward: 
one  is  but  small;  the  other  is  very  large,  and  forms 
a splendid  strand  more  than  a league  long,  spreading 
into  a wide  basin  and  losing  much  of  its  velocity.  This 
wide  space  may  be  seen  sometimes  filled  with  two  or 
three  long  lines  of  boats,  moored  close  together.  The 
sight  with  which  one  is  greeted  on  entering  through  one 
of  the  o^oro^es  consists  of  volumes  of  smoke  and  flame  ris- 
ing  in  different  places,  so  as  to  define  all  the  outlines  of 
tlie  town  ; approaching  at  nightfall,  the  scene  reminds 
one  of  a burning  city  in  flames,  or  of  a huge  furnace 
with  many  vent-holes. 


CHmG-T^:-CH^:N. 


285 


It  is  surprising  that  such  a populous  place,  full 
of  such  riches,  and  with  an  infinite  number  of  boats 
coming  and  going  every  day,  and  which  has  no  walls 
that  can  be  closed  at  night,  should,  nevertheless,  be 
governed  by  a single  mandarin,  without  the  least  dis- 
order. It  must  be  allowed  that  the  policing  is  ad- 
mirable ; each  street  has  one  or  more  chiefs,  according  to 
its  length,  and  each  chief  has  ten  subordinates,  every  one 
of  whom  is  responsible  for  ten  houses.  They  must  keep 
order,  under  pain  of  the  bastinado,  which  is  here  admin- 
istered liberally.  The  streets  have  barricades,  which 
are  closed  at  night,  and  opened  by  the  watchman  only 
to  those  who  have  the  password.  The  mandarin  of  the 
place  makes  frequent  rounds,  and  he  is  accompanied 
occasionally  by  mandarins  from  Feou-leam.  Strangers 
are  hardly  permitted  to  sleep  there  ; they  must  either 
spend  the  night  in  their  boats  or  lodge  with  acquaint- 
ances, who  become  responsible  for  their  conduct. 

They  tell  me  that  a piece  of  porcelain,  when  it 
comes  out  from  the  kiln,  has  passed  through  the  hands 
of  seventy  workmen,  and  I can  well  believe  it,  from 
what  I myself  have  seen,  as  their  huge  workshops  have 
often  been  for  me  a kind  of  Areopagus,  when  I have  pro- 
claimed Him  who  created  the  first  man  out  of  clay,  and 
from  whose  hands  we  proceed  to  become  vessels,  either  of 
glory  or  of  shame. 

The  boats  come  constantly  down  the  river,  laden  with 
petuntse  and  hetolin  which  have  to  be  purified  by  decan- 
tation, leaving  an  abundant  residuum,  which  gradually 
accumulates  into  large  heaps.  The  clay  seggars  in  the 
three  thousand  furnaces  last  only  twice  or  three  times, 
and  very  often  the  whole  baking  is  lost.  Some  of  this 
dehris  is  utilized  to  fill  in  the  walls  which  surround  all 
the  houses,  or  is  carried  to  the  swampy  ground  adjoin- 
ing the  river,  to  make  it  fit  for  a market-place,  and 


286 


OKIENTAL  CEEAMIC  AET. 


ultimately  for  building,  for  which  new  ground  is  alw^ays 
wanted.  Besides,  in  the  flood  time,  the  river  carries 
down  much  broken  porcelain,  so  that  its  bed  is,  so  to 
speak,  entirely  packed  with  it,  making  a refreshing  sight 
for  the  eyes. 

^^The  mountains  all  around  are  covered  with  tombs; 
at  the  foot  of  one  of  these  is  a very  large  pit  encircled 
by  high  w^alls,  in  which  they  throw  the  bodies  of  the 
poor  who  have  no  money  to  buy  cofSns,  which  is  con- 
sidered the  greatest  of  misfortunes ; this  place  is  called 
ouan  min  he?n — that  is,  ^ Pit  for  the  Myriad  Peoj)le  in 
the  times  of  plague,  which  ravages  almost  every  year, 
the  huge  pit  ingulfs  heaps  of  corpses,  which  are  covered 
Avith  quicklime  to  consume  the  flesh.  The  bonzes, 
at  the  end  of  the  year,  come  to  carry  away  the  bones 
to  make  room  for  more,  and  burn  them  with  a kind 
of  funeral  service  which  they  celebrate  for  the  unhappy 
dead.” 

The  worthy  father  mentions  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  established  by  the  liberality  of  the  Marquis  de 
Broissia,  but  he  does  not  allude  to  the  imperial  porcelain 
manufactory,  which  occupies  such  a prominent  place  in 
all  the  native  descriptions  and  maps.  Perhaps  it  was 
not  in  active  operation  at  the  time;  it  was  not  till  four 
years  after  the  date  of  his  second  letter  (January  25, 
1722)  that  a new  imperial  commissioner,  Nien  Hsi-yao, 
was  appointed  superintendent,  after  a long  interval, 
during  Avhich  the  work  was  intrusted  to  the  local 
offlcials. 

The  level  of  the  little  plain  is  broken  at  one  point 
toward  the  south  by  a small  hill,  where,  as  tradition 
relates,  a general  of  Ch’in  Shih-huang,  the  builder  of 
the  Great  Wall  of  China,  once  tethered  his  horses,  and 
it  derived  its  original  name  from  this  ; it  was  afterward 
called  Tu  Shan,  The  Solitary  Hill,”  and  Chu  Shan, 


ching-tI:-ch^:n. 


287 


Jewel  Hill,”  tlie  jewel  being  guarded,  according  to 
geoinantic  notions,  by  the  dragons  of  the  encircling 
mountain  belt.  The  Yu  Yao  Ch’aug,  Imperial  Por- 
celain Manufactory,”  also  called  Yli  Ch’i  Ch’ang,  was 
founded  on  the  south  side  of  this  hillock  in  the  reign 
of  Hung-wu  (1368-98),  the  celebrated  founder  of  the 
Ming  dynasty.  The  annals  say : ‘‘  Tuan  T’ing-kuei, 
style  Pao-ch’i,  a native  of  Ch’ing-ch’iian,  who  was  sent 
by  the  Empei’or  Hung-iou^  with  the  rank  of  Secretary  of 
the  Board  of  Works,  to  superintend  the  porcelain  manu- 
facture, built  the  yamen  on  the  south  of  Jewel  Hill,  in 
spite  of  the  vigorous  protests  of  the  natives  of  Ching-te- 
chen,  who  objected  to  being  called  upon  to  do  any  work 
outside  of  their  own  industry.”  It  w^as  afterward 
burned  down,  and  it  was  rebuilt  in  the  reio^n  of 
Clieng-te  (1506-21)  on  its  present  lines.  In  the  be- 
ginning of  the  reign  of  Wan-li  (1573-1619)  it  was 
purposely  hred  by  the  potters  as  a protest  against  the 
exactions  of  the  palace  eunuchs,  who,  however,  were 
afterward  recalled,  and  eunuchs  have  never  since  been 
put  in  charge.  During  the  reigning  dynasty  it  has 
been  twice  completely  razed  to  the  ground : in  the 
fourteenth  year  of  K'^ang-lisi  (1675),  in  connection  Avith 
the  revolt  of  Wu  San-kuei ; and  in  the  year  1855,  when 
Ching-te-chen  Avas  taken  by  the  Taiping  rebels  and 
almost  depopulated.  Their  disastrous  rule  lasted  till 
the  third  year  of  T^ung-cliili  (1864),  and  in  1866  the 
imperial  manufactory  Avas  I’ebuilt  by  the  neAv  superin- 
tendent, Ts’ai  Chin-ch’ing,  Avith  its  seventy-tAvo  build- 
ings, all  raised  upon  the  old  foundations. 

The  outer  Avail,  three  li  (about  an  English  mile) 
in  circuit,  incloses  the  imperial  manufactory  as  well 
as  the  JeAvel  Hill,  AAdiich  forms  the  Guardian  Hill  ” 
of  the  place  on  the  north.  The  hill  is  planted  Avith 
trees  and  coA^ered  AAuth  pavilions,  of  Avhich  the  Yli  Shih 


288 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


T’ing,  Imperial  Verse  Pavilion,”  and  the  Huan  Ts’ui 
T’ing,  Grreen  Encircled  Arbor,”  stand  conspicuously  on 
the  crest  of  the  hill.  Volumes  of  odes  have  been 
indited  in  these  summer-houses,  inspired  by  the  ring 
of  furnace  fires  outside,  the  dark  background  of  hill  and 
water,  and  the  calm  sky  overhead,  as  the  versifiers  have 
sat  there  sipping  their  wine  or  tea.  There  are  three 
temples  inside  the  inclosure  : the  Yu  T’ao  Ling  Ssu, 
Sacred  Temple  of  the  Protector  of  the  Potteries,”  con- 
taining the  shrine  of  the  Feng  Huo  Hsien,  the  Genius  of 
the  Fire-Blast,”  a deified  potter,  the  story  of  whose  vicarious 
sacrifice  will  be  related  presently ; the  Kuan-Ti  Miao, 
Temple  of  the  (National)  God  of  War  ” ; and  the  T’u  Ti 
Ssu,  Temple  of  the  Gods  of  the  Land.”  The  residence 
of  the  superintendent  and  his  chancellerie  are  also  inside  ; 
that  of  the  sub-prefect  of  Jao-chou,  who  is  the  governor 
of  the  place,  is  built  just  outside  on  the  right  of  the 
main  entrance ; and  the  Kung  Kuan,  the  Public 
Offices,”  are  also  outside  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  gate.  Inside  this  great  southern  gateway  stand  the 
drum-tower  and  gong-tower,  one  on  either  side  of  the 
avenue  leading  to  the  Ta  T’ang,  the  “ Principal  Hall,” 
which  has  wings  at  the  sides.  Beyond  the  great  hall 
one  comes  to  a square  courtyard  with  rows  of  buildings 
on  the  right  and  left  for  the  secretaries,  accountants,  and 
attendants,  and  there  is  another  large  hall  at  the  back, 
behind  which  are  the  pleasure-grounds  and  the  Jewel 
Hill  already  referred  to. 

The  workshops  and  stores  are  on  the  east  and  Avest,  out- 
side the  courtyard  ; and  the  modern  arrangement,  since 
the  place  Avas  rebuilt  in  1866,  is  the  following:  On  the 

eastern  side  are  tAVO  large  buildings,  each  containing  six 
workshops  for  the  making  of  the  yuan  clC%  the  ordinary 
‘‘  round  Avare  ” throAvn  u[)on  the  Avheel,  including  dishes, 
plates,  boAvls,  cups,  and  such  things ; and  beyond  these. 


CUmG-Tt-CUtl^. 


289 


farther  east,  seven  workshops  for  decorating  the  pieces 
in  blue  and  white  (cKing  huci).  On  the  Avestern  side  of 
the  courtyard  are  three  workshops  for  the  artists  Avho 
decorate  in  colors  {t^ai  liuci)^  and  another  one  attached 
for  the  carvers  of  jade  and  bamboo ; the  imperial  por- 
celain store  with  two  separate  rooms  for  the 

selection  of  the  pieces  (Jisiian  Avhen  they  are  brought 
from  the  kilns ; three  AA^orkshops  for  the  making  of  vases 
(clio  cKi)  fashioned  on  the  Avheel,  including  sacrificial 
A^essels,  jars,  and  ornamental  pieces  of  all  kinds ; and  five 
workshops  for  the  various  operations  of  molding,  carvings 
and  polishing  required  in  the  preparation  of  the  square 
and  polygonal  vases,  and  all  the  complex  forms  that  can 
not  be  worked  upon  the  ordinary  Avheel.  Beyond  these, 
farther  Avest,  are  six  Avorkshops  for  the  decoration  of  the 
Amses  and  molded  pieces  in  blue  and  Avhite — three  for  the 
application  of  the  glaze,  one  for  grinding  the  colors  used 
for  the  Chun  yu^  the  reproduction  of  the  old  Chtin-chou 
porcelain  Avith  a souffle  glaze,  Avhich  is  commonly  knoAvn 
outside  China  as  ^‘robin’s  egs:.”  Next  come  three  labora- 
tories  AAuth  mufhe-kilns  (lit)  for  the  second  firing  of  the 
pieces  decorated  in  enamel  colors,  Avhich  have  tAvo 
kitchens  attached  for  the  preparation  of  the  Avorkmen’s 
food ; and,  finally,  seven  Avorkshops  for  the  porcelain 
decorated  over  the  Avhite  glaze  in  foreign  style  Avith 
enamel  colors  {ycmg  ts\ci),  for  the  souffle  red  (cli’ui 
hung)^  the  monochrome  glaze  of  the  grand  feu  derived 
from  copper,  and  for  the  monochrome  yelloAv  {Cliiao 
huang)  glaze  usually  knoAvn  as  ‘imperial  yelloAA".”  A 
list  of  the  objects  made  in  these  Avorkshops  for  the 
imperial  palace  in  the  reign  of  T'^img-chili  aauII  be  given 
in  a later  chapter,  and  Avill  give  a better  idea  of  the  Avork 
than  any  mere  description. 

There  is  no  mention  of  furnaces  in  the  official  account, 
Avith  the  exception  of  muffle  stoves  for  the  second  firing 


290 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


of  the  enameled  pieces.  In  the  Ming  dynasty,  as  we 
have  seen,  the  imperial  factory  contained  furnaces  for  the 
clay  seggars,  and  sejiarate  furnaces  for  blue  and  white 
porcelain,  for  colored  porcelain,  and  for  the  large  fish- 
bowls. The  last  of  the  fish-bowl  kilns  (hang  yao),  we 
are  told  by  T’ang  Ying,  fell  down  in  the  reign  of 
CKien-lung  and  was  not  rebuilt.  In  the  present  day 
everything  is  carried  outside  to  be  baked  in  private 
furnaces,  and  all  the  imperial  ware  is  taken  to  the 
establishments  called  because  they  guarantee 

the  color  of  each  firing,  and  are  mulcted  accordingly  for 
any  loss  or  imperfection. 

The  furnaces  employed  for  firing  porcelain  vary  widely 
both  in  size  and  shape.  They  may  be  grouped  generally, 
according  to  M.  Vogt  {La  Porcelaine^  page  178),  under 
the  three  following  types : 

1.  The  cylindrical  furnace,  with  direct  flame  and  verti- 
cal axis. 

2.  The  cylindrical  furnace,  with  reversed  flame  and 
vertical  axis. 

3.  The  semi-cylindrical  furnace,  with  direct  flame  and 
horizontal  axis. 

The  first  type  is  that  of  the  furnaces  of  the  Ming 
dynasty  in  Cliina.  They  were  sometimes  built  upon 
a rising  slope  in  a row  of  five  or  six  communicating 
cylinders,  and  this  is  still  the  ordinary  form  in  Japan. 
The  second  type  is  a recent  European  invention  for  the 
purpose  of  economizing  fuel  and  producing  a greater 
regularity  in  its  combustion.  The  third  type  is  that  of 
the  Chinese  furnace  of  the  present  day ; it  was  formerly 
also  employed  in  Europe  for  porcelain,  but  is  now 
scarcely  used  there,  except  for  stoneware.  Its  irregular- 
ity fits  it  all  the  more  for  the  purpose  required.  Perfect 
regularity  is  essential,  according  to  M.  Vogt,  for  the 
manufacture  of  ordinary  white  porcelain,  but  not  suit- 


ching-t^:-ch^:n. 


291 


able  for  the  production  of  colors  which  require  different 
kinds  of  flame  to  brins;  out  the  different  desrrees  of 
oxidation  or  deoxidation  required.  The  colors  that 
resist  the  heat  of  the  blast-fnrnace  are  divided  scientif- 
ically by  French  cei’amic  writei’s  into  couleiirs  (In  grand 
feu  and  coideurs  du  demi-g rand  feu  \ bnt  in  China  both 
of  these  two  classes  are  fired  together  in  the  same  charge^ 
the  latter  being  placed  neai*  the  back  of  the  furnace 
nnder  the  large  vent-hole  that  commnnicates  with  the 
chimney,  where  the  heat  is  less  intense  than  it  is  in  the 
middle  of  the  furnace.  So  the  Chinese  ” Qoc.  cit.y 

page  188),  ^Svhose  porcelain  is  so  diversified,  employ  a 
methodically  ii*regn]ar  furnace  which  allows  them  to 
execute,  in  the  same  firing,  all  the  fantasies  inspired,  by 
their  special  genius  as  accomplished  g)orcelciiniers.  They 
are  able,  in  fact,  in  one  operation,  thanks  to  the  irregu- 
larity of  their  furnace,  to  Are  successfully  the  crackles^ 
which  are  of  difficult  fusibility,  i\\e  flamhe  reds  and  the 
celadons,  which  require  reducing  flames,  the  blue  under 
the  glaze,  the  blacks  which  fuse  so  readily,  as  well  as  the 
series  of  turquoise,  green,  yellow,  and  violet  enamels ; 
while  in  Europe,  with  our  furnaces  of  regular  type,  three 
or  four  different  firings  would  be  required  to  obtain  the 
same  results.” 

AVe  are  indebted  for  a sketch  of  one  of  the  laro^e  modern 
fm’naces  to  M.  F.  Scherzer,  who,  when  he  was  French 
consul  at  Hankow,  spent  three  weeks  at  Ching-te-chen 
in  1883  studying  the  porcelain  manufacture.  It  must 
have  been  no  easy  task,  as  he  ^vrote  to  me  at  the  time 
that  he  could  hardly  venture  to  look  out  of  his  close 
sedan-chair  without  being  pelted  with  potsherds  by  the 
unruly  potters.  Ills  plans,  with  vertical  and  horizontal 
sections,  are  copied  in  the  book  just  quoted  (page  189), 
and  accompanied  by  a full  description.  The  Chinese 
furnace  contains  the  three  essential  parts  of  such  struc- 


292 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


tures — viz.,  the  fire,  the  laboratory,  and  the  chimney. 
The  fire,  however,  is  not  outside  the  furnace,  as  is  usually 
the  case ; it  is  actually  inside  the  laboratory,  in  such  a 
way  that  combustion  is  effected  in  the  midst  of  the 
objects  that  are  being  fired,  without  any  loss  of  heat. 
The  laboratory,  which  is  rectangular  in  shape,  passes 
above  into  a vaulted  roof  of  cylindrical  outline.  The 
rectangular  portion  below  is  incased  in  a massive  thick- 
ness of  earth  ; the  vaulted  cylindrical  roof  is  free.  Out- 
side the  furnace  there  are  staircases  on  both  sides,  by 
wdiich  the  firemen  go  up  to  the  top  of  the  massive  earth 
casing  to  watch  the  effect  of  the  fire,  looking  through 
apertures  in  the  roof  intended  for  the  purpose  which 
ai*e  covered  at  other  times  with  movable  tiles.  The 
dimensions,  according  to  M.  Scherzer,  are  larger  now 
than  they  were  in  the  time  of  Pere  d’Entrecolles,  the 
height  being  as  much  as  five  metres,  the  length  twice  as 
much,  or  ten  metres,  and  the  breadth  three  and  a half 
metres.  In  1722  the  height  was  three  and  a half  metres, 
the  length  double  the  height,  and  the  breadth  equal  to 
the  height.  Pine-wood  in  billets  is  the  ordinary  fuel 
used  in  China.  The  large  trunks  of  the  trees  are  floated 
down  the  ]*iver  as  I’afts,  the  smaller  branches  being 
brought  down  in  boats.  The  bundles,  or  “ loads,”  so 
often  referred  to  in  Chinese  descriptions,  are  made  to 
weigh  one  hundred  catties,  or  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
three  pounds,  and  about  two  hundred  of  these  ^Coads” 
are  stated  to  be  required  for  each  firing. 


CHAPTER  X. 


THE  K AT^O-HSI  PERIOD. 


NEW  dynasty  of  Tartar  origin  began  to  rule  China 


under  the  title  of  CliHng^  or  Pure,”  in  the  year 
1644,  after  the  last  emperor  of  the  Ming  or  Illustrious  ” 
dynasty  bad  hanged  himself  upon  a tree  on  Prospect 
Hill,  in  the  grounds  of  the  palace  at  Peking.  The 
young  emperor,  still  a minor,  was  enthroned  with  the 
title  of  Sliun-cliili^  and  his  rule  was  gradually  extended 
over  the  south  of  China;  the  Chinese  general,  Wu  San- 
kuei,  wbo  had  first  invited  the  Manchus  into  the  country 
to  assist  in  putting  down  a native  rebellion,  being  made 
viceroy  of  the  provinces  of  Yunnan  and  Kueichou  in  tbe 
far  southwest. 

The  new  officials  of  the  province  of  Kiangsi  were  all 
at  tlieir  posts  in  the  second  year,  and,  according  to  tbe 
annals  of  tbe  province,  tbe  director  of  tbe  imperial  por- 
celain factory  at  Ching-te-cben  and  tbe  other  officers 
there  were  appointed  with  tbe  same  duties  and  titles 
as  in  tbe  Ming  dynasty,  and  continued  to  carry  on  tbe 
work  in  similar  lines.  Tbe  mark  of  tbe  first  reign  of 
tbe  new  dynasty  is  veiy  rare,  and  tbe  porcelain  that 
bears  it  is  hardly  to  be  distinguished  from  that  of  tbe 
later  reigns  of  the  Ming  dynasty.  Doubtless,  supplies 
were  forwarded  to  Peking  for  the  use  of  the  palace,  but 
tbe  only  notices  of  tbe  appointment  of  commissioners 
are  in  connection  with  requisitions  ^\diicb  they  fail  to 
execute. 

Tbe  first  record  is  that  of  an  imperial  decree  in  tbe 
eleventh  year  of  tbe  reign  of  Shun-cliih  (1654),  order- 


293 


294 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


ing  the  fabrication  of  a number  of  dragon  bowls 
(lung  hang)  for  the  palace  gardens,  which  were  to  be 
two  and  a half  feet  high,  three  and  a half  feet  in  diame- 
ter at  the  mouth,  with  sides  of  the  thickness  of  three 
inches,  and  bottoms  of  the  thickness  of  five  inches.  For 
four  years  they  worked  diligently  under  the  orders  of 
four  tao4\t%  who  were  specially  appointed  in  yearly  suc- 
cession from  Jao-chou,  and  under  the  personal  super- 
vision of  the  governors  of  the  province  Lang  T’ing-tso 
and  Chang  Chao-lin,  but  their  efforts  were  in  vain,  and 
the  last  named,  who  was  governor  from  1656  to  1664, 
bad  finally  to  present  a memorial  begging  for  the  with- 
drawal of  the  decree. 

The  dragon  bowls  required  were  the  large  fish-bowls 
which  are  usually  placed  upon  stands  in  the  courtyards 
of  Chinese  houses,  and  which  are  used  for  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  lotus  and  other  water-plants,  as  well  as  for 
goldfish.  They  were  called  lung  hang^  or  dragon 
bowls,”  because  they  were  usually  decorated  with 
drao;ons,  althousfh  other  decorations  also  occur.  The 
author  of  the  Cliing4e-c}ien  T\to  hi  gives  among  the 
designs  the  following : 

Bowls  painted  in  blue  Avith  a pair  of  dragons  in 
clouds,  surrounded  by  conventional  paradise  flowers; 
bowls  painted  in  blue  Avith  a pair  of  dragons  enA^eloped 
in  clouds  ; some  painted  in  blue  Avith  dragons  in  clouds 
and  with  bands  of  lotus  petals  ; others  painted  in  blue 
Avith  four  dragons  in  a ring  sporting  above  a floor  of  sea- 
Avaves ; also  bovvds  of  pea-green  celadon  color.”  The 
two  which  stand  in  my  own  garden,  in  the  British  lega- 
tion at  Peking,  and  Avhich  are  both  marked  Ta  Ming 
Wan  li  nien  cJiih  in  underglaze  blue,  are  decorated 
in  bright  enamel  colors ; one,  which  is  twenty-seven 
inches  high  and  twenty-five  inches  in  diameter  at  the 
rim,  lias  four  five-clawed  dragons,  enveloped  in  clouds, 


THE  k’aNG-HSI  PEKIOD. 


295 


painted  round  the  sides,  a band  of  waves  beating  upon 
rocks  at  the  base,  and  scroll  borders  above  and  below  ; 
the  other,  of  the  same  diameter,  but  only  one  foot  high^ 
is  decorated  with  mandarin  ducks  swimming  in  a lake, 
with  lotus  flowers  growing  in  the  water.  The  largest 
dragon  bowls  were  flred  in  special  furnaces,  as  described 
in  Chapter  VIII,  one  at  a time,  with  an  expenditure  of 
over  seven  tons’  weight  of  fuel,  and  cost  at  the  time 
forty-eight  taels  of  silver  each. 

It  was  not,  by  the  way,  till  the  early  part  of  the  reign 
of  ClCien-liiiig^  under  the  direction  of  T’ang  Ying,  that 
such  large  porcelain  flsh-bowls  were  successfully  fi]*ed 
once  more.  They  were  produced  by  him,  according  to 
the  provincial  statistics,  with  mouths  ranging  in  diameter 
from  three  and  a half  to  four  feet,  and  sides  from  one 
and  three-fourths  to  two  feet  in  height,  and  invested 
with  colored  glazes  of  three  kinds : (1)  Eel’s-skin  yellow 
(shan-yil  liuang),  (2)  cucumber-green  (hua-pH  Iv?)^  (3) 
spotted  yellow  and  green  (Jiuang  lit  tieri).  The  flsh- 
bowls  (ifit  Icang)  of  the  K^ang-hsi  period,  though 
smaller,  are  occasionally  very  richly  decorated  in  colors ; 
they  are  generally  catalogued  in  Europe  as  ‘^cisterns.” 

In  the  sixteenth  year  of  Slmm-cliih  (1659)  another 
imperial  decree  was  issued,  ordering  from  Ching-te-chen 
the  supply  of  a quantity  of  oblong  plaques  of  porcelain 
for  inlaying  on  the  partition  walls  of  open  verandas, 
which  were  to  be  three  feet  high,  two  and  a half  feet 
Ijroad,  and  three  inches  thick.  A commission  was  sent 
down  f]*om  the  Board  of  AVorks,  with  a high  Manchu 
official  named  Ka-pa  as  president,  and  AVang  Jih-tsao  as 
secretary,  who  were  associated  witli  the  provincial 
tao-fai  Chang  Ssu-ming,  and  proceeded  to  Ching-te-chen 
to  superintend  the  work,  but  they  also  failed,  and  in  the 
following  year  the  Governor  of  Kiangsi,  Chang  Chaolin, 
memorialized  the  emperor  to  stop  the  work. 


296 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


The  task  must  really  have  been  more  difficult  than 
that  of  the  large  fish-bowls,  of  which  Pere  d’Entrecolles 
asserts  that  over  two  hundred  were  fired  * without  a 
single  success,  for  he  says  later  in  the  same  letter  {loc. 
cit.^  page  282) : European  merchants  demand  some- 

times from  the  Chinese  workmen  plaques  of  porcelain, 
of  which  one  piece  shall  make  the  top  of  a table  or  of  a 
stove,  as  well  as  frames  for  pictures : these  things  are 
impossible ; the  largest  and  longest  plaques  made  meas- 
ure only  about  a foot,  and  if  an  attempt  is  made  to 
pass  that,  whatever  thickness  may  be  given,  they  become 
warped.  Thickness,  in  fact,  does  not  facilitate  the  exe- 
cution of  these  works,  and  this  is  why,  instead  of 
making  the  plaques  thick,  they  are  made  with  two  faces 
united  inside  by  cross-pieces  so  as  to  leave  the  inter- 
spaces hollow.  Two  openings  are  left  in  the  sides  so 
that  they  may  be  mounted  in  woodwork  or  inlaid  in  the 
backs  of  chairs,  where  they  show  very  prettily.”  The 
plaques  referred  to  here  are,  indeed,  sometimes  very 
effective,  being  decorated  in  the  brilliant  enamels  of  the 
period  and  enhanced  by  gilding.  They  are  either  rec- 
tagonal  or  circular  in  outline,  and  are  usually  decorated 
with  figure-scenes  of  dramatic  or  historic  interest  on  one 
side,  and  with  birds  and  fiowers  on  the  other.  Perfect 
examples,  however,  are  rare,  because  the  Chinese  so 
often  saw  them  in  two  with  the  jade-cutter’s  wheel,  and 
frame  the  two  sides  as  companion  pictures,  adapted 
either  for  hanging  on  the  wall  or  for  standing  on  the 
table,  mounted  upon  coral  pedestals  in  the  usual  fashion. 

The  reign  of  Slitm-cJiih  may,  in  fact,  be  entirely 
neglected  from  a ceramic  point  of  view,  and  we  may 
pass  on  at  once  to  that  of  his  successor,  K''ang-lisi 
(1662-1722),  which  is  unquestionably  the  most  brilliant 
epoch  in  the  ceramic  art  of  China,  and  is  distinguished 
by  the  purity  and  brilliancy  of  its  single  colors,  as  well 


THE  k’aNG-HSI  PEEIOD. 


297 


as  for  the  splendid  coloring  and  perfect  technical  finish 
of  its  painted  decoration.  The  special  triumphs  of  the 
ceramic  art  which  have  excited  the  enthusiastic  admira- 
tion of  ardent  collectors  in  the  West,  as  well  as  in  China, 
are  nearly  all  the  productions  of  this  one  period.  It  is 
sufficient  to  mention  the  magnificent  sang-de-hoeuf  red  of 
the  Lang  Yao  vases,  the  charming  play  of  colors  and 
perfect  technique  of  the  jDeach-bloom  class,”  and  the 
soft  purity  of  the  clair-de-liine  and  celadon  glazes — all 
of  which  are  well  represented  in  the  colored  illustrations. 
The  decorative  effect  of  cobalt-blue  is  brought  out  of 
the  depths  of  the  translucent  white  glaze  of  the  time  in 
a way  that  has  not  been  rivaled  before  or  since.  The 
coloring  material  was  blown  upon  the  raw  body  of  the 
vase,  and  either  left  as  its  sole  ornament,  as  in  Plate 
XCIII,  or  penciled  over  the  surface  with  designs  of  gold, 
or  combined  with  enamel  colors,  as  in  Plate  XXVI, 
or  it  was  mixed  with  the  glaze,  as  in  the  sky-blue 
bottle  illustrated  in  Plate  LXXIV ; it  was  painted 
on  with  a brush  in  the  large  class  of  blue  and  white,” 
which  also  has  its  enthusiastic  admirers,  appearing  as 
blue  upon  a white  ground,  as  in  the  graceful  vase  shown 
in  Plate  LXXIII,  or  as  a blue  ground  with  the  decora- 
tion in  white  reserve,  as  in  the  fascinating  hawthorne  ” 
ginger-jars,  of  which  a choice  example  is  reproduced  in 
Plate  II.  The  wonderful  variety  of  the  decoration  in 
colors  is  just  as  remarkable ; the  five  colors  of  the 
Chinese — blue,  green,  yellow,  red,  and  black — appearing 
on  the  same  piece  in  brilliant  contrast,  sometimes 
relieved  by  black,  yellow,  purple,  or  green  grounds, 
sometimes  enhanced  by  touches  of  gold.  Green  in 
shaded  tones  occupies  a conspicuous  place  among  the 
characteristic  colors  of  this  period,  and  the  term  of 
famiUe  verte^  introduced  by  Jacquemart,  had  its  origin 
therein. 


298 


OEIENTAL  CEKAMIC  AET. 


It  was  in  the  reign  of  K'^ang-lisi  that  Chinese  porcelain 
was  first  imported  on  a large  scale  into  Europe.  Prevr 
ous  importations  had  been  confined  mainly  to  celadon 
and  blue  and  white.  The  Dutch  were  the  chief 
importers  through  their  East  India  Company,  and  we 
read  of  cargoes  containing  many  thousands  of  pieces. 
These  must  have  been  mainly,  if  not  entirely,  composed 
of  porcelain  made  at  the  time ; the  merchants  of  Canton,, 
Amoy,  and  Foochow  being  in  constant  communication 
wfith  Ching-te-chen,  as  we  know  from  Chinese  accounts. 
So  we  find  most  of  the  eai-ly  European  collections,  like 
that  of  the  museum  at  Dresden,  consisting  almost  exclu- 
sively  of  productions  of  this  time.  The  great  majority 
of  the  objects  in  more  recent  collections  also  date  from 
the  reign  of  K'' ang-lisi^  partly  because  they  were 
recruited  from  Holland  and  Germany,  but  principally 
because  of  the  pre-eminent  artistic  value  of  the  ceramic 
work  of  the  time,  which  causes  it  still  to  be  sought  out 
from  all  parts  of  China. 

The  marks  ” of  this  period,  as  was  explained  in  Chap- 
ter IV,  are  rarely  genuine.  It  may  be  held  generally,  m 
Sir  Wollaston  Franks  observes,  that  little  reliance  can 
be  placed  upon  Chinese  marks ; the  specimens,  as  he 
remarks,  are  at  any  rate  not  older  than  the  dates  on 
them,  but  may  be  much  more  modern.  A visit  to  the 
commonest  crockery  shop  in  China  Avill  confirm  this ; the 
blue  and  white  pieces  will  generally  be  found  marked 
Hsuan-te^  and  those  enameled  in  coloi*s  CIU eng-huay 
because  these  two  I’eigns  of  the  Ming  dynasty  had  a 
great  reputation  for  these  two  branches  of  decorations;: 
the  larger  vases  and  jars  provided  for  wedding-presents 
will  probably  liave  seals  of  the  reigns  of  Mang-lisi  or 
ClCien-lung  inscribed  underneath  ; as  the  shops  are  not 
kept  l>y  curio  dealers,  nobody  is  taken  in ; it  is  simply  a 
custom  of  the  trade.  So  it  was  with  the  K'^ang-lisi 


THE  k’aNG-HSI  period. 


299 


potters,  who  were  wont  to  inscribe  a Ming  mark  like 
that  of  Chia-cliing  on  the  blue  and  white  vase  shown  in 
Plate  LXXIII,  or  of  CKeng-liua^  as  on  the  white  vase, 
with  etched  dragon  of  Plate  XXXIX  ; or  to  fly  at  higher 
game  still  and  suggest  the  reign  of  Hsilan-ho  of  the  Sung 
dynasty,  although  the  charming  effect  of  their  chiseled 
work  under  a translucent  glaze,  as  indicated  in  Plate 
XC,  approached  probably  that  of  carved  white  jade  more 
nearly  than  any  production  of  the  more  remote  period 
they  inscribed  undenieath. 

Early  writers  on  ceramic  subjects  in  Europe  were 
inclined  to  accept  such  marks  of  date  as  genuine ; later 
authorities,  with  greater  plausibility,  regard  them  as 
indicating  copies  or  reproductions  of  porcelain  actually 
made  at  the  particular  period  inscribed.  I am  not  pre- 
pared to  go  even  so  far  as  that.  M.  Grandidier,  for 
example,  writes  Qoc.  cit.^  page  154)  ; ^^The  epoch  Tching- 
hoa  has  bequeathed  to  us  a series  of  grand  vases  which 
will  always  find  frantic  admirers,  and  which  are  worthy 
of  their  great  reputation  on  account  of  the  boldness  of 
the  decoration  and  the  intensity  of  the  colors.  Those  of 
the  shape  called  Gancella’  are  composed  of  a jar  sur- 
mounted by  a trumpet-mouthed  beaker ; others  are 
quadi’angular  or  ovoid ; some  have  the  form  of  a straight 
beaker,  of  a square  baluster  or  of  a rounded  baluster; 
the  group  includes  besides  some  statuettes  of  divinities. 
The  grounds  display  three  principal  shades — yellow,  dark 
green  approaching  Idack,  and  clear,  limpid  green.  The 
decorations  comprise  rocks  in  different  tones  of  green, 
trunks  of  trees  and  branches  in  manganese-violet,  plants, 
flowers,  or  animals  in  white,  l)lue,  yellow,  green,  or  violet. 
Figures  are  more  I’are  at  this  epoch,  and  occupy  a sub- 
ordinate place  in  the  composition.  This  fabi-ication  did 
not  cease  with  the  fall  of  the  Ming,  and  many  of 
the  pieces  attributed  to  the  Ming  period  came  out  of  the 


300 


OKIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


Chinese  workshops  of  the  first  years  of  Khang-hi.  The 
Salting  collection  in  London  (contains  such  vases,  seventy 
centimetres  high,  with  a ground  of  blackish  greeig 
yellow,  or  green,  which  are  oi*namented  with  green  rocks^ 
with  branches  of  peach-tree  laden  with  white  flowers^ 
with  flowering  sprays  of  peonies,  magnolias,  water-lilies, 
snowy  hydrangeas,  etc.,  which  are  marked  Tching-hoa. 
Of  the  similar  pieces  in  my  own  collection,  . . , 
although  some  were  fabricated  under  Tching-hoa,  the 
majority  are  only  superb  re])roductions  executed  during 
the  first  years  of  Khang-hi.  Their  marks,  apocryphal  as 
they  are,  are  yet  a precious  means  of  instruction,  in  that 
they  give  us  the  date  of  the  primitive  type.”  Again 
(page  166)  : The  early  Khang-hi  period  is  a transition 

epoch  ; the  traditions  of  the  old  Chinese  dynasty  are  still 
honored.  The  ancient  principles  and  the  old  methods,, 
preserved  with  great  pains  during  forty  years  of  civil 
war,  are  perpetuated  in  the  ceramic  field,  and  flower  for 
the. last  time  during  the  first  ten  or  fifteen  years  of 
Khang-hi.  So  the  specimens  have  not  yet  quitted  the 
livery  of  the  Ming,  the  brilliant  livery  of  that  brilliant 
dynasty,  and  proclaim  pi*oudly,  by  their  beauty,  the  prog- 
ress achieved  under  the  earlier  reign  ; they  bear  the 
Ming  decorations,  whether  they  be  simple  copies,  or 
whether  they  be  veritable  originals,  inspired  b}g  moi’e 
ancient  works.” 

For  examples  of  the  type  referred  to  in  the  above  quo- 
tations turn  to  Plate  LV  for  an  illustration  of  a wine-pot 
decorated  in  colors  on  a white  ground,  and  to  Plate  IX 
for  tliat  of  a quadi*angular  vase  painted  in  enamel  colors 
relieved  by  an  enameled  black  ground.  There  are  few 
collectors,  I believe,  outside  of  China,  who  do  not  cherish 
these  things  as  relics  of  the  dynasty ; there  is  no- 

Chinese  connoisseur,  on  the  other  hand,  who  would  not 
attribute  them  all  to  the  reign  of  K\mg-hsi.  The  end 


301 


THE  k’aNG-HSI  PEKIOD. 

of  the  Ming  dynasty  was  an  age  of  criticism,  and  we  have 
a host  of  writers  on  ceramic  subjects,  but  not  one  of  them 
refers  to  such  large  vases  as  existing  in  the  reign  of 
CKeng-liua)  had  they  existed  at  such  an  early  date  they 
could  hardly  have  been  overlooked.  Nor  are  there  any 
figured  in  the  illustrated  album  of  the  sixteenth  century 
Avhich  has  been  described  in  Chapter  V,  although  it  gives 
a wine-pot  and  several  wine-cups  of  the  period  decorated 
in  colors.  The  expert  confesses  the  difficulty  of  distin- 
guishing between  an  original  CliHng-liua  piece  and  a 
K\mg-lisi  copy,  and  I would,  with  all  deference,  propose 
that  they  shall  all  be  classed  as  Khmg-hsi  productions 
until  proofs  of  antiquity  any  better  than  those  of  archaic 
style  and  ancient  mark  be  brought  forward. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  reign  of  K'^ ang-lisi^  Lang 
T’ing-tso  was  still  viceroy.  In  the  preceding  reign  we 
found  him  mentioned  as  personally  supervising  the  work 
of  the  imj^erial  potters  at  Ching-te-chen.  He  was 
appointed  governor  (lisiin-fu)  of  the  province  of  Kiangsi 
in  1654,  and  was  promoted  to  be  viceroy  (tsung-tii)  of 
Kiangsi  and  Kiangnan  in  1656.  In  the  last  year  of 
the  reign  of  Sliun-chili  the  viceroyalty  was  divided  : 
Lang  Thng-tso  remained  the  tsung-tu  of  Kiangnan,  and 
Chang  Chao-lin  was  promoted  to  be  tsimg-tu  of  Kiangsi. 
The  provinces  were  reunited  in  the  fourth  year  of 
K\ing-ltsi  (1665),  with  Lang  T’ing-tso  as  viceroy,  and  he 
retained  the  post  till  1668,  when  he  was  succeeded  by 
Ha-lo-chi,  a Manchu  of  the  Yellow  Banner.  I have 
given  these  particulars  of  the  career  of  the  celebrated 
viceroy,  who  Avas  a Chinese  native  of  the  northern  boi’der 
and  an  early  adherent  of  the  invading  Manchus,  because 
the  name  Lang  Yao,*  applied  to  the  remarkable  ceramic 


*This  name  lias  been  derived  by  some  Chinese  of  less  weight  from  that  of 
Lang  Shih-ning,  an  artist  protege  of  the  Jesuits,  who  also  lived  in  the  reign  of 
K'ang-hsi,  and  whose  pictures  are  still  highly  appreciated.  A note  following 


302 


OKIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


productions  of  this  time,  is  generally  supposed  by  the 
most  competent  Chinese  authorities  to  have  been  derived 
from  him.  Yao  in  its  widest  sense  means  pottery,”  as 
well  as  “ potteries,”  porcelain  ” as  well  as  kiln,”  and 
the  ceramic  production  of  this  time  has  retained  the  name 
of  the  viceroy,  in  the  same  way  as  the  names  of  Ts’ang 
Ting-hsuan,  Nien  Hsi-yao,  and  T’ang  Ying,  who  were  in 
turn  superintendents  of  the  imperial  potteries,  were  after- 
ward given  to  the  Ts’mig  Yao,  Nien  Yao,  and  Yang 
Yao,  names  which  the  respective  productions  of  their 
times  retain  to  this  day. 

The  Lang  Y diO  imr  excellence  is  characterized  by  a rich, 
deep  glaze  of  crackled  texture  imbued  with  the  crimson 
mottled  clouds  of  blood-red  tone,  which  have  earned  for 
it  the  name  of  sang-de-hoeuf,  by  which  it  is  generally 
known.  The  color  is  not  uniform,  but  flashes  in  streaks 
of  varied  shade  produced  by  the  action  of  the  furnace 
flames  on  the  copper  silicate  to  which  the  color  is  due. 
It  is  more  homogeneous,  however,  than  the  flamhe  reds  of 
later  times  which,  in  common  parlance,  share  with  it  the 
name  of  sang-de-hcmif.  Sometimes  a quite  modern  piece 
of  chi  hung,  or  ‘‘sacrificial  i*ed,”  so-called  because,  like 
the  Lang  Yao  itself,  it  was  made  after  the  coloiyof  the 
ancient  sacrificial  cups  of  the  reign  of  Hsuan-te,  will 
appear  accidentally,  as  it  were,  clothed  in  a rich  garb 
rivaling  in  intensity  that  of  the  finest  Lang  Yao  vase. 
An  intentional  imitation,  although  it  may  approach 


the  description  of  a bottle  in  the  Franks  Collection  {loc.  cit.,  page  8),  “ covered 
with  a deep  but  brilliant  red  glaze,”  says:  “ This  specimen  is  from  Mr.  A.  B. 
Mitford’s  collection,  and  is  thus  described  in  the  catalogue  : ‘ A bottle  : Lang 
yao-tze,  porcelain  from  the  Lang  furnace.  The  Lang  family  were  a family  of 
famous  potters  who  possessed  the  secret  of  this  peculiar  glaze  and  paste.  They 
became  extinct  about  the  year  1610;  and  their  pottery  is  highly  esteemed  and 
fetches  great  prices  at  Peking.’  ” The  family  is  apocryphal  and  the  porcelain 
antedated,  but  the  story  is  generally  accepted  by  later  writers,  like  M.  Grandi- 
dier,  who  gives  it  (page  160)  under  the  reign  of  Wan-U,  without,  however, 
acknowledging  the  source  of  his  information. 


THE  k’aNG-HSI  PEEIOD. 


303 


in  brilliancy  of  tone  the  rich  coloring  of  the  original, 
always  fails  in  some  point  of  technical  detail.  The  color 
requires  perfect  fluidity  of  the  enamel  to  bring  it  out  in 
perfection — a condition  which  the  modern  potter  can  not 
attain  without  the  glaze  “ running,”  so  that  it  becomes 
very  thin  on  the  upper  rim,  which  often  appears  nearly 
white,  and  runs  down  to  collect  in  thick  drops  round  the 
foot,  which  has  to  be  subsequently  ground  down  on  the 
wheel.  All  attempts  to  reproduce  this  beautiful  color  in 
the  West  have  also  failed,  principally,  it  is  said,  because 
it  is  so  difiicult  to  seize  the  exact  moment,  a few  seconds 
more  or  less  in  the  duration  of  the  firing  being  suflicient 
to  ruin  the  beauty  of  the  fugitive  tint. 

The  principal  means  of  distinguishing  the  veritable 
Lang  Yao  consists  in  the  perfect  potting  of  the  piece, 
evidenced  by  the  mathematical  regularity  of  the  white 
line  of  enamel  which  often  defines  the  rim  and  the  condi- 
tion of  the  foot,  as  well  as  in  the  tone  of  coloring  in  the 
crackled  glaze.  The  condition  of  the  foot  is  always 
a special  criterion  to  the  Chinese  connoisseur,  who  looks 
especially  at  the  paste  when  it  is  left  unglazed  round  the 
circular  rim,  to  distinguish  the  pi’oductions  of  different 
pei’iods.  The  bottoms  of  these  vases  are  described  as 
exhibiting  glazes  of  three  kinds,  having  ping-Tcno  ti, 
^M3ases  of  apple-green  (crackle),”  mi-se  ^Coases  of  rice- 
colored  (crackle),”  or  pai-tz^u  ti^  bases  of  plain  white 
porcelain.” 

If  the  piece  be  entirely  green,  it  is  a specimen  of  Lil 
Lang  Yao,  or  Green  Lang  Yao.”  This  is  always 
crackled ; it  is  of  a unifoiTu  apple-green  {pUngLiio  cYing) 
shade,  paler  than  that  of  the  brilliant  green  monochromes 
which  distinguish  the  later  part  of  the  reign ; the  rims 
are  defined  by  a line  of  translucent  white  enamel,  and  the 
technique  is  that  of  the  ordinaiy  Lang  Yao;  the  rare 
pieces  that  I have  seen  are  small  in  size.  The  color  has 


304 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


been  called  a copper  celadon,  but  it  is  better,  I think,  to 
restrict  the  term  celadon  to  the  sea-green  tint  produced 
by  a protoxide  of  iron. 

In  addition  to  the  magnificent  vases  and  censers  of 
sang-de-hoenf^  we  have  a variety  of  miscellaneous  articles^ 
intended  for  domestic  use,  such  as  saucer-shaped  dishes, 
basins,  bowls,  tazza-shaped  cups,  and  the  like,  and 
occasionally  we  even  find  a round  box  of  the  type 
adapted  to  hold  seal-vermilion,  or  a small  snuff-bottle, 
representing  the  class.  The  glaze,  always  crackled,  varies 
from  an  intense  blood-red,  through  intermediate  shades  of 
paler  hue,  till  it  becomes  sometimes  almost  pink  ; in  other 
cases  it  darkens  into  a dull  maroon,  or  a liver-colored  tint. 
The  bowls  are  of  solid  make,  heavy-footed,  expanding  at 
the  mouth  to  a thin,  spreading  rim,  which  is  defined  by 
a white  line.  There  is  a series  of  bowls  of  the  same 
shape  as  the  red  bowls,  which  are  decorated  generally 
with  birds  and  fiowers,  painted  in  the  brilliant  enamel 
colors  of  the  early  K\mg-lisi  period,  Avhich  are  considered 
by  the  Chinese  to  be  productions  of  the  same  kilns,  and 
which  are  also  classified  by  them  under  the  heading  of 
Lang  Yao.  These  bowls  are  characterized  by  a deeply 
crackled  glaze  of  pale  greenish  tone  which  is  traversed 
by  red  lines,  and  on  the  surface  of  this  crackle  the  enamel 
decoration,  boldly  designed,  is  laid  on  with  a free  brush, 
so  that  the  colors,  especially  the  cobalt-blue,  stand  out  in 
prominent  relief.  Tliese  bowls  would  be  classed  under 
the  heading  of  Green  Lang  Yao,”  decorated  with  enamels. 

To  return  to  the  annals  of  the  province.  In  the  tenth 
year  of  K\mg-lisi  (1671)  the  governor  was  ordered  to 
supply  tlie  ritual  sets  of  sacrificial  vessels  required  by 
the  emperor  in  the  worship  of  the  different  temples  at 
Peking.  lie  dispatched  officials  from  Jao-chou  and  Fou- 
liang  to  Cliing-te-chen  to  superintend  tlie  work  and  see 
that  it  was  executed  in  accordance  with  the  imperial 


305 


THE  k’aT^G-HSI  PEEIOD. 

decree.  The  sacrificial  vessels  required  vs^ere  all  fabri- 
cated and  successfully  fired,  the  necessary  funds  being 
provided  on  a liberal  scale,  so  that  neither  money  nor 
materials  were  levied  from  the  people,  and  the  things 
were  sent  on  in  successive  batches  to  the  capital,  as  soon 
as  they  were  finished,  as  required  by  the  decree. 

But  troubles  supervened  in  connection  with  the 
rebellion  of  Wu  San-kuei,  the  viceroy  of  Yunnan,  who 
threw  off  his  allegiance  to  the  Manchu  emperor  in  1674, 
and  headed  the  last  expiring  efforts  of  the  native  Chinese 
against  the  rule  of  the  Tartars.  The  imperial  factoiy  at 
Ching-te-chen  was  burned  to  the  gi’ound  in  the  following 
year.  The  death  of  Wu  San-kuei,  which  occurred  in 
1678,  was  followed  in  a few  months  by  a final  triumph 
of  the  imperial  forces,  and  the  province  of  Kiangsi  was 
soon  afterward  pacified.  In  the  ninth  month  of  the 
nineteenth  year  (1680)  an  imperial  decree  was  issued 
ordering  the  production  of  a quantity  of  imperial  por- 
celain for  the  use  of  the  palace,  and  at  the  same  time 
a board  of  commissioners  Avas  selected  from  the  officials 
of  the  Nei  Wu  Fu,  or  “ Imperial  Household,”  and 
directed  to  proceed  to  Ching-te-chen  to  superintend  the 
work.  The  first  commission  Avas  composed  of  Hsli 
T’ing-pi,  secretary  {Lang-clmncj)  oi  the  Treasury  of  the 
PiTvy  Purse,  and  Li  Yen-li,  an  assistant  secretary.  The 
second  commission,  appointed  tAvo  years  later,  Avas  headed 
by  Ts’ang  Ying-hsiian,  secretary  of  the  Imperial  Parks 
Department  of  the  Board  of  Works,  Avho  is  stated  to 
have  arrived  at  Ching-te-chen  in  the  second  month  of  the 
tAventy-second  year  (1683),  and  Avho  at  once  took  over 
the  superintendence  of  the  imperial  manufactoiy.  We 
are  not  told  hoAv  long  he  remained  in  charge.  After 
his  time  the  Avork  Avas  cariled  on  by  the  provincial 
officials,  as  there  seems  to  have  been  no  appointment  of 
another  imperial  commission  till  the  next  reign. 


306 


OEIENTAL  CEEAMIC  AET. 


To  Ts’ang  Ying-lislian  is  due  the  brilliant  renaissance 
of  the  ceramic  art  in  China  which  distinguishes  the  reign 
of  K^ang-lisi.  T’ang  Ying,  who  ultimately  succeeded  to 
the  oflSce,  in  his  Life  of  the  God  of  the  Furnace  Blasts 
bears  testimony  to  his  genius  when  he  writes : When 

Ts’ang  was  dii*ector  of  the  porcelain  works  the  finger  of 
the  god  was  often  seen  in  the  midst  of  the  furnace  fire, 
either  painting  the  designs  or  shielding  them  from  harm, 
so  that  the  porcelain  came  out  perfect  and  beautiful.” 
The  writer  of  the  Cliing-te-clien  Fao-lu  says,  in  his 
description  of  the  Ts’ang  Yao,  that  the  porcelain  made 
by  him  was  of  fine  rich  material  and  thin  translucent 
texture,  that  all  the  different  colors  were  produced,  and 
that  amono;  them  the  four  most  beautiful  colors  ^vere  the 
snake-skin  green  with  iridescent  hues,  the  eel-skin  yellow 
of  brownish  shade,  the  turquoise-blue,  and  the  varie- 
gated yellow,  although  the  monochrome  yellow,  the 
monochrome  purple,  and  the  monochrome  green  glazes, 
as  well  as  the  soufle  i*ed  and  the  souffle  blue,  were  all 
remarkably  fine.  He  adds  that  all  these  different  glazes 
were  copied  afterward  by  T’ang  Ying.  We  may  add 
that  the  peculiar  brilliancy  of  these  well-known  K’'ang- 
lisi  colors  is  inimitable. 

Tlie  porcelain  was  still  called  by  the  old  name  of 
Kuan  Yao,  or  ‘imperial  ware,”  to  distinguish  it  from 
the  productions  of  the  private  potters.  Among  the 
things  sent  to  the  palace,  according  to  the  official  list, 
were  fish-bowls  (fang'),  fiower-pots  (y/e/?),  basins  (,;yuf 
round  dishes  beaker-shaped  vases  (Js^in),  censers 

(f  ii),  vases  { f iag),  jars  with  covers  (f  uaii),  saucer-plates 
(gtieli),  bowls  (gujan),  teacups  and  wine-cups  (fflmng,  chan'). 
The  (lecomtive  designs  used  included  fabulous  dragons 
enveloped  in  clouds,  birds,  and  four-footed  beasts,  fishes 
swimming  in  watei*  green  with  moss,  and  flowering  plants 
of  all  kinds.  The  porcelain  was  either  painted  in  colors. 


THE  k’aKG-HSI  period. 


3or 


or  cliiseled  in  relief,  or  faintly  engraved  under  tlie  glaze^ 
or  carved  in  open-work : all  these  different  processes  are 
declared  to  have  been  cleverly  executed  in  the  imperial 
workshops  at  this  period. 

Another  famous  glaze  appeared  in  this  reign  which 
challenges  the  supreme  position  generally  accorded  by 
lovers  of  the  ceramic  art  to  the  Lang  Yao  sang<le-boeuf\ 
I refer,  of  course,  to  the  peach-bloom  ” {pecm-de-peclie^ 
also  called  sometimes  crushed  strawLerry  ” (^f raise 
ecrasee),  which  is  another  example  of  the  decorative 
powder  of  the  same  protean  color,  being  due  to  a for- 
tuitous mingling  of  the  silicates  of  copper.  Although 
not  so  intense  and  brilliant  as  the  sang-dedcenf^  it  has 
a special  charm  of  its  own  in  its  soft,  velvety  tones, 
which  remind  one  of  the  coloring  of  the  rind  of  a peach 
ripening  in  the  sun.  The  prevailing  shade  is  a pale  red, 
becoming  pink  in  some  parts,  in  others  mottled  wdth 
russet  spots,  dis]3layed  upon  a background  of  light- 
green  celadon  tint.  The  last  color  occasionally  comes 
out  more  prominently  and  deepens  into  clouds  of  bright 
apple-green  tint.  The  varied  shades  of  color  are  well 
represented  in  the  illustrations,  as  will  be  appreciated 
by  reference  to  Plates  III,  LI  (a),  LII,  and  L.  The 
vases  illustrated  here  are  all  marked  in  full,  under- 
neath, wdth  the  “ six-character  mark  ” of  the  reign, 
beautifully  written  in  a minute  script,  which  is  penciled 
under  the  glaze  in  cobalt-blue. 

The  Chinese  prize  the  subdued  beauty  of  this  glaze 
above  all  others  for  the  decoration  of  their  wulting-tables, 
and  most  of  the  objects  originally  adapted  for  this  pur- 
pose are  of  comparatively  small  size.  They  call  it 
by  the  special  name  of  pHug-l^uo  liung^  or  apple-red,” 
and  they  distinguish  also  the  accessory  p'ing-huo  clCing^ 
or  ‘‘  apple-green  ” clouds,  and  the  mei  l:uei  tzu^  or  “ rose- 
crimson  ” mottled  spots.  This  comparison  wdth  the 


SOS 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


' mingled  red  and  green  shades  of  a rosy-cheeked  apple  is 
apt  enough,  especially  as  the  same  idea  is  often  brought 
out  in  the  form  of  the  object;  two  favorite  designs, 
for  example,  of  the  little  water-bottles  intended  to  be 
used  with  the  writer’s  pallet  are  the  pHng-huo  tsun^  or 
apple-jar,”  which  is  molded  as  an  exact  facsimile  in 
size  and  shape  of  the  fruit,  and  its  fellow,  the  shih-liu 
tsun,  or  ‘^pomegranate-jar”;  I have  seen  these  two 
shapes  only  in  China.  Another  native  name  for  this 
peach -bloom  ” glaze,  which  is  the  one  that  is  commonly 
used  by  the  Chinese  dealer,  is  chiang-tou  hung.  This 
might  be  rendered  “ haricot-red,”  the  chiang-tou  being 
a small  kidney-shaped  bean  of  variegated  pink  color 
with  brown  spots,  largely  cultivated  at  Peking  and 
other  parts  of  China,  the  Dolichos  sinensis  of  botanists. 

Among  the  other  specimens  of  the  peach-bloom  class 
in  the  collection  are  (Fig.  188)  a small  water  receptacle 
for  the  writing-table  modeled  in  the  traditional  form 
of  the  wine- jar  of  Li  T’ai-po,  the  famous  poet  of  the 
eighth  century,  frona  which  it  derives  its  name  of  T’’ai-po 
tsun\  and  Fig.  198,  a circular  box  for  the  vermilion 
used  for  impressing  seals,  another  indispensable  adjunct 
of  the  writing-table  of  the  Chinese  scholar.  Fig.  202 
shows  a vase  similar  in  form  to  the  one  illustrated  in 
Plate  LII,  which  has  been  mounted  in  Japan.  Fig.  201  is 
a pilgrim  bottle  with  a copper-red  glaze  of  “ peach-bloom  ” 
type,  which  differs  from  the  rest  in  being  unmarked. 

There  is  one  class  of  these  vases  in  which  the  base 
of  the  neck  is  encircled  by  the  form  of  an  archaic 
dragon,  modeled  in  full  under-cut  relief,  which  is 
enameled  with  a bright  apple-green  glaze  of  uniform 
tint,  contrasting  vividly,  as  a complementary  color,  with 
the  red  shades  of  the  vase.  Fig.  209  exhibits  one  of 
these  dragon-encircled  bottles  which  has  the  usual  mark 
inscribed  on  the  foot  underneath. 


309 


THE  k’aNG-HSI  period. 

The  last  piece  to  be  noticed  here  is  a little  bowl- 
shaped wine-cup  of  egg-shell  texture  invested,  inside 
and  out,  with  a peach-bloom  ” glaze  displaying  all  the 
typical  tints  (Fig.  210).  The  mark  underneath  is  that 
of  the  reign  of  Hsilan-te  of  the  Ming  dynasty,  but  the 
perfection  of  the  technique  and  the  character  of  the 
glaze  indicate  the  K'^ang-lisi  period,  and  the  mark 
would  perhaps  be  intended  to  show  that  the  aim  of 
the  potter  was  the  reproduction  of  one  of  the  celebrated 
^^sacrificial  red  wine-cups”  of  the  older  reign,  which,  we 
know,  were  tinted  with  the  same  coloring  material. 

The  first  peach-bloom  ” vases  that  reached  the 
United  States  seem  to  have  come  from  Peking,  out  of 
the  famous  collection  of  the  hereditary  Princes  of  Yi,* 
the  source  also,  by  the  way,  of  the  sixteenth  century 
album  that  has  been  so  often  referred  to.  The  founder 
of  this  line  of  princes  was  the  thirteenth  son  of  the 
Emperor  IVang-lisi.  T’ang  Ying  refers  to  him  {Cliiang 
Jisi  t^ung  chilly  book  xciii,  folio  10)  as  having,  in  the 
eighth  month  of  the  year  1723,  personally  announced 
to  him  by  command  of  his  brother,  the  Emperor  Yung- 
cheng^  his  own  (T’ang  Ying’s)  appointment  to  be 
director  of  the  imperial  potteries,  and  we  may  gather 
from  this  that  the  prince  was  interested  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  ceramic  art.  After  his  death  the  hereditary 
rank  of  imperial  prince  (Ch’in  Wang)  was  confei'red 
upon  his  descendants,  a unique  honor,  as  it  is  the  rule  in 
China  for  each  generation  to  descend  one  step  in  the 
scale  of  nobility  till  they  become  commoners.  His 
descendant  in  the  fifth  generation  was  the  notorious  Yi 
Ch’in  Wang,  to  whom  the  empress-regent  sent  a silken 

* In  the  Catalogue  of  the  Art  Collection  formed  by  the  late  Mrs.  Mary  J. 
Morgan,  New  York,  1886,  it  is  noted  that  several  of  the  “peach-blow  or 
crushed-strawberry  vases”  came  “ from  the  private  collection  of  I Wang-ye, 
a Mandarin  prince,”  which  must  be  the  one  I refer  to.  Wang  Yeh  is  “ Prince  ” 
in  colloquial  Pekingese,  and  Yi  is  sometimes  written  I. 


310 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


cord  in  1861,  so  that  he  might  expiate  by  his  suicide  his 
mismanagement  of  the  Anglo-French  war.  A young 
scion  of  his  house  was  chosen  at  the  same  time  to  suc- 
ceed him,  instead  of  one  of  his  own  sons,  as  an  additional 
punishment,  and  it  is  he  who  is  currently  reported  since 
he  grew  up  to  have  taken  to  dissipated  Avays,  and  to  have 
wasted  the  valuable  collections  of  his  ancestral  palace.  It 
may  be  of  some  interest  to  see  traced  back,  in  this  way^ 
to  a son  of  the  Emperor  K^mg-Jisi,  a collection  that  w^as 
no  doubt  formed  in  his  reign,  the  gems  of  which  excited 
such  interest  in  ceramic  circles  on  their  first  appearance, 
and  Avhich  will  always  rank  as  triumphs  of  decorative 
art. 

The  vases,  though  small  in  size,  are  generally  of  fine 
technique  and  graceful  form.  They  share  these  char- 
acteristics with  some  others  of  similar  make  and  shape 
enameled  with  different  glazes,  which  are  often  marked 
in  the  same  style,  and  evidently  belong  to  the  same 
period.  Perhaps  the  most  beautiful  of  the  monochrome 
glazes  of  this  class  is  the  yueh  pa%  or  clair-de-lune^  of 
uniformly  pale  sky-blue  tint,  which  is  illustrated  in 
Plate  LI  (b),  but  the  soft,  celadon  shades  displayed 
in  the  illustration  (Plate  VII),  w^hich  is  modeled  in 
the  graceful  lines  of  one  of  the  finest  of  the  ‘‘  peach- 
bloom  ” vases,  are  almost  as  charming.  Two  other 
vases  are  given  in  Plate  L,  under  .the  heading  of  Peach- 
Bloom  Transmutations,  one  of  which  is  a pearl  gray 
of  pinkish  hue,  with  traces  of  mottled  red  lurking  inside 
the  neck,  while  the  other  is  marbled  with  variegated 
splashes  of  green,  passing  from  emerald  to  intense  olive 
tones,  a striking  instance  of  the  kiln  transmuted  green 
{yiL  lit),  Avhich  we  shall  meet  with  presently  in  Chapter 
XVIII. 

These  two  glazes,  the  sang-de-hceuf  and  the  peau-de- 
pjeche,  were  not  employed  exclusively  as  single  colors  ; 


THE  k’aNG-HSI  period. 


311 


they  were  used  also  in  combination  with  other  forms  of 
decoration,  and  some  of  the  most  brilliant  blue  pieces  of 
the  period  are  occasionally  seen  with  the  painted  designs 
relieved  by  one  of  these  colors  in  place  of  the  ordinary 
white  ground.  A remarkable  example  is  seen  in  the  vase 
illustrated  in  Fig.  207,  the  ground  of  which  is  a typical 
^^Lang  Yao  ” crackled  glaze,  exhibiting  all  the  different 
mng-de-hoeuf  tones,  passing  from  paler  shades  into  deep- 
est crimson.  The  neck  and  shoulder  of  the  vase  are 
ribbed,  and  the  decoration  is  modeled  in  relief  in  the 
paste,  and  filled  in  with  underglaze  cobalt-blue,  with 
touches  of  copper-red.  It  consists  of  a flowering  lotus 
springing  from  a groundwork  of  crested  waves,  and  a 
pair  of  swallows,  one  of  them  perched  on  a lotus  stalk, 
the  other  hying.  The  large,  naturally  folded  lotus  leaves, 
lifted  upon  rough  tuberculated  stems,  and  the  birds,  are 
painted  in  blue ; the'  flowers  and  buds  are  shaded  in 
addition,  in  wavy  lines  of  maroon  tint  within  the  blue 
outlines.  The  foot,  which  is  enameled  white  with  a 
tinge  of  green,  has  no  mark  inscribed. 

The  rare  baluster-shaped  vase  in  Fig.  211,  which  is 
engraved  in  the  paste  with  a lightly  etched  design  of  a 
pair  of  dragons  mounting  into  the  clouds  from  a line  of 
scrolled  sea-waves,  and  is  enameled  with  a brilliant 
crackled  glaze  of  bright  green  passing  into  olive  at  the 
edges,  is  invested  with  a thick  over-glaze  of  peach- 
bloom  ” type,  collecting  in  mottled  clouds  of  crushed- 
strawberry  ” tint,  laid  on  so  thickly  that  the  forms  of  the 
di*agons  are  scarcely  visible  in  the  interstices  of  the 
clouds.  The  foot,  encircled  by  a broad,  unglazed  rim, 
has  concentric  lines  of  grayish-white  crackle  in  the  mid- 
dle, with  no  mark  attached. 

The  iron-red,”  prepared  liy  the  incineration  of  green 
vitriol  (iron  sulphate),  called  also  ‘^coral-red”  from  the 
tone  of  color,  which  is  quite  distinct  from  that  of  the 


312 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


copper-reds  ” which  we  have  been  considering,  is  found 
among  the  single  colors  of  this  time,  although  much  less 
frequently  than  in  succeeding  reigns.  In  the  reign  of 
IC'ang-hsi  this  color  ’was  employed  more  largely  in 
painted  decoration  : either  alone,  as  in  the  egg-shell  bowl 
in  Plate  LXVII ; or  in  combination  with  gold,  as  in  the 
club-shaped  vase  in  Plate  XXVIII ; or  as  one  of  the 
different  colors  comprised  in  the  ordinary  polychrome 
decoration  of  the  muffle  oven. 

The  brilliant  blues  derived  from  cobalt  were  broimlit  out 

o 

with  vivid  intensity  in  this  reign,  which  is  unrivaled  for 
its  monochrome  blues,  as  well  as  for  the  beauty  of  its  blue 
and  white  decorated  porcelain.  The  calcined  cobaltifer- 
ous  ore  of  mano;anese  was  either  mixed  with  the  white 
glaze  to  produce  the  gray-blue  illustrated  in  Plate 
LXXIV,  or  it  was  blown  through  gauze  upon  the  raw 
white  body  of  the  piece  and  subsequently  glazed  over  to 
produce  the  magnificent  effect  of  powder  blue,  so  well 
represented  by  the  artist  in  Plate  XCIII.  This  “ powder- 
blue,”  also  called  Mazariu-blue,”  or  sometimes  hleu 
fouette^  from  its  ’^vhipped  aspect,  may  be  either  left  as  the 
sole  decoration  of  the  vase,  or  it  may  be  painted  over 
with  ornamental  designs  in  gold,  fixed  by  a second  firing 
in  the  muffle  stove.  The  vase  in  Fig.  206,  which  is  deco- 
rated in  gold  with  sprays  of  chrysanthemum  and  bamboo, 
is  an  example  of  the  last  style  of  decoration.  In  other 
cases,  again,  the  powder-blue  ground  is  interrupted  by 
medallions  of  varied  form,  which  are  filled  with  designs, 
either  executed  at  the  same  time  in  blue,  or  painted  after 
the  first  firing  in  enamel  coloi*s  ; an  example  of  a deco- 
rated po\vdei*-blue  vase  is  illustrated  in  Plate  XVIII.  A 
decorated  vase,  on  the  other  hand,  may  have  powder- 
blue  panels  interrupting  the  main  decoration,  as  in  the 
interestino;  vase  in  Fis^.  208,  wdiich  deserves  a word  of 
description.  It  is  painted  in  brilliant  enamel  colors  with 


THE  k’aNG-HSI  PEKIOD. 


313 


gilding,  tlie  body  with  chrysanthemum  scrolls  traversed 
by  lizard-like  dragons,  the  neck  with  butterflies  and 
flowers  on  a pale-green  background  dotted  with  black, 
with  flying  storks,  and  phoenix  medallions  ; the  shoulder 
has  a band  of  floral  brocade  with  pictures  in  foliated 
panels,  and  the  upright  rim  of  the  mouth  is  encircled  by 
a green  border  with  a black  fret ; the  twelve  panels,  fan- 
shaped, quatrefoil,  oblong,  or  in  the  form  of  a leaf  or 
pomegranate,  which  interrupt  the  painted  decoration,  are 
filled  in  with  a powder-blue  souffle  ground,  outlined  in 
gold,  and  painted  over  in  gold  with  landscapes,  Taoist 
temples,  flying  geese,  fighting  cocks,  sprays  of  flowers,  etc. 

Another  monochrome  glaze  invented  at  this  period  was 
the  brilliant  black  called  ivu  chin,,  or  “ metallic  black,” 
by  the  Chinese,  which  is  sometimes  called  “ mirror  black,” 
after  Pere  d’Entrecolles,  who  compared  it  to  the  color  of 
our  burnino'  mirrors.  ' It  diffei’s  from  the  black  of  the 

O 

painted  vases,  which  is  of  duller  aspect,  and  often  of 
greenish  tone,  and  gives  more  the  impression  of  being  a 
lacquered  surface.  It  is  prepared  by  mixing  some  of  the 
calcined  cobaltiferous  manganese  ore  with  the  ordinary 
white  glaze  and  adding  a ceitain  proportion  of  the  fer- 
ruginous clay,  which  produces  the  tzu-chin,  the  fond 
laque,  or  coffee-colored  glaze,  which  will  be  referred  to 
presently.  The  mirror-black  glaze  is  usually  overlaid 
with  a gilded  decoration,  although  this  often  becomes 
almost  obliterated  in  course  of  time,  as  in  the  tall  vase 
shown  in  Plate  LXXX,  and  in  the  pair  of  large,  triple, 
gourd-shaped  vases  illustrated  in  Plate  LXI  and  Fig.  212. 
The  charming  little  vase  illustrated  in  Plate  LXII  exhib- 
its the  brilliant  intense  black  with  iridescent  surface, 
which  distinguishes  some  of  the  finest  decorated  pieces 
of  the  time. 

The  brown  glaze  just  referred  to,  which  is  known 
technically  in  the  French  potteries  a^  fond  Jac[ne,  may  be 


314 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


uoticed  Rext.  It  ranges  from  a dark  bronze  hne  to  the 
color  of  old  gold,  and  is  known  to  ceramic  authors  by 
inaii}^  names,  such  as  chocolate,”  dead  leaf,”  cafe  au 
laitf  etc.;  the  Chinese  name  of  tzu-cliin^  which  means 
burnished  gold,”  is  as  characteristic  as  any,  and  they 
distinguish  the  shade  by  prefixing  ^‘red,”  orJiuang^ 

‘‘  yellow,”  according  to  the  predominance  of  either  of  these 
two  colors  in  the  brown.  This  glaze  was  rai*ely  used, 
alone  ; it  was  usually  interrupted  by  medallions  or  other 
ornamental  designs,  which  \cere  decorated  in  surface 
enamel  colors,  as  in  the  garniture  of  three  jars  and  tw^o 
beaker-shajjed  vases  illustrated  in  Fig.  213.  The  last 
combination  is  the  most  common  of  all ; it  was  imported 
in  huge  quantities  in  Dutch  shi23s  of  the  time,  according 
to  old  inventories  which  have  been  recently  published  by 
Jacquemart  and  others,  and  the  decoi*ation  still  retains  it& 
old  trade  name  of  Batavian.”  Fior.  214  shows  a vase 

o 

of  this  class,  with  the  bulging  body  enameled  yellowish 
brown,  and  the  neck  decorated  in  blue,  with  formal 
sprays  of  pinks,  bands  of  fret,  and  floral  diaper,  wTich  is 
marked  underneath  with  a double  ring,  a favorite  mark 
of  the  K\mg-hsi  period.  Fig.  215  presents  a vase  of 
similar  style,  in  which  the  “ brown-gold  ” ground  that 
invests  the  lo^ver  half  of  the  body  is  succeeded  by  an 
encircling  band  of  ci’ackle,  and  the  shoulder,  as  well  as 
the  lieaker-shaped  neck,  is  painted  in  blue  with  flow^ers 
and  butterflies  ; it  has  no  mark  underneath,  but  evidently 
belongs  to  the  same  period  as  the  last.  Another  mode 
of  decoration  was  effected  by  overlaying  the  browm  glaze 
^vith  designs  in  white  slip  ; a bottle-shaped  vase  of  this 
kind  is  seen  in  Fig.  216,  displaying  in  its  somewhat  crude 
decoration  two  vases  of  flowers  and  a conventional  beaded 
border  executed  in  slip ; it  is  an  example  of  a class  of 
vases  decorated  by  the  Chinese  in  Persian  style  for  ex- 
port to  that  country  ; a similar  one,  indeed,  is  erroneously 


315 


THE  k’aNG-HSI  period. 

Hgiired  by  Jacqiiemart  under  the  heading  of  Persian  por- 
eelain.  Pere  d’Entrecolles  tells  us  that  designs  were  also 
painted  at  this  time  in  metallic  silver  on  the  surface  of 
this  brown  glaze,  and  that  the  combination  was  pretty 
and  effective.  I have  never  seen  a specimen,  perhaps  on 
account  of  the  fugitive  nature  of  the  silver  decoration, 
wdiich  is  easily  tarnished  and  rubbed  off  by  wear. 

The  ‘Hurquoise-blue  ” and  aubergine-purple”  are  two 
colors,  dating  from  previous  times,  which  may  be 
bracketed  together,  as  they  offer  several  analogies,  and 
are,  moreover,  often  used  in  combination  in  the  decora- 
tion of  the  same  piece.  The  glazes  are  applied  siir  his- 
euit^  and  have  a finely  crackled  or  truite  texture.  The 
turquoise  glaze  called  Kung-cMio  lil^  or  ^^peacock-green,” 
by  the  modern  Chinese,  although  it  is  also  known  in 
books  fei-ts^'ui,  from  its  resemblance  to  the  blue  plumes 
of  the  kingfisher,  which  are  used  in  jewelry,  is  prepared  by 
combining  copper  with  a nitre  flux.  The  cliieli  tzu^ 
or aubergine-purple,”  is  derived  from  the  common  ore  of 
manganese  and  cobalt,  calcined  and  mixed  like  the  last 
with  nitre  and  pulverized  quartz.  The  AValters  Collec- 
tion is  very  rich  in  turquoise  ci*ackle  of  different  periods, 
including,  as  it  does,  considerably  over  a hundred  pieces, 
some  magnificent  specimens  of  which,  with  bronze 
mounts  by  Gouthiere,  and  which  are  atti*ibuted  to  the 
reign  of  K\mg-lisi,  have  already  been  figured.  It  is  fre- 
quently seen  on  Buddhist  images,  lions,  and  other  mon- 
sters, magots^  and  grotesques  of  all  kinds,  such  as  those 
which  were  so  eagerly  sought  after  by  collectors  of  the 
eighteenth  century.  Aubergine-purple,  as  a single  color, 
occurs  principally  on  small  vases.  The  two  glazes  used 
together  make  a very  effective  combination,  as  in  the 
large  lions  mounted  upon  square  pedestals,  which  rank 
among  the  chief  ornaments  of  the  Dresden  Museum. 
The  colors  in  these  pieces  are  boldly  laid  on  with  a free 


316 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


brusb  and  with  no  attempt  at  symmetry ; in  some  case» 
the  purple  is  flecked  with  a brush  in  a rain  of  drops  upon 
the  turquoise  ground  ; in  others  the  paste  is  worked  in 
relief  for  the  reception  of  the  colors  which  enhance  the 
outlines  previously  tooled  in  the  paste.  The  wine-pot 
shown  in  Fig.  217  is  an  illustration  of  this  last  method,, 
which  dates  from  very  ancient  times  ; it  is  composed  of 
grayish  paste  molded  in  the  shape  of  a peach,  with  a hole 
in  the  bottom  for  the  introduction  of  a liquid,  and  has  the 
spout  and  handle  fashioned  in  the  form  of  twigs  from 
which  leaves  proceed  to  decorate  the  surface  of  the  pot,, 
upon  which  they  are  worked  in  relief  and  filled  in  with  tur- 
quoise, contrasting  brightly  with  the  surrounding  purple 
enamel.  These  colors  are  said  to  develop  better  when 
there  is  a mixture  of  common  clay  with  the  ordinary  hard 
kaolinic  ingredients  of  the  plate,  which  is  seen  to  be  the 
case  in  this  small  wine-pot. 

The  same  manganese  mineral  was  used  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  purplish  brown,  which  was  one  of  the  three 
single  colors  used  for  enameling  the  bowls,  cups,  and 
saucer-dishes  of  the  imperial  dinner  services,  on  which  it 
takes  a brownish  claret  tint,  due  to  an  excess  of  lead  in 
the  flux  and  a minimum  of  alkali.  The  other  two  colors 
were  a bright  green  of  camellia-leaf  tint,  and  deep  yellow,, 
the  special  imperial  color,  and  the  services  were  either 
plain  or  etched  with  dingons  under  the  glaze.  The 
services  of  similar  style,  enameled  in  pure  white  (fien 
pai)  ovei‘  flve-claAved  dragons  engraved  in  the  paste,  were 
Avhen  the  coui’t  was  in  mourning. 

Tlie  imperial  yellow  coloi’  is  exhibited  in  Plate  V upon 
a jar  witli  a six -character  mark  ” of  this  reign.  The 
eel-skin  yellow,”  or  slum  ijil  liucmg^  which  is  of  brownish 
tint,  is  seen  in  Plate  LXXXIII  upon  a vase  etched  under- 
neath the  glaze  with  dragons ; and  again  in  Plate  XXV 
upon  a tripod  censer,  a still  more  typical  example,  where 


used  only 


THE  k’aT^G-HSI  period. 


317 


it  is  of  less  translucent  aspect,  and  mottled  in  character. 
The  variegated  yellow  glaze  {Tiuang  tien  pan),  which  has 
been  alluded  to  as  another  of  the  inventions  of  Ts’ang 
Ying-hsiian,  seems  to  refer  to  the  peculiai*  spotted  glaze 
of  piebald  aspect  dabbed  all  over  with  spots  of  yellow, 
green,  purple,  and  white,  which  is  anything  but  attractive 
to  an  ordinary  eye  ; the  Chinese  call  it  by  the  appropriate 
name  of  tiger-skin  ” (Imt-pH). 

The  green  glazes,  which  are  specially  characteristic  of 
the  reign,  are  displayed  in  all  their  variety  in  the  colored 
illustrations,  ranging  from  the  ta  lu  or  gros  veH  of  Plate 
IV  to  the  pale  gray-green  celadon  tint  of  Plate  XV.  Green 
is  almost  as  prominent  among  the  single  colors  as  it  is 
in  the  painted  decorations  in  enamel.  The  same  enamels 
were,  of  course,  used  in  both  the  monochrome  and  the 
polychrome  styles,  and  comparison  often  affords  a most 
useful  aid  to  the  determination  of  the  age  of  a doubtful 
piece.  The  crackled  green  glaze  called  huapH  lit,  or 
“ cucumber-green, ’Ms  more  characteristic  of  the  ClCien- 
lung  epoch,  although  the  striking  vase  shown  in  Plate 
LXXXI,  with  its  “ cucumber-gi*een  ” glaze  streaked  with 
mottled  tints  of  deepest  olive,  may  well  be  a K^ang-lisi 
piece,  judging  from  its  exceptional  brilliancy.  The 
remai’kable  vase  which  is  so  carefully  reproduced  in 
Plate  LXXIX,  with  the  iridescent  bar  reflected  in  a play 
of  rainbow  colors  from  its  crackled  emerald-green  surface, 
is  also  generally  attributed  to  this  period.  One  of  the 
green  glazes  was  known  in  the  imperial  factory  by  the 
name  of  slie-pH  lu,  because  it  resembled  in  its  deep  luster 
the  beautiful  iridescent  hue  of  the  skin  of  a serpent,  like 
the  monochrome  glaze  in  Plate  LXXXIl,  which  is  spread 
over  the  surface  of  a decorated  vase,  so  as  nearly  to  con- 
ceal the  original  decoration  in  its  intense  metallic  luster. 
The  same  green  was  occasionally  used  to  enhance  the 
effect  of  a l>lue  and  white  piece,  touches  of  green  or 


818 


OEIENTAL  CEEAMIC  AET. 


eucircling  bands  being  added  to  the  original  design,  in 
the  same  way  that  bands  of  dead  leaf  ” or  ‘‘  old  gold  ” 
were  sometimes  attached  at  this  period ; an  example  of 
which  may  be  seen  by  referring  to  the  chapter  on  Marks. 

The  white  glaze  of  the  Ching-te-chen  porcelain  of  this 
period  is  very  pure  in  tint  and  perfectly  translucent  in 
texture,  as  is  well  exhibited  in  the  imperial  dinner  ser- 
' vices,  etched  with  dragons,  that  have  Just  been  alluded 
to,  and  is  fairly  represented  in  the  beautiful  white  vase 
illustrated  in  Plate  XC,  which  is  attributed  to  the  K"'ang- 
Jisi  reign,  in  spite  of  its  Sung  dynasty  mark.  It  is  even 
surpassed  in  purity  and  lustrous  depth  of  glaze  by  the 
charming  little  vase  shown  in  Fig.  218,  which  is  molded 
in  the  form  of  a magnolia  blossom,  with  the  details  etched 
under  the  glaze,  the  graceful  flower  being  mounted  upon 
a twig  worked  in  open-work  relief  at  the  foot,  and  which 
bears  also  a couple  of  buds,  that  serve  as  additional  sup- 
port to  the  delicate  vase.  This  white  is  distinct  from 
that  of  the  porcelain  of  the  province  of  Fuchieu,  which  is 
either  of  ivory-white  or  of  creamy  tint ; the  objects, 
moreover,  of  the  Fuchien  ware  are  composed  of  a paste 
of  characteristic  quality,  aud  should  have  a separate 
corner  reserved  for  them  in  every  collection. 

There  is  another  class  of  plain  white  porcelain, 
modeled  on  the  lines  of  the  ancient  Ting-chou  ware, 
which  is  remaikable  for  its  soft-looking,  fragile  aspect, 
in  which  it  reproduces  the  quality  of  its  prototype,  a 
white  faience  of  fine  texture,  that  can  be  scratched  by  a 
point  of  shai‘p  steel.  The  reproductions  have  only  the 
aspect  of  soft  porcelain,  however,  although  it  is  the 
fashion  to  descril)e  them  as  such  in  catalogues ; there  is 
nothing  produced  at  Ching-te-chen  that  is  not  composed 
of  hard  kaolinic  paste.  The  class  I am  alluding  to  is 
called  by  the  name  of  Fen^Tmg^  after  that  of  the  finest 
ware  of  the  Sung  dynasty ; the  glaze  is  generally 


THE  k’aHO-HSI  period. 


319 


crackled,  altliongli  plain  pieces  occur,  like  tlie  delicate 
little  water  receptacle  in  Fig.  219,  wliick  is  fashioned 
after  an  old  Ting-ckou  design  with  two  looped  handles, 
in  the  shape  of  a pair  of  archaic  dragons,  mounted  upon 
the  rim.  Of  the  reproductions  of  the  crackled  Ting- 
chou  porcelain,  there  are  two  varieties  generally  attrib- 
uted to  the  reign  of  K^ang-lisi.  The  first  is  represented 
hy  a series  of  small,  solid,  compact  vases  of  graceful 
outline,  of  which  two  specimens  are  illusti’ated  in  Figs. 
220  and  221  ; the  soft-looking  glaze,  with  which  these 
are  invested,  is  traversed  by  a very  close  reticulation  of 
fine,  brown  lines,  and  mottled  with  clouds  of  light  butf 
tint ; the  rims  of  both  vases  are  defined  by  lines  of  plain 
white,  and  the  technique  generally  is  that  of  the  early 
Khing-lisi  period.  The  second  variety,  of  later  develop- 
ment, is  characterized  by  a more  delicate  fabric,  often 
becoming  of  egg-shell  thinness,  and  by  a whiter  glaze, 
approaching  an  ivory-white  tone.  Two  notable  exam- 
ples are  shown  in  the  colored  illustrations  : the  first,  in 
the  sparsely  crackled  vase  of  Plate  XCI ; the  second,  in 
the  typical  Fen-Ting  gourd,  of  perfect  beauty  and  finish, 
which  is  so  well  reproduced  in  Plate  LXXXIX.  This 
last,  ornamented  with  fioral  sprays  and  bands  of  fret  and 
conventional  scroll,  worked  in  slight  relief  in  the  paste, 
underneath  the  minutely  crackled  glaze,  which  is  of 
characteristic  ivory-white  tint.  Fig.  222  displays  another 
graceful  egg-shell  vase,  with  a molded  decoration  of  a 
four-clawed  dragon  pursuing  an  eifulgent  jewel,  executed 
under  a Avidely  crackled  ivory-Avhite  glaze,  with  undula- 
toiy  surface.  Fig.  223  is  that  of  a small,  minutely 
crackled  square  vase,  with  ribbed  corners  and  four 
central  bosses,  carved  in  open-work,  Avith  branches  of 
peach  fruit,  Avhich  is  modeled  in  the  ritual  form  of  one 
of  the  receptacles  for  divining  straAvs,”  used  in  Taoist 
temples. 


320 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART.  . 


The  fabrication  of  this  peculiar  Fen-Ting  porcelain 
was  continued  at  Ching-te-chen  in  the  succeeding  reigns 
of  Yuug-cheng  and  CKien-lung^  and  it  is  not  always 
easy  to  refer  a particular  piece  positively  to  one  of  the 
three  reigns.  The  same  paste  and  glaze  were  used  con- 
temporaneously in  the  preparation  of  the  class  of  blue 
and  white  crackled  porcelain,  which  is  called  by  the  same 
name  of  Fen-Ting  by  the  Chinese,  and  which  forms  the  so- 
called  soft  paste  ” blue  and  white  of  American  collectors. 

The  soft  paste”  blue  and  white  porcelain  is  called 
by  the  Chinese  by  the  names  of  sha-fa%  “ sand-bodied,” 
or  chiang-f ai^  “ paste-bodied,”  and  when  the  glaze  is 
crackled  it  is  distinguished  by  the  addition  of  the  term 
h\d p'ien^  or  ‘^crackled.”  Its  composition  will  be  given 
from  Pere  d’Entrecolles’  Letters  in  the  next  chapter. 
The  paste  has  a soft,  porous  aspect,  but  it  is  really  of 
intense  hardness,  so  that  it  can  not  be  scratched  by  steel. 
The  glaze  is  generally  crackled ; even  when  it  is  not  so 
as  it  comes  from  the  kiln,  it  becomes  crackled  in  course 
of  time.  The  surface  of  the  glaze  is  undulatory  and 
often  pitted,  the  characteristics  of  the  cliu-pH^  or  “ orange- 
peel  ” glaze  of  Chinese  ceramic  authors.  It  is  conse- 
rpiently  more  porous  and  absorbent  than  the  ordinary 
glaze,  and  often  becomes  discolored  by  age.  It  has  been 
suggested  that  soft  glaze  ” would  be  a better  name 
than  soft  paste  ” for  this  class,  but  the  latter  term  is 
sanctioned  by  usage  and  may  be  employed  with  the 
proviso  that  it  has  nothing  in  common  with  the  soft 
porcelain  ” of  Chelsea,  or  the  porcelame  tendre  of  early 
Sevres.  One  of  the  chief  characteristics  of  these  pieces 
is  their  lightness  when  handled,  which  is  really  surpris- 
ing, as  the  fabric  is  not  specially  thin.  The  blue  is 
usually  of  a grayish  tone,  and  the  strokes  of  the  brush 
are  very  neatly  and  clearly  defined,  so  that  the  picture 
looks,  as  Pere  d’Entrecolles  remarks,  as  if  it  were 


THE  k’aIS^G-HSI  PEEIOD. 


321 


painted  upon  vellum  instead  of  on  ordinary  paper.  The 
pieces  are  rarely  marked ; if  there  be  a date  inscribed,  it 
will  be  found  to  be  probably  that  of  the  reign  of 
Hmcm-te  (1426-1435)  of  the  Ming  dynasty;  the  blue  of 
this  latter  period  is  described  to  have  been  pale,  of  much 
the  same  tint,  in  fact,  as  that  of  the  blue  in  modern 
Japanese  Hirado  porcelain. 

There  is  a small  specimen  of  this  crackled  blue  and 
white  illustrated  in  Plate  LXVIII,  a miniature  teapot, 
which  displays  very  well  the  peculiar  ivory-white  color 
of  the  glaze  ; it  is  marked  yu^  jade  ” — not  an  infre- 
quent mark  during  the  K\mg-lisi  period.  A typical 
example  of  the  uncracklecl  soft  paste”  blue  and  white 
is  exhibited  in  Fig.  224,  which  presents  a baluster  vase 
{inei  pHng^^  thirteen  inches  high,  of  very  light  material, 
which  is  decorated  in  soft-toned  blue,  under  the  pitted 
undulatory  orange-peel  ” glaze,  with  three  formal 
upright  sprays  of  lotus,  each  composed  of  a folded 
peltate  leaf,  a blossom,  and  a bud,  rising  on  separate 
stems.  Chains  of  rectangular  fret  encircling  the  base 
and  shoulder  complete  the  simple  decoration,  which  is 
neatly  etched  in  a soft-toned  blue  of  pure  tint.  There  is 
no  mark  underneath. 

Fig.  172  shows  a choice  specimen  of  the  crackled  Fen- 
Ting  glaze,  Avith  a minutely  reticulated  undulating 
surface  of  ivory-Avhite  tint,  over  emblematic  designs 
delicately  sketched  in  soft  blue.  The  decoration  consists 
of  nine  lions,  five  on  the  body,  four  on  the  neck,  disport- 
ing with  brocaded  balls  tied  Avith  Avaving  fillets,  sup- 
ported on  banks  of  scrolled  clouds  and  enveloped  in 
flames.  This  conveys  the  felicitous  Avish,  Cliiii  sliili 
tiling  cliiF — i.  e.,  A family  of  nine  (sons)  living 
together,”  a pun  on  the  Avord  shih^  Avhich  means 
^‘family”  as  Avell  as  ‘Aion.”  In  the  same  Avay  the  five 
bats  in  the  cloud  scroll  encircliim  the  recedino’  shoulder 

O O 


322 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


of  the  vase  suggest  the  five  happinesses  ” (wufu\  and 
the  band  of  prunes  blossom  round  the  foot  a flourishing 
longevity.  The  foot  has  the  same  crackled  glaze  spread 
underneath,  with  no  mark  attached. 

The  beautiful  little  cup  in  Fig.  37  is  a K^ang-lisi  pro- 
duction of  the  same  class.  It  is  modeled  in  the  form  and 
style  of  the  Hsuan-te  period,  and  is  decorated  in  a similar 
underglaze  blue  with  a pair  of  five-clawed  dragons  pur- 
suing jewels  among  clouds  and  flames,  on  the  sides,  and 
with  a second  pair  of  dragons  upon  the  rounded  cover, 
which  is  surmounted  by  a mythological  animal ; there  is 
no  mark  underneath. 

Passing  on  to  the  ordinary  blue  and  white  (cKing  liua 
jpai  ti — i.  e.,  ‘^painted  in  blue  on  a white  ground”),  the 
reign  of  K'^ang-lisi  is  unquestionably  the  finest  period, 
when  the  cobalt  comes  out  in  its  full  inimitable  brilliancy 
from  the  depths  of  a rich  translucent  glaze.  The  white 
ground  has  often  a slight  bluish  tint,  but  it  is  not  so  blue 
as  it  was  in  the  Ming  dynasty ; in  the  succeeding  reigns 
it  becomes  creamy,  or  is  even  almost  opaque,  so  as  to  be 
chalky  in  aspect.  The  blue  is  not  generally  so  full  and 
strong  as  in  the  reign  of  Cliia-ching  of  the  Ming  dynasty, 
but  it  is  graded,  so  as  to  produce  a charming  modulation, 
and  a palpitating  quality  of  color,  which  we  rarely  find 
in  earlier  work,  hardly  ever  in  more  recent  times  ; it  is 
never  flat  or  dead.  As  Mr.  Cosmo  Monkhouse  says  in 
his  recent  introduction  to  the  Burlington  Fine  Arts  Club 
Catalogue^  which  has  been  already  cited  : It  w'ould  take 

a long  time  to  exhaust  the  number  of  changes  which  the 
Chinese  ring  upon  the  many  tints  of  blue  and  white — 
white  sometimes  white  as  curds,  sometimes  grayish,  some- 
times tinged  with  the  faintest  blue,  like  the  film  inside  a 
bird’s  egg.  But  if  the  white  is  varied,  what  of  the 
blue  ? Sometimes  brilliant  and  opaque  as  lapis  lazuli, 
sometimes  pure  and  trembling  as  a sapphire,  now  almost 


THE  k’aNG-HSI  PEEIOD. 


323 


black,  now  wholly  gray,  sometimes  ^va^m  as  purple, 
sometimes  cold  as  a wintry  sky.  AVliatever  quality  is 
taken  is  of  course  used  throughout,  but  even  this  allows 
for  great  variation  in  shade  ; a dark  and  light  blue  are 
nearly  always  employed,  and  three,  if  not  more,  distinct 
tones  are  often  seen  on  the  same  piece.” 

Blue  and  white  has  always  seemed  to  fascinate  the  artist, 
and  Mr.  AVhistler  has  cleverly  illustrated  the  style  of  the 
porcelain  of  this  period,"^  and  not  without  catching  some 
of  the  s]hrit  of  the  Chinese  decorator.  It  is  interesting 
to  compare  his  work  with  that  of  our  artist ; the  slender- 
necked,  globular  bottle  illustrated  in  Plate  XLII  happens 
to  have  been  drawn  by  him  in  Plate  XXIV,  Xo.  255,  in 
the  ^vork  just  quoted. 

Blue  and  white  may  be  divided  into  two  classes  : blue 
upon  \vhite,  and  white  upon  blue,  the  latter  comprising 
those  examples  in  which  the  blue  predominates  to  the 
extent  of  furnishing  the  ground  upon  which  the  un- 
touched portions  of  the  white  porcelain  beneath  form  the 
design  of  the  decorations.  This  is  seen  in  the  vase  just 
referred  to.  Of  the  sixteen  pieces  of  blue  and  white 
selected  here  for  illustration,  no  less  than  thii’teen  are 
attributed  to  the  ]*eign  of  K^ang-hs%  although  the  marks 
of  Hsikui4e^  CK eng-liua^  and  Cliia-cMng  are  inscribed  on 
three  of  the  objects.  The  reign  always  occupies  this 
preponderating  position  in  good  collections.  Plate  II  dis- 
plays a magnificent  example  of  the  white  upon  blue  class, 
the  sprays  of  prunus  shining  in  white  reserve  on  the  jar, 
which  is  covered  all  over,  in  the  intervals  of  the  floral 
decoration,  with  a reticulated  ground  of  pulsating  blue. 

Before  proceeding  further  with  the  description  of  the 
decorated  porcelain,  it  seems  advisable  to  submit  a scheme 

Catalogue  of  Blue  and  Wldte  Nankin  Porcelain,  ioYmmg  the  collection 
of  Sir  Henry  Thompson.  Illustrated  by  the  autotype  process  from  drawings 
by  James  McX.  Whistler,  Esq.,  and  Sir  Henry  Thompson  : London,  1878. 


324 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


of  classification  under  which  its  many  varieties  may  be 
conveniently  arranged.  In  its  main  lines  I propose  to 
follow  Brongniart,  who  was  the  first,  in  his  Traite  des 
Arts  Cei^amiques^  which  is  still  the  classic  of  the  art,  to 
divide  the  colors  used  in  the  decoration  of  porcelain  into 
three  classes : 

A.  Couleurs  de  grand  feu. 

B.  Couleurs  de  demi-graud  feu. 

C.  Couleurs  de  petit  feu  ou  de  moufle. 

The  colors  employed  in  China  which  resist  the  most 
intense  heat  of  the  furnace  are  the  cobalt-blue,  the  cop- 
per-red, and  the  sea-green  celadon  and  deep-brown  glazes, 
which  are  both  derived  from  iron.  The  first  two  are 
painted  with  a brush  on  the  raw  white  body  of  the  piece 
(sur  le  crib)^  and  subsequently  covered  with  glaze,  so  that 
they  are  both  underglaze  colors,  and  the  porcelain  re- 
quires but  one  firing.  The  other  two  are  applied  as 
glazes  previously  prepared,  in  which  the  coloring  material 
is  mixed  with  a feldspathic  flux  combined  with  lime. 

The  second  class  of  colors  {de  demi-g  rand  feu)  are  fired 
in  the  same  furnace  as  those  of  the  first  class  {de  grand 
fe'uf  but  the  pieces  are  placed  in  the  moi’e  temperate 
parts  of  the  furnace,  near  the  chimney  at  the  back,  and 
belo\v  the  level  of  its  lower  orifice,  where  they  escape  the 
direct  blast  of  the  fire.  The  colors  ai*e  three  in  number — 
turquoise-blue  derived  from  copper,  manganese-purple, 
and  yellow  prepared  fi‘om  an  iron  ore  containing  anti- 
mony. The  glazes,  together  with  the  white  glaze  which 
accompanies  them,  are  combined  with  a nitre  or  lead  flux, 
and  ap[)lied  su)'  biscuit^  the  2>iece  having  been  previously 
fired,  unglazed,  in  the  huge  furnace.  This  class  com- 
prises the  ty[)ical  San  tdaf  or  “ Three-color  ” decoration 
of  the  period. 

The  third  class  includes  the  enamel  colors  of  the  mufile 
stove,  which  are  the  same  as  those  used  in  painted  and 


325 


THE  k’aNG-HSI  PEKIOD. 

cloisonne  enameling  upon  copper.  They  are  previously 
combined  with  a flux  composed  of  powdered  quartz, 
oxide  of  lead,  and  alkalies,  into  a kind  of  glass,  which 
retains  in  solution  a small  percentage  of  the  metallic 
oxide  dissolved  in  the  vitreous  mass  in  the  form  of  sili- 
cate. The  coloring  matters  used  in  China  are  compara- 
tively few,  being  oxide  of  copper  for  the  greens,  gold  for 
crimson  and  pink,  oxide  of  cobalt  for  the  blues,  oxide  of 
antimony  for  the  yellows,  arsenious  acid  for  the  white 
and  for  moderating  the  tint  of  the  other  colors.  Oxide 
of  iron  gives  coral-red,  and  impure  oxide  of  manganese 
black ; these  two  colors  are  generally  applied  directly, 
mixed  with  white-lead  and  glue,  as  they  will  not  combine 
with  silica.  The  enamel  colors  are  painted  upon  white 
porcelain  that  has  been  already  glazed  and  fired,  and 
which  has  to  be  baked  a second  time  in  the  gentle  heat 
of  the  muffle  stove  to  fix  the  colors.  This  is  the  typical 
Wii  ts'^ai,  the  “Five-colored  ” or  Polychrome  Decoration 
of  the  Chinese.  The  enamel  painting  may  be  executed, 
also  sur  biscuit  or  upon  a crackled  ground,  or  upon  one 
partially  or  wholly  invested  with  one  of  the  highly  fired, 
single  colors,  such  as  celadon,  for  example,  or  in  combi- 
nation with  portions  of  decoration  previously  painted  in 
one  or  more  of  the  undei’glaze  colors.  The  changes  that 
may  be  rung  by  the  different  combinations  are  almost 
infinite  ; some  have  been  already  described,  others  will 
follow  later.  Meanwhile  the  decorated  ]:>orcelain  of  this 
reign  will  be  grouped  accoi’ding  to  the  scheme  : 


Table  of  Decorated  Porcelaix. 

A,  Colors  of  the  grand  feu. 

1.  Decorated  in  unders^laze  cobalt-blue. 

2.  Decorated  in  underglaze  copper-red. 

3.  Decorated  in  mixed  colors. 


326 


OKIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


B.  Colors  of  the  demi-grand  feu. 

4.  Decorated  in  glazes  of  several  colors. 

C.  Colors  of  the  Mufie  Stove. 

5.  Decorated  in  ovei*glaze  iron-red. 

6.  Decorated  in  sepia. 

7.  Decorated  in  gold  and  silver. 

8.  Decorated  in  mixed  enamel  colors. 

1.  Decorated  in  Under  glaze  Cohcdt-Blue. — This  class 
has  been  briefly  noticed  already.  The  bine  and  white^ 
which  is  its  normal  decoration,  is  sometimes  relieved  by 
one  of  the  monochrome  grounds,  such  as  Nankin  ” yel- 
low or  coral-red,  as  it  used  to  be  in  the  preceding  dynasty, 
or  it  may  still  continue  to  be  combined  with  touches  of 
enamel  colors,  as  it  was  in  the  Wandi  Wu-ts^ai,  the  typ- 
ical polychrome  decoration  of  the  reign  of  Wan-li.  In 
the  beautiful  little  vase  illustrated  in  Plate  LXII,  which 
is  decorated  in  brilliant  mottled  blue  of  this  period,  the 
intervals  between  the  panels  are  filled  in  with  sprays  of 
prunus,  painted  in  delicate  enamels,  relieved  by  an  iri- 
descent black  enameled  sfround. 

O 

2.  Decorated  in  Underglaze  Copper-Red. — The  color- 
ing material  is  painted  with  a brush  in  the  same  way  as 
the  blue  upon  the  raw,  white  body  of  the  porcelain  ; the 
glaze  is  blown  on  as  soon  as  the  piece  is  sufficiently  dry, 
and  it  is  afterward  fired  in  the  large  furnace.  The  color 
comes  out  generally  of  a dull  maroon  tint,  occasionally  it 
is  a bright  ruby-red,  or  it  may  develop  ‘^peach-bloom’^ 
tints.  The  snuff-bottle  illustrated  in  Plate  XXXVII  (2), 
^\diich  is  painted  with  landscapes  in  maroon-red,  is  an 
example  of  this  decoration.  A fine  specimen  of  the 
K\mg-ltsi  period  is  presented  in  Fig.  225.  Another  fol- 
lows in  Fig.  229. 

3.  Decorated  in  Mixed,  Colors  of  the  grand  feu. — This 
class  is  illustrated  in  Fig.  226  by  a vase  which  may  be 
thus  described  : A tall,  ovoid  vase,  seventeen  and  a quar- 


THE  k’aNG-HSI  period. 


327 


ter  inches  high,  with  the  decoration  of  a four-clawed, 
two-horned  dragon  rising  from  the  waves  of  the  sea  on 
either  side,  executed  in  relief,  and  painted  in  three 
colors — underglaze  blue,  maroon,  and  celadon.  The 
bodies  of  the  dragons  are  brown,  the  manes  are  penciled 
in  blue,  the  effulgent  jewels  which  they  are  pursuing  are 
of  shaded  brown.  The  crested  waves  at  the  base,  which 
are  painted  in  blue,  have  rocks  rising  out  of  them,  on 
both  sides,  of  sea-green  celadon  tint.  The  mark,  written 
underneath  in  blue  within  a double  ring,  is  Ta  ClCing 
ICang  list  nien  cliih — i.  e.,  Made  in  the  reign  of  K\ing- 
lisi  of  the  great  CliHng  [dynasty].”  A vase  of  the  same 
type  is  shown  in  Fig.  227,  with  raised  outlines  decorated 
in  the  same  three  colors — blue,  maroon  and  celadon — 
displaying  the  combat  between  the  tiger,  king  of  land 
animals,  and  the  dragon,  prince  of  the  powers  of  the  air. 

4.  Decorated  in  Glazes  of  the  demi-g rand  feu. — This 
may  be  characterized  as  the  typical  decoration  in  three 
colors  {San  tdaif.  It  must  be  distinguished  from  the 
San  ts'ai  decoration  of  the  muffle  stove,  where  the  tur- 
quoise-blue is  replaced  by  a green  of  camellia-leaf  tint, 
which  is  sometimes  penciled  with  black,  while  the  other 
two  colors  remain  the  same.  The  latter  has  a plain  sur- 
face, the  former  is  truitee — i.  e.,  crackled  all  over  with  a 
minute  reticulation  of  fine  superficial  lines.  A combi- 
nation of  two  of  the  colors — turquoise  and  piH*ple — is 
found  in  the  little  peach-shaped  Avine-pot  shoAvn  in 
Fig.  217. 

5.  Decorated  in  Iron-Ded. — This  coloi*,  which  is  pre- 
pared from  peroxide  of  iron,  produced  by  the  incinera- 
tion of  iron  sulphate,  being  the  same  as  that  used  for  the 
coral-red  monochromes,  is  penciled  upon  the  surface  of 
the  Avhite  glaze,  and  fixed  by  being  fired  in  the  muffle 
stove.  This  decoration  is  the  Ts\ii  Ilung^  or  Painting 
in  Fed,”  of  the  Chinese.  No  moi’e  Vieautiful  illustration 


328 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


of  it  could  be  imagined  than  that  of  the  egg-shell  bowl 
of  this  period,  decorated  with  dragons,  which  is  presented 
in  Plate  LXVII.  This  decoration  in  coral-red  is  often 
combined  with  gold,  as  in  the  club-shaped  vase  of  the 
reign  of  K^ang-h8%  displayed  in  Plate  XXVIII,  in  which 
the  effect  of  the  soft  red,  penciled  in  two  shades,  is 
enhanced  by  touches  of  gilding,  Avith  the  addition  of  a 
spot  or  tAvo  of  black  to  define  the  eyes  of  the  dragons. 

6.  Decorated  in  Sepia. — This  decoration,  although 
described  as  making  its  appearance  late  in  the  reign  of 
K^ang-hsi^  is  more  chai*acteristic  of  the  succeeding  reigns, 
especially  of  that  of  CliHen-lung.  It  is  the  Tdai  Shui 
Mo.,  or  “ Painting  in  Ink,”  of  the  Chinese,  and,  like  the 
last,  it  is  often  thrown  out  effectively  by  touches  of  gold. 
A striking  example  of  painting  in  sepia  is  illustrated  in 
Fig.  230,  a ruby-backed  plate  Avith  a picture  of  a “ dragon 
barge  ” toAved  in  procession,  Avhich  is  probably  the  Avork 
of  a ChHen-lung  artist. 

7.  Decorated  in  Gold  and  Silver. — The  metals,  finely 
pulverized,  Avere  combined  AAuth  oxide  of  lead  by  means 
of  a little  gum  penciled  upon  the  glaze  and  fixed  in  the 
muffle  stove.  Painting  in  gold  {Tdai  Chin)  on  a Avhite 
ground  was  not  so  common  in  this  reign,  so  aa  e must  refer 
to  a Avin e-cup  of  the  next  reign,  illustrated  in  Fig.  38  (a). 
In  the  reign  of  K^angdisi  gold  was  lavished  in  the  rich- 
est decoration  of  large  vases  enameled  with  the  mazarin- 
blue  and  mirror-black  grounds.  Silver  Avas  chiefly 
employed  in  the  ornamentation  of  the  coff'ee-broAvn  or 
dead-leaf  ground.  Both  colors,  especially  the  silver,  resist 
Avear  and  tear  badly,  so  that  only  indistinct  traces  of  the 
original  designs  may  perhaps  be  detected  in  pieces  that 
have  survived  to  the  present  day. 

8.  Decorated  in  Mixed  Enamel  Colors. — This  class 
includes  the  great  majority  of  the  decorated  pieces  of  the 
time.  Some  of  the  A^arieties  ha\^e  been  referred  to 


THE  k’aNG-HSI  period. 


329 


already,  and  it  has  been  explained  how  a brilliant  green 
of  shaded  tones,  usually  laid  on  in  thick  patches,  pre- 
dominates among  the  colors,  so  that  pieces  of  the  old 
famille  verte^  even  if  they  bear  earlier  marks  of  date,  are 
generally  to  be  attributed  to  this  reign.  The  cobalt- 
blue,  which  during  the  Ming  dynasty  had  been  applied 
under  the  glaze,  is  now  generally  overlaid  in  the  same 
way  as  the  other  enamel  colors  and  fixed  at  the  same 
firing.  The  other  colors  are  red,  yellow,  and  black, 
completing  the  “ five  colors  ” of  the  enameler.  When 
blue  and  red  are  absent,  we  have  the  three-colored  {san 
ts'ai)  decoration  of  the  muffle  stove.  The  coloring  of 
this  inimitable  period  has  an  unmistakable  cachet  to  an 
accustomed  eye,  which  enables  it  to  be  distinguished  at 
a glance  from  any  reproduction,  whether  native  or  Euro- 
pean. The  two  club-shaped  vases  illustrated  in  Plates 
VI  and  XVII  are  picked  specimens  of  the  richest  orna- 
mentation in  enamel  colors  ; the  egg-shell  lantern  in  Plate 
XI  and  the  statuette  of  the  goddess  Avalokita  in  Plate 
LX  are  both  fine  examples  of  famille  verte.  It  will 
be  sufficient  to  add  a cursory  description  of  two  more 
pieces  as  typical  examples  of  the  Wit  ts'ai  and  San  ts’ai 
enamel  decoration. 

The  first.  Fig.  228,  is  a richly  and  artistically  decorated 
vase  of  the  Wu  ts'ai  class,  painted  in  the  most  brilliant 
enamel  colors  of  the  K^ang-Jisi  period,  with  a few  touches 
of  gold.  It  is  covered  with  panel  pictures  of  varied 
form,  displayed  upon  floral  and  diapered  grounds,  and 
separated  by  a band  of  floral  diaper  encircling  the 
shoulder,  interrupted  by  medallions  containing  butter- 
flies. There  are  eight  panels  on  the  body  arranged  in 
two  rows,  of  which  the  lower  panels,  representing  lotus- 
leaves  and  other  foliated  designs,  contain  a grotesque 
lionlike  monster  standing  upon  a rocky  shore ; a pair  of 
peacocks  on  a rockery  with  peonies ; a pair  of  phoenixes 


330 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


by  a spreading  dryandra-tree ; a warbler  perched  upon  a 
prunus-tree  with  roses  underneath.  Of  the  panels  in  the 
upper  row,  two  are  filled  with  vases  containing  symbols- 
of  rank  and  honor,  the  incense-burning  apparatus,  and 
books,  scroll  pictures,  lyres,  and  chess,  the  emblems  of 
the  four  liberal  arts.”  The  other  two  contain  a pair  of 
storks  on  a pine,  with  a peach  floating  in  the  wave& 
below,  and  a grotesque  monster  on  a rock,  with  an  eagle 
flying  overhead.  The  interspaces  are  filled  with  butter- 
flies and  sprays  of  peony,  chrysanthemum,  lotus,  begonia^ 
aster,  pink,  and  other  flowers.  The  two  quatrefoil  panels 
on  the  neck  contain  rockeries  with  flowers  and  butter- 
flies ; the  ground  between  is  a spiral  diaper  traversed  by 
a pair  of  lizardlike  dragons. 

The  second  (Fig.  82)  is  a choice  example  of  the  San 
t£a%  the  Three-colored  ” decoration  of  the  muffle  stove,, 
the  surface  being  painted  in  green,  purple,  and  yellow 
enamels.  It  is  a wine-pot  molded  in  the  shape  of  the 
character/?/,  hajipiness,”  with  a movable  lid  formed  by 
the  first  dot  ” of  the  written  hieroglyph.  The  handle 
and  the  tip  of  the  spout  have  been  replaced  in  metak 
The  base,  unglazed,  is  marked  with  the  impression  of  the 
stuff  in  which  the  paste  was  pressed.  The  rims  and  bor- 
ders are  enameled  pale  green.  The  spout  has  sliou 
longevity  ”)  characters  of  different  style,  alternately 
purple  and  green,  upon  a pale  yellow  ground.  The 
decoration,  which  is  precisely  similar  on  front  and  back,, 
is  composed  of  scrolled  bands  of  lotus  design  with  green 
foliations  and  white  and  purple  blossoms,  inclosed  in 
a pale  yellow  gi*ound  outlined  with  purple.  In  the  mid- 
dle are  two  foliated  panels  framed  in  green  relief,  con- 
taining pictures  of  various  emblems  of  longevity  : on  the 
front  a pine  overspreading  a rock  with  the  sacred  fungus 
growing  upon  it,  an  axis  deer,  and  a sacred  stork ; on  the 
back,  a peach-tree  with  a clump  of  bamboos,  a tiger, 


331 


THE  k’aI^G-HSI  PEKIOD. 

and  a pair  of  birds  flying,  all  painted  in  the  same  soft 
colors. 

There  is  a class  of  porcelain  decorated  mr  hiscuit^  with 
colored  glazes,  comprising  two  or  three  of  the  above  tints, 
which  is  not,  properly  speaking,  painted.  The  designs, 
generally  of  floral  character,  having  been  previously 
worked  in  ^the  paste  and  engraved  with  the  point,  the 
piece  is  fired  ; the  details  are  afterward  filled  in  with 
glazes  of  different  colors,  and  the  piece  is  fired  again 
in  the  muffle  stove.  There  are  bowls,  for  example,  with 
the  K'^ang-lisi  mark  underneath,  engraved  outside  with 
branches  of  flowers  growing  from  rocks — colored  maroon, 
green,  and  white — relieved  by  a ground  of  imperial  yel- 
low, enameled  plain  yellow  inside.  The  saucer-dishes 
etched  in  the  paste  inside  with  a pair  of  dragons  sur- 
rounded by  scrolled  waves,  with  one  of  the  dragons 
colored  green,  the  other  purple,  and  the  surrounding 
ground  yellow,  come  under  the  same  class.  The  Chinese 
distinguish  them  by  the  appropriate  name  of  Huang  lAl 
Huan — i.  e.,  Yellow  and  Green  in  Panels.” 


CHAl^TER  XL 


LETTERS  OF  PEKE  d’eNTRECOLLES. 

These  letters,  which  have  been  already  referred  to 
more  than  once,  were  originally  published  in  the 
Lettres  edifiantes  et  curiem  x,  and  they  brought  the  first 
detailed  account  of  the  manufacture  of  Chinese  porcelain 
to  Europe.  The  two  letters  embody  the  results  of  the 
personal  observations  and  researches  of  the  Jesuit  mis- 
sionary, and  of  the  information  gathered  from  such  of 
his  Chinese  converts  as  were  engaged  in  the  industry. 
They  are  dated  Jao-chou,  September  1,  1712,  and  King- 
te-chen,  January  25,  1722.  When  the  second  letter  was 
written  the  long  and  brilliant  reign  of  the  Emperor 
K\ing-lisi  was  fast  drawing  to  its  close.  Two  years 
later — that  is  to  say,  in  the  second  year  of  his  successor,, 
Yung-clieng — the  Roman  Catholic  religion  was  rigorously 
proscribed,  the  foreign  missionaries  were  exiled  to  MacaOy 
and  their  churches  throughout  the  different  provinces 
were  either  converted  into  secular  schools  or  destroyed, 
so  that  we  get  no  more  letters  on  the  subject.  These 
two  were  written  at  a most  interesting  time — at  a time 
too  in  respect  to  which  there  is  a complete  dearth  of  Chi- 
nese information,  so  that  no  apology  is  needed  for  giving 
here  a precis^  in  the  form  of  an  abridged  ti*anslation, 
as  literal  as  possible,  of  the  writer’s  own  words.  The 
second  letter,  which  is  mainly  snpplementaiy  and  ex- 
planatoiy,  has  been  interwoven  with  the  first  to  save 
space,  and  at  the  same  time  to  maintain  the  continuity  of 
the  subject.  I have  slightly  modified  the  orthography  of 
the  Chinese  words  for  the  sake  of  uniformity,  with  the 

332 


LETTERS  OF  PERE  d’eNTRECOLLES. 


338 


exception  of  that  of  the  first  two  words  that  occur. 
These  have  since  become  classical  in  Europe,  and  are  to 
be  found  in  the  dictionary  of  the  Academie  Frangaise: 
The  material  of  porcelain  is  composed  of  two  kinds 
of  earth,  one  called  pe4un4se^  the  other  named  Tcao-lin. 
The  latter  is  disseminated  with  corpuscles  which  are 
somewhat  glittering,*  the  former  is  simply  white  and 
very  fine  to  the  touch.  At  the  same  time  that  a great 
number  of  large  boats  come  up  the  river  from  Jao-chou 
to  King-te-chen  to  be  loaded  with  porcelain,  almost  as 
many  small  ones  descend  from  Ki-men,  laden  with  pe- 
tun4se  and  hao-lin  made  into  the  form  of  bricks,  for  King- 
te-chen  itself  produces  none  of  the  materials.  Pe4un4se^ 
of  which  the  grain  is  so  fine,  is  nothing  but  pulverized 
pieces  of  rock  extracted  from  quarries,  to  which  this  form 
is  given.  It  is  not  every  stone  that  is  suitable ; if  so,  it 
would  be  useless  to 'go  for  it  into  the  next  province.f 
The  good  stone,  the  Chinese  say,  ought  to  have  a slight 
tinge  of  green.  The  rocks  are  first  broken  into  pieces 
with  iron  hammers,  and  the  fragments  are  finely  pulver- 
ized in  mortars  by  means  of  levers  which  have  stone 
heads  mounted  with  iron.  These  levers  are  worked 
incessantly,  either  by  men  or  by  water-poAver,  in  the 
same  way  as  the  tilt-hammers  in  paper-mills.  The  pow- 
der is  thrown  into  a large  jar  full  of  Avatei*,  and  stirred 
strongly  Avith  an  iron  shovel.  When  it  has  been  left  for 
a few  moments  to  settle,  a kind  of  cream  forms  at  the  top 
four  or  five  fingers  thick  ; this  is  taken  off  and  poured 
into  another  vessel  full  of  AA^ater.  The  operation  is 
repeated  several  times  until  only  the  coarse  residuum 
Avliich  sinks  to  the  bottom  is  left ; this  is  taken  back  to 
be  crushed  again  in  the  mortar. 

* Crystals  of  mica.  (The  notes  are  added  by  the  translator.) 

\ Ki-men-hsien  is  in  the  prefecture  of  Ilui-choii-fu,  in  the  province  of  An-hui, 
near  the  source  of  the  Chang  River,  which  flows  by  Ching-t^-chen. 


334 


OKIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


“ With  regard  to  the  second  jar,  into  which  has  been 
thrown  all  that  was  collected  from  the  first,  after  waiting 
until  a kind  of  paste  has  formed  at  the  bottom,  and  the 
supernatant  water  is  perfectly  clear,  the  Avater  is  decanted 
without  disturbing  the  sediment.  The  paste  is  emptied 
into  a large  kind  of  wooden  case,  the  bottom  of  Avhich  is 
filled  Avith  a bed  of  bricks,  over  Avhich  is  stretched  a 
cloth  of  the  size  of  the  interior  of  the  case ; this  cloth  is 
filled  with  the  paste,  it  is  covei'ed  Avith  another  cloth,  and 
then  Avith  a flat  layer  of  bricks,  which  press  out  the 
water.  Before  it  has  become  quite  dry  and  hard,  the 
paste  is  divided  into  little  squares,  Avhich  are  sold  by 
the  hundred.  The  name  oi  ]?e4un-tse  derived  from  the 
Avhite  color  and  the  shape  of  these  hriquettes.  There 
AA^ould  be  nothing  to  add  to  this  Avork  if  the  Chinese 
Avere  not  in  the  habit  of  adulterating  their  merchandise ; 
but  people  Avho  roll  little  grains  of  paste  in  pepper-dust 
to  mix  Avith  genuine  pepper-corns  Avould  hardly  care  to 
sell  pe-tun-tse  Avithout  mixing  it  Avith  coarser  matters,  so 
that  it  has  to  be  again  purified  at  King-te-chen  before  it 
is  fit  for  use. 

Kao-lin  requires  a little  less  labor  than  pe-tmi-tse ; 
Nature  has  done  the  greater  part.  It  is  found  in  mines 
in  tlie  bosom  of  certain  mountains,  Avhich  are  covered 
outside  with  a reddish  earth.  These  mines  are  fairly 
deep ; it  is  found  there  in  masses,  and  is  also  made  into 
sqiiai*e  briquettes  by  the  same  method  that  I have  described 
above.  It  is  to  hao-Un  that  fine  porcelain  OAves  its 
strength,  and  it  is  only  a combination  Avith  the  soft 
earth  that  fortifies  the  pe-tim-tse^  Avhich  is  derived  from 
the  hardest  of  rocks.  A rich  merchant  told  me  that  some 
years  ago  the  English  or  Dutch  had  had  purchased  for 
them  some  pe-tmi4se^  that  they  took  to  their  country  to 
make  poi*celain  Avith,  but  that,  having  taken  no  Icao-lin^ 
their  enterprise  failed,  as  they  confessed  afterward.  The 


LETTERS  OF  PERE  d’eNTRECOLLES. 


335 


Chinese  merchant  said  to  me,  laughing,  ‘ They  wanted  to 
have  a body  with  no  bones  to  sustain  the  flesh.’ 

Besides  the  boats  laden  with  pe-tun-tse  and  Tcao-lin^ 
with  which  the  river  bank  at  King-te-chen  is  lined, 
others  are  found  filled  with  a whitish  and  liquid  sub- 
stance. I have  long  known  that  this  substance  was  the 
oil  (or  glaze)  that  gives  porcelain  its  whiteness  and  its 
luster,  but  I did  not  know  its  composition,  which  I have 
at  last  learned.  This  oil  is  derived  from  the  hardest 
stone.  The  same  kind  of  rock  which  is  used  in  the 
preparation  of  the  pe-tun-tse  can  also  be  employed  for  the 
extraction  of  the  glaze,  but  the  whitest  pieces  are  picked 
out  from  the  heap,  and  those  Avhich  have  the  greenest 
spots.  The  history  of  Fou-liang  says  that  the  best  stone 
is  that  which  has  spots  upon  it  like  the  leaves  of  the 
arbor  vitae,*  or  reddish  marks  like  sesamum  seeds.  The 
rock  must  first  be  well  washed,  and  then  prepared  in 
the  same  way  as  pe-tun-tse.  When  there  has  been  col- 
lected in  the  second  jar  the  purest  part  of  the  matter  that 
has  been  levigated  in  the  first  jar  with  all  the  usual  pre- 
cautions, to  every  hundred  pounds  or  so  of  the  cream  one 
pound  is  added  of  a stone  or  mineral  like  alum,  named  sliih- 
Ttao  ;f  it  must  have  been  first  roasted  in  the  fire,  and  then 
pounded ; it  acts  like  rennet  in  giving  a certain  consist- 
ence, although  the  matter  is  always  carefully  kept  in  a 
liquid  state. 

“ This  stone  glaze  is  never  used  alone ; it  is  mixed  with 
another  material  which  forms  its  essence.  This  is  its 
composition : Large  pieces  of  quicklime  are  reduced  to 
powder  by  sprinkliug  water  upon  them,  and  covered 
with  a bed  of  dried  ferns,  upon  which  is  spread  another 
layer  of  quenched  lime,  and  so  on  in  succession,  one  layer 

* Dendrites  of  manganese  oxide. 

+ Gypsum,  or  sulphate  of  lime.  The  action  of  this  is  supposed  to  be  purely 
mechanical,  quickening  precipitation. 


386 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


upon  the  other;  then  the  ferns  are  set  on  fire.  After 
everything  is  burned,  the  ashes  are  spread  upon  new  beds 
of  dried  ferns ; this  is  repeated  six  or  seven  times  in  suc- 
cession, or  even  oftener  for  the  best  glaze.  When  a suf- 
ficient quantity  of  lime  and  fern  ashes  has  been  burned, 
the  ashes  are  thrown  into  a jar  full  of  water.  With  each 
hundred  pounds  it  is  necessary  to  dissolve  one  pound  of 
shih-hao,  to  stir  the  mixture  thoroughly,  and  then  to 
leave  it  in  repose  till  there  appears  on  the  surface  a cloud 
o]*  a crust,  which  is  collected  and  thrown  into  a second 
jar.  This  operation  is  repeated  several  times.  When  a 
species  of  paste  has  formed  at  the  bottom  of  the  second 
jar,  the  water  is  decanted,  and  the  liquid  at  the  bottom 
is  preserved  as  the  second  oil,  to  be  mixed  with  the 
preceding. 

For  a proper  mixture,  the  two  purees  must  be  of  the 
same  thickness,  which  is  tested  by  dipping  in  squares  of 
pe-hm-tse.  With  regard  to  the  quantity  of  the  ingredi- 
ents, the  best  glaze  that  can  be  made  is  a combination  of 
ten  measures  of  the  puree  of  stone  with  one  measure 
of  that  made  of  the  lime  and  fern  ashes  ; the  most  sparing 
never  put  less  than  three  measures  to  one.  The  mer- 
chants that  sell  the  liquid  sometimes  dilute  it  with  water, 
and  conceal  the  fraud  by  adding  a proportionate  quan- 
tity of  sJdh-hao  to  thicken  it. 

Before  explaining  the  method  of  applying  the  glaze 
it  is  necessary  to  describe  the  fabrication  of  the  porcelain. 
In  the  less  frequented  parts  of  King-te-chen  are  vast  * 
sheds,  surrounded  by  walls,  in  which  one  sees  ranged, 
story  above  story,  a great  quantity  of  jars  of  earth.  Inside 
these  walls  live  and  woi'k  an  infinite  number  of  work- 
men, each  of  whom  has  his  allotted  task.  A piece  of 
porcelain,  before  it  leaves  them  to  be  carried  to  the  fur- 
nace, passes  through  the  bands  of  more  than  twenty 
persons. 


LETTERS  OF  PERE  d’eNTRECOLLES. 


337 


‘‘  The  first  work  consists  in  purifying  anew,  by  the 
same  process  of  levigation  and  decantation,  both  the 
pe-tun4se  and  the  hao-lin.  After  having  been  purified, 
the  two  materials  ai’e  combined  in  certain  proportions  : 
the  finest  porcelain  is  made  of  equal  parts ; for  an 
inferior  kind  they  use  four  parts  of  hao-lin  to  six  parts  of 
pe-tun-tse  ; the  least  that  can  be  put  is  one  part  of  hao-lin 
to  three  oi  pe-tun-tse. 

When  mixed,  the  material  is  thrown  into  a large 
hollow  or  pit,  well  paved  and  cemented  throughout, 
where  it  is  trodden  and  kneaded  to  weld  it  to  a proper 
consistence ; this  is  very  hard  work,  and  it  goes  on  inces- 
santly, so  that  the  Christians  employed  can  not  even 
come  to  church  without  providing  substitutes. 

‘‘  From  the  mass  thus  prepared,  lumps  are  taken  and 
put  upon  large  slates,  where  they  are  kneaded,  beaten, 
and  rolled  in  every  sense,  taking  the  greatest  cai*e  that 
there  shall  be  no  hollows  left,  and  no  admixture  of  foreign 
bodies.  A hair,  a grain  of  sand,  would  ruin  all  the  work. 
From  such  elements  are  produced  so  many  beautiful 
works  of  porcelain,  some  fashioned  upon  the  wheel, 
others  made  simply  by  molds,  and  finished  afterAvard 
Avith  the  polishing-knife. 

The  plain,  round  pieces  are  all  made  in  the  first 
fashion.  A cup,  Avhen  it  comes  off  the  AAdieel,  is  very 
imperfectly  shaped,  like  the  top  of  a hat  before  it  has 
been  put  on  the  shaping  mold.  The  foot  is  only  a piece 
of  clay  of  the  diameter  that  it  is  intended  to  have  ulti- 
mately, and  it  is  not  excavated  Avith  the  knife  until  all 
the  other  operations  are  finished.  The  cup,  as  it  comes 
from  the  Avheel,  is  first  handed  to  a second  Avorkman, 
who  is  seated  beneath.  It  is  passed  by  him  to  a third, 
Avho  presses  it  on  a mold,  and  gives  it  its  shape  ; this 
mold  is  fixed  upon  a kind  of  Avheel.  A fourth  Avorkman 
I'olishes  the  cup  with  a knife,  especially  round  the  rims, 


338 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


and  makes  it  thin  enough  to  be  transparent ; each  time 
he  scrapes  it,  it  must  be  moistened  carefully,  or  it  will 
break.  It  is  surprising  to  see  the  rapidity  with  which 
the  vases  pass  through  so  many  different  hands,  and  I 
am  told  that  a vase  that  has  been  fired  has  gone  through 
the  hands  of  seventy  workmen. 

Large  objects  of  poi*celain  are  made  in  two  pieces  : 
one  half  is  lifted  upon  the  wheel  by  three  or  four  men, 
who  support  it  on  each  side  while  it  is  being  shaped  ; 
the  other  half  is  fitted  upon  the  first  when  it  is  suffi- 
ciently dried,  and  is  cemented  to  it  Avith  porcelain  earth, 
mixed  with  water  (i.  e.,  slip),  Avhich  serves  as  mortar  or 
glue.  When  -quite  dry,  the  place  of  junction  is  pared 
Avith  a knife,  inside  and  outside,  so  that,  after  glazing, 
there  remains  no  inequality  of  surface.  Handles,  ears, 
and  similar  adjuncts  are  attached  by  means  of  slip  in  the 
same  way.  This  refers  principally  to  the  porcelain 
which  is  made  in  molds,  or  by  liandAvork,  such  as  fluted 
pieces,  or  those  of  bizarre  shape,  such  as  animals,  gro- 
tesques, idols,  the  busts  ordered  by  Europeans,  and  such 
like.  These  objects,  Avhen  molded,  are  made  in  three  or 
four  pieces,  Avhich  are  fitted  together,  and  finished  after- 
Avard  Avith  instruments  adapted  for  excavating,  polishing, 
and  Avorkiiig  the  A^arious  details  that  have  escaped  the 
mold.  As  for  flowers  and  other  ornaments,  Avhich  are 
not  in  relief,  but,  as  it  were,  in  intaglio^  these  are 
impressed  on  the  porcelain  Avith  seals  and  molds ; reliefs, 
ready  prepared,  are  also  put  on,  in  the  same  Avay  almost 
as  gold  lace  is  attached  to  a coat. 

I have  lately  investigated  the  subject  of  these  molds. 
When  the  model  of  the  piece  of  porcelain  to  be  made  is 
in  hand,  and  it  is  such  as  can  not  be  shaped  upon  the 
wheel  by  the  potter,  they  press  upon  the  model  some 
yellow  clay,  specially  prepared  for  molding ; the  clay  is 
impressed  in  this  Avay,  the  mold  being  composed  of  sev- 


LETTERS  OF  PERE  d’eNTRECOLLES. 


339 


eral  pieces  of  pretty  large  size,  which  are  left  to  harden 
when  they  have  been  properly  impressed.  When  they 
are  used,  they  are  put  near  the  tire  for  some  time,  and 
then  tilled  with  porcelain  earth  to  the  thickness  the  piece 
is  to  have,  and  this  is  pressed  into  every  part  with  the 
hands.  The  mold  is  held  to  the  tire  for  a moment,  to 
detach  the.  squeeze  ” from  the  mold.  The  different 
pieces  which  have  been  separately  molded  in  this  way 
are  joined  together  afterward  with  a slip  (Fig.  231).  I 
have  seen  animals  of  massive  proportions  fabricated  by 
these  means ; after  the  mass  has  been  left  to  harden,  it 
is  worked  into  the  desired  form,  and  finished  with  the 
chisel ; and,  finally,  each  of  the  parts  worked  separately 
is  adjusted.  When  the  object  has  been  finished  off'  with 
great  care,  the  glaze  is  put  on,  and  it  is  then  fired  ; it  is 
painted  afterward,  if  desired,  in  different  colors,  and  the 
gold  is  applied,  and  then  it  is  fired  a second  time. 

When  the  time  has  come  to  ennoble  the  porcelain  by 
painting,  it  is  intrusted  to  the  hands  of  the  or 

porcelain  painters,  who  are  almost  as  poor  as  the  other 
workmen  ; not  so  astonishing  a fact,  however,  as  with 
a few  exceptions  they  would  pass  in  Europe  only  as 
apprentices  of  some  months’  standing.  All  the  science 
of  these  painters,  and  indeed  of  Chinese  painters  gener- 
ally, is  not  based  on  any  principles  ; it  consists  only  in  a 
certain  routine,  helped  by  a vein  of  imagination  limited 
enough.  They  are  ignorant  of  every  beautiful  rule  of 
the  art.  Still,  it  must  be  confessed  that  they  paint  fio^v- 
ers,  animals,  and  landscapes,  which  are  much  admired 
upon  porcelain  as  well  as  on  fans  and  on  lanterns  of  the 
finest  gauze.  The  work  of  painting  is  distributed  in  the 
same  workshop  among  a great  number  of  workmen. 


* Hua-p’i  means  literally  “painter  on  the  raw  body”  {sur  le  cru),  and,  like 
so  many  terms  of  the  Chinese  atelier,  indicates  the  greater  antiquity  of  deco- 
rating in  cobalt-blue  than  that  of  painting  in  enamel  colors. 


340 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


One  has  the  sole  task  of  outlining  the  colored  rings 
that  are  seen  on  poi’celain  near  the  rims  of  the  pieces, 
another  sketches  the  flowers,  which  a third  paints ; 
this  one  is  for  landscapes,  that  one  for  birds  and  for 
other  animals. 

With  regard  to  the  colors  of  porcelain  they  are  of  all 
sorts.  In  Europe  hardly  anything  is  seen  excepting  a 
bright  blue  upon  a white  ground,  but  I believe  that  our 
merchants  have  also  imported  other  kinds.  There  are 
some  pieces  with  a ground  resembling  that  of  our  burn- 
ing-glasses  ; others  are  wholly  red,  and  among  these  some 
have  the  red  in  the  glaze  (yu-li-lmngy,  others  have  a 
souffle  red  {cKuuliung)^  and  are  strewn  with  little  points 
somewhat  like  our  miniatures.  When  these  last  two 
kinds  come  out  in  perfect  success — a work  of  some  diffi- 
culty— they  are  infinitely  esteemed  and  extremely  dear. 

Lastly,  there  are  porcelain  vases  with  pictures  of 
landscape  scenes  painted  in  nearly  all  the  different  colors, 
enhanced  by  the  luster  of  gilding.  These  are  very  beau- 
tiful if  no  expense  is  spared;  otherwise  the  ordinary 
porcelain  of  this  kind  is  not  to  be  compared  with  that 
painted  in  azure  blue  alone.  The  annals  say  that  in 
ancient  times  the  people  used  only  white  porcelain, 
probably  because  the  ordinary  blue  had  not  yet  been 
discovered. 

“ The  azure  blue  is  prepared  in  this  way : It  is  buried 
in  the  gravel,  which  is  half  a foot  thick  in  the  floor  of 
the  furnace,  and  roasted  there  for  twenty-four  hours; 
then  it  is  ground  to  an  impalpable  powder,  in  the  same 
way  as  the  other  colors — not  on  marble,  but  in  a great 
porcelain  mortar,  the  bottom  of  which  is  unglazed,  as  is 

* The  two  illustrations  (Figs.  232  and  234)  are  specimens  of  blue  and  white 
designs  painted  for  Europe  about  this  time.  The  cylindrical  vase  is  decorated 
in  alternate  bands  of  blue  upon  white,  and  blue  with  white  reserves  ; and 
similar  vases  are  often  found  painted  in  enamel  colors  of  the  period.  The 
-other  is  painted  in  blue  with  rich  panels  of  floral  brocade. 


LETTERS  OF  PE  RE  d’eNTRECOLLES. 


341 


also  the  head  of  the  pestle  with  which  the  colors  are 
pounded. 

“ The  red  that  is  made  from  the  green  vitriol  (tsao-fan) 
is  prepared  by  placing  about  a pound  of  the  iron  crystals 
in  a crucible,  which  is  well  luted  to  a second  crucible, 
having  in  the  top  a small  aperture,  covered,  however,  in 
such  a way  that  it  can  be  easily  uncovered  if  needful. 
The  whole  is  surrounded  by  a large  charcoal  fire  in  a 
reverberating  brick  furnace.  As  long  as  the  smoke 
which  rises  is  all  black,  the  material  is  not  yet  fit ; but  it 
is  as  soon  as  a kind  of  thin,  fine  cloud  appears.  Then 
they  take  a little  of  the  material,  mix  it  with  water,  and 
try  the  effect  on  a piece  of  pine  wood.  If  it  comes  out  a 
good  red,  they  take  out  the  brazier  in  w^hich  it  is  inclosed 
and  partially  cover  the  crucible.  When  quite  cold,  a lit- 
tle cake  of  this  red  is  found  at  the  bottom  of  the  lower 
crucible,  while  the  finest  red  lines  the  upper  crucible. 
One  pound  of  iron  sulphate  furnishes  four  ounces  of  the 
red  used  in  painting  porcelain.  This  red  is  combined 
with  five  times  its  weight  of  white  lead,  the  two  powders 
are  passed  through  a sieve,  and  mixed  together  dry. 
The  mixture  is  incorporated  with  water  thickened  with  a 
little  ox-glue  when  it  is  painted  on,  so  that  it  may  not 
run  down  the  side  of  the  vase. 

‘‘  Although  porcelain  is  naturally  white,  and  the  glaze 
serves,  moreover,  to  augment  its  whiteness,  yet  there  are 
certain  figures  in  the  production  of  which  a peculiar  white 
is  painted  upon  porcelain  decorated  in  different  colors. 
This  is  prepared  by  pulverizing  a transparent  rock,* 
which  is  calcined  by  inclosing  it  in  a porcelain  crucible, 
and  by  burying  the  crucible  in  the  gravel  floor  of  the 
furnace,  in  the  same  way  as  the  azure-blue.  It  is  mixed 

* The  caillou  transparent  here  spoken  of  is  no  doubt  arsenious  acid,  the 
native  arsenical  ore,  which  occurs  in  large  translucid  masses.  The  effect  of 
the  decoration  in  white  upon  a pale-green  celadon  ground  is  seen  in  Fig.  235. 


342 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


with  water,  without  glue,  with  twice  its  weight  of  white 
lead,  and  painted  on  with  a brush.  The  same  white 
is  used  for  combining  with  other  colors  to  modify  their 
tints.  Added  to  the  ordinary  green,  for  example,  in  the 
pi-oportion  of  two  parts  of  white  to  one  part  of  green,  it 
makes  the  pale,  clear  green,  which  is  often  associated 
with  the  darker  shade. 

With  regard  to  the  other  colors  which  are  painted  on 
the  porcelain  for  the  second  firing,  the  dark  green  is  pre- 
pared by  combining  an  ounce  of  white  lead,  with  a third 
of  an  ounce  of  powdered  quartz,  and  a tenth  to  a twelfth 
of  an  ounce  of  thing  liuaphen^  which  is  nothing  else  than 
the  scum  of  cop|3er  which  rises  to  the  surface  when  the 
metal  is  melted.  It  is  necessary  to  separate  carefully  the 
granules  of  metallic  copper  which  are  found  mixed  with 
it,  as  these  are  bad  for  the  green. 

The  yellow  color  is  prepared  by  combining  an  ounce 
of  white  lead,  with  a third  of  an  ounce  of  pulverized 
quartz,  and  one  fifty-fifth  of  an  ounce  of  primitive  red.”^ 
A second  workman  tells  me  one  fortieth  of  an  ounce  of 
the  last  ingredient. 

The  deep  blue  with  a shade  of  violet  is  prepared 
by  mixing  one  ounce  of  white  lead,  with  one  third  of 
an  ounce  of  pulverized  quartz,  and  one  five-hundredth  of 
an  ounce  of  azure-blue.  Another  workman  says  four 
five-hundredths  of  the  blue. 

The  black  is  prepared  by  mixing  the  azure-blue  min- 
eral with  water  thickened  with  ox-glue  and  a little  lime. 
When  this  is  painted  on  over  the  glaze,  the  black  parts 
of  the  design  are  covered  with  white  glaze,  which  incor- 
porates with  the  black  during  the  second  firing,  in  the 
same  way  as  the  blue  is  incoiporated  in  the  ordinary 

* The  mineral  referred  to  here  has  been  analyzed  by  Brongniart,  and 
found  to  be  a magnetic  iron  ore  {fer  oUgistique  terreux)  containing^ 
antimony. 


LETTERS  OF  PERE  d’eNTRECOLLES. 


343 


glaze,  when  blue  and  white  j^orcelain  is  baked  in  the 
furnace. 

There  is  another  color  called  from  which  the 

deep  violet  is  made.  It  is  found  in  Canton,  and  it  comes 
also  from  Peking,  the  last  being  much  the  best.  It  sells 
for  about  two  dollars  the  pound.  This  material  melts, 
and  when  it  is  melted,  or  softened,  jewelers  apply  it 
in  the  form  of  enamel  to  silver  objects,  such  as  rings 
or  hairpins.  Like  the  other  colors  just  described,  this  is 
used  only  on  the  porcelain  which  is  re-fired.  It  is  not 
roasted  like  the  ordinary  azure-blue,  but  pounded  and 
reduced  to  the  finest  powder,  which  is  thrown  into  a ves- 
sel full  of  water  and  shaken  a little ; the  water  removes 
some  impurities,  and  the  crystal  powder,  which  remains 
at  the  bottom,  is  kept  for  use.  It  loses  its  fine  color  and 
appears  grayish,  but  recovers  its  violet  tint  as  soon  as  it 
is  fired.  It  can  be  painted  on,  mixed  with  pure  water  or 
with  a little  glue  added. 

To  gild  or  to  silver  porcelain,  a tenth  part  by  weight 
of  white  lead  is  mixed  with  the  gold  or  silver  leaf,  which 
has  been  previously  dissolved  by  the  use  of  gum.  The 
gold  after  it  has  been  ground  is  usually  spread  with 
Avater  over  the  bottom  of  a porcelain  saucer  till  it  forms 
a little  ^ gold  sky  ’ under  the  water.  This  is  dried,  and, 
when  used,  a sufficient  quantity  is  dissoh^ed  off  by  weak 
glue,  mixed  Avdth  the  white  lead,  and  applied  in  the  same 
Avay  as  the  enamel  colors.  Silver  comes  out  with  great 
luster  upon  the  coffee-bi'own  or  ^dead-leaf’  (tzu-cliiifi) 
glaze.  If  some  pieces  ai‘e  painted  in  gold  and  others  in 
silver,  tlie  silvered  porcelain  must  not  be  left  so  long  in 
the  little  furnace  as  the  gilded  ; otherwise  the  silver  will 

* This  must  be  a misprint  for  ts'ui,  which  is  the  name  of  the  cobalt-blue 
glaze  used  in  China  by  enamelers  on  copper  and  silver.  It  is  of  somewhat 
similar  composition  to  the  “ deep  blue  wdth  a shade  of  violet  ” described  just 
before,  and  is  a characteristic  color  of  the  period. 


344 


ORIEOTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


disappear  before  the  gold  has  attained  the  degree  of  heat 
required  to  give  it  its  proper  luster. 

Sometimes  porcelain  is  fired  a second  time  only  to 
conceal  some  defect,  which  is  painted  over  with  colors. 
The  enameled  porcelain,  which  is  very  richly  colored, 
is  not  without  attraction  for  many.  AVhen  dry  it  is  put 
into  the  stove  and  arranged  in  tiers  and  piles,  the  small 
pieces  within  the  large,  only  taking  care  that  the  painted 
parts  do  not  touch.  The  furnaces  may  be  of  iron,^^  if 
only  small  ones  are  required,  but  ordinarily  they  are 
made  of  clay.  One  which  I saw  was  of  the  height  of 
a man,  and  almost  as  broad  as  one  of  our  largest  wine- 
casks  ; it  was  made  of  several  pieces  of  the  same  material 
as  the  clay  seggars  in  which  the  porcelain  is  fired,  being 
built  of  large,  rounded  pieces,  a finger’s  breadth  thick,  a 
foot  high,  and  a foot  and  a half  broad,  well  cemented 
togethei*.  The  bottom  of  the  furnace  was  elevated  about 
half  a foot  from  the  ground,  and  supported  by  two  or 
three  rows  of  bricks;  the  furnace  was  encircled  by  a 
well-built  wall  of  bricks,  with  three  or  four  air-holes 
at  the  bottom.  There  is  a space  about  half  a foot  broad 
between  this  wall  and  the  furnace,  which  is  left  empty 
for  the  charcoal  fire,  except  where  it  is  traversed  by  sup- 
porting spurs  of  masonry.  AVhen  the  charge  has  been 
introduced,  the  top  of  the  furnace  is  closed  with  pieces 
of  23ottery,  similar  to  those  of  the  sides  of  the  furnace, 
which  fit  inside  each  other,  and  are  cemented  together  by 
mortar  or  moistened  clay.  An  aperture  is  left  in  the 
middle,  to  observe  when  the  porcelain  is  properly  baked. 
A quantity  of  charcoal  is  burned  at  the  bottom  of  the 
furnace,  and  also  at  the  same  time  upon  the  cover,  from 


* The  furnace  used  by  the  cloisonne  enamelers  at  Peking  is  a small  iron  cyl- 
inder with  a movable  cover.  This  is  imbedded  in  charcoal,  held  by  a larger 
outside  cylindrical  case  of  iron  netting.  It  is  fired  in  the  open  courtyard,  and 
the  fire  is  kept  up  by  men  standing  round  wielding  large  fans. 


LETTERS  OF  PERE  d’eNTRECOLLES. 


345 


which  pieces  of  lighted  charcoal  are  thrown  into  the 
space  between  the  brick  wall  and  the  furnace.  The  pot- 
sherd which  has  been  put  upon  the  hole  in  the  cover  is 
removed  for  inspection  from  time  to  time,  until  it  appears 
that  all  the  enamels  are  thoi-oughly  fired. 

There  is  a kind  of  colored  porcelain  here  which  is 
sold  at  a cheaper  rate  than  that  which  is  painted  with 
the  colors  of  which  I have  just  spoken.  To  make  work 
of  this  kind  it  is  not  necessary  that  the  materials  used 
should  be  so  fine ; cups  are  taken  which  have  already 
been  baked  in  the  large  furnace,  without  having  been 
glazed,  and  which  are  consequently  quite  white  and 
without  luster ; they  are  colored  by  immersing  them  in  a 
jar  filled  with  the  prepared  color,  when  they  are  required 
to  be  of  single  color ; if  they  are  wished  to  be  of  different 
colors,  such  as  the  pieces  called  Ji  iianglu  liuan^  which  are 
divided  into  a variety  of  panels,  one  green,  anothei'  yel- 
low, etc.,  then  the  colors  are  applied  with  a large  brush. 
This  is  all  the  decoration  given  to  this  porcelain,  except- 
ing that,  after  it  has  been  fired,  a little  vermilion  is  some- 
times put  upon  certain  parts,  as,  for  example,  upon 
the  beaks  of  birds ; but  this  last  color  is  not  baked, 
because  it  would  disappear  in  the  furnace,  so  it  lasts  but 
a very  shoi’t  time.  After  the  colors  have  been  applied, 
the  porcelain  is  re-fired  in  the  large  furnace  at  the  same 
time  as  other  pieces  that  have  not  been  baked  before; 
care  must  l)e  taken  to  place  it  at  the  back  of  the  furnace 
and  below  the  vent,  where  the  fire  is  not  so  active,  be- 
cause an  intense  heat  would  destroy  the  colors.  The 
colors  adapted  for  this  kind  of  porcelain  are  prepared  in 
this  way:  The  green*  is  made  of  fu)ig  Ima  p'ien  (oxide 

* The  copper  oxide  combined  in  this  way  with  a flux  of  nitre  and  silica  pro- 
duces the  color  we  call  “ turquoise-blue,”  but  which  the  Chinese  call  “ peacock- 
green  ” (A;?/ n^r-c/i^/o  lu).  The  decoration  sur  biscuit,  described  above,  fired  in 
the  large  furnace,  is  known  technically  as  that  of  the  colors  of  the  demi-grand 


346 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


of  copper),  saltpeter,  and  ])owdered  quartz  reduced  sep- 
arately to  an  impalpable  })Owder,  and  mixed  together 
with  water.  The  commonest  azure-blue  material  mixed 
with  saltpeter  and  pulveiized  quartz  forms  the  violet. 
The  yellow  is  made  by  combining  three-tenths  of  an 
ounce  of  iron-red  with  three  ounces  of  powdered  quartz^ 
and  three  ounces  of  white  lead.  The  white  is  made  by 
the  addition  of  four-tenths  of  an  ounce  of  pulverized 
quartz  to  an  ounce  of  white  lead.  All  these  ingredients 
are  mixed  together  with  water.  This  is  all  that  I have 
been  able  to  gather  about  tlie  colors  of  this  sort  of  porce- 
lain, not  having  any  of  the  workmen  among  my  converts. 

To  return  to  the  single  colors.  The  glaze  red  called 
yu-li-lmng  is  made  from  granulated  red  copper,  and  the 
powder  of  a certain  stone  which  has  a shade  of  red,* 
ground  together  in  a moi  tar  with  a boy’s  urine,  and 
mixed  afterward  with  some  of  the  white  glaze  material. 
I have  not  been  able  to  discover  the  quantities  of  these 
ingredients ; those  who  have  the  secret  are  very  careful 
not  to  divulge  it.  The  mixture  is  applied  to  porcelain 
that  has  not  been  baked  before,  and  it  is  not  given  any 
other  glaze ; only  special  care  must  be  taken  that  during 
the  firing  the  red  color  does  not  run  down  to  the  bottom 
of  the  vase.  If  the  red  comes  out  pure  and  brilliant  and 
without  any  stain,  it  is  one  of  the  most  perfect  achieve- 
ments of  the  ceramic  art.  The  porcelain  does  not  ring 
wlien  struck.  I have  been  assured  that  when  this  red  is 
about  to  be  applied,  the  porcelain  is  not  made  of  pe-tun-tsey 
but  that  yellow  clay  is  used  in  its  place  to  mix  with  the 
Ttao-lin^  prepared  before  it  and  in  the  same  way  with  the 
pe4un4se.  The  granules  of  copper  which  give  the  red 
are  obtained  during  the  purification  of  silver  ingots,  of 
which  thei*e  are  so  man}^  of  base  alloy  in  circulation. 
The  refiners,  while  the  melted  copper  is  hardening  and 


* Probably  amethystine  quartz. 


LETTERS  OF  PERE  d’eNTRECOLLES. 


347 


congealing,  dip  a small  broom  into  water,  and  sprinkle 
some  of  it  over  tlie  liquid  copper ; the  film  which  then 
forms  on  the  surface  is  lifted  off  with  little  iron  tongs 
and  thrown  into  cold  water,  where  it  forms  into 
granules. 

The  souffie  red  (cKui-hung)  is  made  in  this  way : 
Having  prepared  the  red,  a bamboo  tube  is  used  which 
has  one  of  its  ends  covered  with  a very  close  gauze  ; this 
is  dipped  gently  into  the  color  so  as  to  cover  the  gauze, 
and  then,  by  blowing  through  the  tube,  the  color  is  pro- 
jected upon  the  porcelain,  which  will  be  found  strewn  all 
over  with  little  red  points.  This  kind  of  porcelain  is 
even  rarer  and  dearer  than  the  preceding,  because  the 
execution  is  still  more  difficult. 

There  is  also  a souffle  blue  {cli^ui-cliHng^  which  is 
much  easier  to  apply  successfully.  The  finest  azure-blue, 
prepared  by  roasting  the  cobaltiferous  mineral,  is  mixed 
with  water  to  a proper  consistence,  and  blown  in  the 
same  way  upon  the  surface  of  the  unbaked  vase  ; it  is 
allowed  to  dry,  and  is  then  covered  with  the  ordinary 
white  glaze,  either  alone  or  mixed  with  the  ^crackle 
glaze  ’ (sui  yu),  if  the  porcelain  is  to  be  veined.  It  is 
finally  fired  in  the  large  furnace.  The  cobalt-blue  mono- 
chrome glaze,  whether  it  be  souffle  or  applied  by  immer- 
sion, may  have  a decoration  traced  upon  it  by  artist 
workmen  with  the  point  of  a long  needle ; the  needle 
removes  as  many  little  points  of  the  dry  azure  color  as 
may  be  necessaiy  to  represent  the  outline  of  the  design, 
after  which  the  piece  is  glazed.  After  the  porcelain  has 
been  fired,  the  figures  appear  as  if  painted  in  miniature. 

The  black  porcelain  called  wu  chin  has  also  its  price 
and  its  beauty ; it  is  a brilliant  black,  somewhat  like  that 
of  our  burning-glasses,  which  is  very  effective  in  com- 
bination with  the  gold  decoration  with  which  it  is  usually 
associated.  The  unbaked  porcelain  is  immersed  in  a fluid 


348 


ORIENTAL  CERAIVIIC  ART. 


mixture  composed  of  prepared  azure-blue ; it  is  not  nec^ 
essary  to  use  the  finest  azure,  but  it  must  be  rather 
thick,  and  mixed  with  some  of  the  brown  mineral  {tzu- 
chii^  and  the  materials  of  the  ordinary  white  glaze.  For 
example,  to  ten  ounces  of  azure  pounded  in  the  mortar  are 
added  one  cup  of  tzu-chin.,  seven  paiyu  (prepared 

from  feldspar),  and  two  cups  of  the  lime  and  fern-ash 
mixture.  No  other  glaze  is  necessary ; when  the  porce- 
lain is  fired,  it  must  be  placed  in  the  middle  of  the 
furnace,  and  not  near  the  roof,  where  the  heat  would  be 
too  intense.  The  gold  designs  are  penciled  on  afterward,, 
and  the  piece  is  fired  anew  in  a particular  furnace. 

The  glaze  referred  to  just  now,  called  tzu-chin — 
i.  e.,  ‘burnished  gold’  (or  hrimi) — I should  name  rather 
‘ bronze-colored,’  ‘ cotfee-colored,’  or  ‘ dead-leaf  ’ (couleur 
de  feiiille  morte).  It  is  a i*ecent  invention  ; f for  its  com- 
position, common  yellow  clay  is  taken,  levigated  in  the 
same  way  as  the  pe-tun-tse,  and  mixed  with  water  to  the 
same  consistence  as  the  ordinary  white  feldspathic  glaze. 
The  tzu-chin  pnree  is  first  mixed  with  the  feldspathic 
puree^  and  some  of  the  lime  and  fern-ash  puree  of  the 
same  consistence  is  afterward  added  to  the  mixture.. 
The  [)roportions  of  the  three  ingredients  depend  upon 
the  tint  requii*ed  ; it  may  range  from  that  of  ‘ old  gold  ’ 
to  the  darkest  chocolate  coloi*. 

“1  have  been  shown  tliis  year  (1722),  for  the  first  time^ 
a species  of  porcelain  Avhich  is  now  in  fashion  (a  lamode)'.. 
Its  color  approaches  that  of  the  olive  and  is  given  the  name 
of  luny-cldiian.  I have  heard  it  called  edCiiig  huo — the 
name  of  a fruit  which  nearly  resembles  the  olive. J This- 

*It  should  be  rather  “ ^ puree  made  of  calcined  cobaltiferous  oxide  of  man- 
ganese,” the  ore  which  the  Chinese  used  to  produce  blue,  and  which,  if  not 
covered  with  glaze,  comes  out  black. 

f The  worthy  father  must  be  mistaken  here,  as  we  extracted  a detailed  pre- 
scription in  Chapter  VIII  from  the  records  of  the  Ming  dynasty.  The  color 
referred  to  is  the  well-known  fond  laque  of  French  ceramic  writers. 

X The  Chinese  olive,  so  called,  is  the  fruit  of  a species  of  canarium. 


849 


LETIERS  OF  PERE  d’eNTRECOLLES. 

color  is  given  to  porcelain  by  mixing  together  seven  cups  of 
the  tzii-chin  puree^  four  cups  of  feldspathicy>?^pc^,  two  cups 
of  lime  and  fern-ash  puree^  and  one  cup  of  crackle  pitree. 
The  last,  named  sui  yu^  which  is  pi*epared  from  a kind  of 
rock,  causes  a quantity  of  veins  to  appear  on  the  porce- 
lain ; when  it  is  applied  alone,  the  porcelain  is  fragile, 
and  does  not  i*ing  when  struck,  but,  when  mixed  with 
other  glazes,  the  porcelain,  although  reticulated  with 
veins  and  rings,  is  not  more  fragile  than  usual.  The 
ordinary  variety  is  marbled  all  ovei*,  and  cut  in  every 
direction  with  an  infinity  of  veins;  from  a distance  it 
might  be  taken  for  a broken  piece  with  the  fragments 
remaining  in  place;  it  is  like  a work  in  mosaic.  The 
color  is  usually  grayish. 

‘^Tliey  tried  lately  to  mix  gold  leaf  and  powdered 
quartz  with  the  ordinary  glaze,  and  applied  it  like  the 
red  glaze,  but  the  attempt  failed,  as  it  was  proved  that 
the  tzu-chin  glaze  excelled  in  grace  and  luster.  At  one 
time  bowls  were  made  with  the  ^golden  glaze’  outside 
and  pure  white  within;  another  variation  followed,  when 
upon  a bowl  to  which  they  were  going  to  apply  the  tzu- 
(•kiii  glaze,  they  stuck  on,  in  one  or  two  places,  a round 
or  square  of  moistened  paper.  The  paper  was  taken  away 
when  the  glaze  had  been  applied,  and  the  space  filled  in 
with  a painting  in  red  or  in  azure  blue.  Sometimes  such 
medallion  spaces  were  colored  with  a blue  or  a black 
ground,  and,  after  having  been  filled,  were  penciled  in 
gold  and  fired  anew;  a number  of  such  different  com- 
binations might  be  imagined. 

“ Not  long  ago  a new  material  was  discovered  that 
could  enter  into  the  composition  of  porcelain.  This  is 
a stone,  or  species  of  chalk,  called  hua-sluli^^'  the  same 


* Jliia-shih  is  steatite,  which  is  widely  used  in  China  as  a febrifuge.  But 
many  other  substances  have  been  sent  to  Europe  under  the  same  name,  so  that 
Salvetat  writes  tliat  it  is  sometimes  a mixture  of  steatite  and  ampliibole,  at 


350 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


which  Chinese  doctors  use  to  make  a draught  which  they 
say  is  detergent,  aperient,  and  refreshing.  The  potters 
use  it  to  replace  the  hao-lin.  Porcelain  fabricated  with 
liua-sliih  is  rare,  and  much  dearer  than  the  other ; it  has 
an  extremely  fine  grain,  and  with  regard  to  the  work 
of  the  brush,  if  it  be  compared  with  ordinary  porcelain, 
it  is  like  vellum  compared  with  paper.  Moreover,  this 
porcelain  is  so  light  as  to  surprise  one  accustomed  to 
handle  other  kinds  of  porcelain ; it  is  also  much  more 
fragile  than  the  common  sort,  and  it  is  difficult  to  seize 
the  proper  moment  of  its  firing.  Some,  who  do  not  use 
the  Ima-shih  to  make  the  body,  content  themselves  with 
making  a kind  of  glue  of  it,  in  which  they  immerse  the 
porcelain  when  it  is  dry,  so  that  it  takes  up  a layer, 
on  which  to  receive  the  colors  and  the  glaze,  by  which 
means  it  acquires  a certain  degree  of  beauty.  The  hua- 
sliiJi  is  washed  when  it  is  taken  from  the  mine  and  pre- 
pared like  the  hao-lin.  I am  assured  that  porcelain  can 
be  made  of  it  alone  without  anything  else  mixed,  but  one 
of  my  converts,  who  works  with  it,  tells  me  that  he 
combines  eight  parts  of  hua-sldh  with  two  parts  of  pe- 
tun-tse.  It  is  five  times  the  price  of  hao-lin.  It  is  also 
used  for  painting  designs  over  the  glaze  in  slip. 

There  is  one  secret  that  the  Chinese  lament  having 
lost : they  once  had  the  ai*t  of  painting  upon  a porcelain 
bowl  fish  or  other  animals,  wliicli  became  visible  only 
when  the  porcelain  was  filled  with  some  liquid.  This 
kind  of  porcelain  was  called  chia-elCing — that  is  to  say, 

^ azure  put  in  press,’  indicating  the  position  of  the  color. 
The  porcelain  to  he  painted  thus  must  be  very  thin  ; 

others  ferruginous  clay,  or  impure  kao-Un.  Yogi  {La  Porcelaine, 

225),  “ It  is  a natural  mixture  of  two  thirds  of  kao-lin  and  one  third  of  white 
mica.”  The  peculiar  porcelain  made  of  it,  as  described  above,  is  the  sha  Vai 
of  the  Chinese,  the  “ soft  paste  ” of  collectors,  described  in  the  last  chapter, 
distinguished  by  its  light  weight,  its  tendency  to  crackle,  and  the  fine,  neat 
lines  of  its  decoration  when  painted  in  cobalt-blue. 


LETTERS  OF  PERE  d’eNTRECOLLES. 


351 


when  it  has  been  dried,  the  color  is  applied  with  a strong 
touch,  not  outside,  as  usually,  but  inside,  on  the  sides 
of  the  cup ; the  ordinary  decoration  is  hsh,  the  most  nat- 
ural  thing,  as  it  were,  to  appear  Avhen  the  cup  is  filled 
with  water.  As  soon  as  the  painting  is  dry  a light  layer 
of  slip  is  spread  over  it,  which  confines  the  color  between 
two  coats  of  earth.  When  the  slip  has  dried,  the  glaze 
is  put  on  inside  the  cup,  which  is  afterward  put  upon  the 
polishing  wheel  and  cut  aAvay  outside  as  thin  as  possible 
without  penetrating  to  the  color,  and  lastly  the  outside  is 
glazed  by  immersion.  When  everything  is  dry  it  is  fired 
in  the  ordinary  furnace.  The  work  is  extremely  deli- 
cate, and  demands  a skill  that  the  Chinese  seem  no 
longer  to  possess. 

There  is  another  kind  of  porcelain  made  here  with  an 
outer  pierced  casing,  carved  in  openwork  {a  jour') ^ so  as 
to  inclose  the  cup  which  holds  the  liquid.  The  cup  and 
the  pierced  casing  form  one  piece.  I have  seen  other 
charming  pieces  in  which  Chinese  and  Tartar  ladies  are 
painted  after  life,  with  the  costume,  the  coloring,  and  the 
features,  all  finished  in  the  most  recherche  style,  so  that 
at  a distance  the  work  might  be  taken  for  an  enamel. 

‘^To-day,  it  may  be  said,  there  is  a renaissance,  and 
the  beautiful  azure  reappears  upon  porcelain  once  more. 
When  it  is  applied  it  is  of  a grayish-black  color;  when 
it  is  dry  and  it  has  been  coated  with  glaze  it  is  eclipsed 
altogether,  and  the  porcelain  appears  j^erfectly  white  ; 
the  colors  are  then  buried  under  the  o’laze,  but  the 
fire  brings  them  out  in  all  their  beauty,  almost  like 
the  heat  of  the  sun  as  it  brings  out  from  a chrysalid 
a gorgeous  butterfly  in  all  its  brilliant  hues. 

“ The  place  where  the  furnaces  are  presents  another 
Scene.  In  a kind  of  vestibule  which  leads  to  the  furnace 
are  seen  piles  of  cases  made  of  clay,  the  seggars  in  which 
the  porcelain  is  incased.  The  small  pieces,  like  the  cups 


352 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


intended  for  tea  or  chocolate,  are  put  several  in  one  case ; 
the  large  pieces  have  a separate  case  for  each  one.  The 
workman  copies  Nature,  which  protects  fruits  within  an 
envelope,  so  that  they  may  be  gradually  ripened  by  the 
heat  of  the  sun.  The  cases  are  placed  in  columns  inside 
the  furnace,  the  two  lowest  in  each  column,  imbedded  in 
the  gravel  floor,  being  left  empty,  because  the  fire  has  no 
power  so  low  down.  In  the  middle  piles,  which  are 
seven  feet  high,  are  placed  the  finest  porcelains,  at  the 
back  of  the  furnace  the  coarser  kinds,  near  the  entrance 
the  pieces  of  strong  color  which  are  made  of  materials 
containing  as  much  pe-tun-tse  as  hao-liii^  and  the  glaze  of 
which  is  prepared  from  the  rocks  with  blackish  or  red 
spots,  because  this  glaze  has  more  body  than  the  other. 
The  cases  are  made  of  different  colored  clays  produced  in 
the  neighborhood,  kneaded  together,  and  are  fashioned 
upon  the  wheel. 

“ Some  one  hundred  and  eighty  loads  of  pine  fuel  (of 
a hundred  and  thirty-three  pounds  weight  each)  are  con- 
sumed at  every  firing,  and  it  is  surprising  that  no  ashes 
even  are  left.  It  is  not  surprising  that  porcelain  is  so 
dear  in  Europe,  for,  apart  from  the  large  gains  of  the 
European  merchants,  and  of  theii*  Chinese  agents,  it  is 
rare  for  a furnace  to  succeed  completely ; often  every- 
thing is  lost,  and  on  opening  it  the  poi*celain  and  the 
cases  will  be  found  converted  into  a solid  mass  as  hard  as 
I'ock.  Moi'eover,  the  ])orcelain  that  is  exported  to  Europe 
is  fashioned  almost  always  after  new  models,  often  of 
hlzan-e  character,  and  difficult  to  reproduce  ; for  the  least 
fault  they  are  refused,  and  remain  in  the  hands  of  the 
potters,  because  they  are  not  in  tlie  taste  of  the  Chinese 
and  can  not  l)e  sold  to  them.  Some  of  the  elaborate 
designs  sent  are  cjuite  impi-acticable,  although  they  pro- 
duce for  themselves  some  things  which  astonish  strangers^ 
who  \vill  not  believe  in  their  possibility. 


LE'rrERS  OF  PE  RE  d’eNTRECOLLES. 


353 


“ I will  give  some  examples  of  these.  I have  seen  hei*e 
a large  porcelain  lantern  made  in  one  piece,  through  the 
sides  of  which  shone  a candle,  placed  inside,  so  as  to  light 
a whole  room  ; this  work  was  ordered  seven  or  eight  years 
ago  by  the  heir-apparent."^  The  same  prince  ordered,  at 
the  same  time,  various  musical  instruments,  and  amoug 
others  a kind  of  little  mouth-oi*gan  called  tseng^  which  is 
about  a foot  high,  composed  of  fourteen  pipes,  and  the 
melody  of  which  is  pleasing  enough  ; but  every  attempt 
at  making  this  failed.  They  succeeded  better  with  flutes 
and  flageolets,  and  with  another  instrument  called  yun-lo^ 
which  is  composed  of  a set  of  little  round  and  slightly 
concave  plaques,  each  of  which  has  its  different  note; 
nine  of  these  are  hung  in  three  tiers  in  a square  frame, 
and  played  upon  with  rods,  like  the  tympanum ; a little 
chime  is  produced  to  accompany  the  sound  of  other  instru- 
ments, or  the  voice  of  singers.  It  required,  they  tell  me, 
many  trials  before  they  succeeded  in  flnding  the  proper 
thickness  and  density  to  produce  correctly  all  the  notes 
of  the  scale.  I imagined  myself  that  they  had  the  secret 
of  inserting  a little  metal  in  the  body  of  the  porcelain,  to 
vary  the  notes ; but  have  been  undeceived,  for  metal  is  so 
ill  adapted  to  combine  with  porcelain  that  if  a copper 
^ cash  ’ happened  to  be  put  upon  the  top  of  a pile  of  por- 
celain in  the  kiln,  the  coin  as  it  melted  would  pierce  all 
the  cases  and  porcelain  in  the  column,  so  that  a hole 
would  be  found  in  the  middle  of  every  one.  To  retui-n 
to  the  rarer  works,  the  Chinese  succeed  best  in  gi-o- 
tesques,  and  in  the  representation  of  animals.  The 
workmen  make  ducks  and  tortoises  which  will  swim  in 
water.  I have  seen  a cat  painted  after  life,  in  tlie  head 
of  which  a little  lamp  had  been  put  to  illuminate  tlie 

* One  of  these  beautiful  eggshell  lanterns  is  illustrated  in  Plate  XI.  The 
heir-apparent  was  the  fourth  son  of  the  emperor,  the  prince  who  reigned  after- 
ward as  Yung-CMnq.  It  is  interesting  to  find  him  mentioned  as  patronizing 
the  art  so  early  as  1704  or  1705. 


354 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


eyes,  and  was  assured  that  in  the  night  the  rats  were  ter- 
rified by  it.  They  make  here  too  very  many  statuettes 
of  Kuan-yiu,^'  a goddess  celebrated  throughout  all  China, 
represented  holding  an  infant  in  her  arms,  and  worshiped 
by  sterile  women  who  wish  to  have  children. 

There  is  another  kind  of  porcelain,  the  execution  of 
which  is  very  difficult,  and  which  has  consequently 
become  exceeding  rare.  The  body  of  this  porcelain  is 
extremely  thin,  and  its  surface  very  smooth  inside  and 
out ; notwithstanding  which  there  can  be  detected  in  it, 
on  close  inspection,  molded  designs,  such  as  a ring  of 
flowers,  or  other- like  ornaments.f  They  are  executed  in 
this  way : When  it  has  been  shaped  upon  the  wheel  it  is 
pressed  upon  a mold  carved  with  the  designs  which  are 
impressed  inside,  and  then  it  is  pared  down  outside,  as 
finely  and  thinly  as  possible,  with  the  knife  on  the  polish- 
ing wheel,  to  be  ultimately  glazed  and  baked  in  the  ordi- 
nary furnace. 

‘‘  European  merchants  demand  sometimes  from  the  Chi- 
nese workmen  porcelain  slabs,  to  form  in  one  piece  the 
top  of  a table  or  bench,  or  frames  for  pictures.  These 
works  are  impossible  ; the  broadest  and  longest  slabs 
made  are  only  a foot  across  or  thereabouts,  and  if  one 
goes  beyond,  whatever  may  be  the  thickness,  it  will  be 
warped  in  baking.  The  extra  thickness  does  not  facili- 
tate the  work,  rather  the  contrary  ; and  this  is  why  the 
native  slabs,  instead  of  being  made  thick,  are  formed  of 
two  faces,  with  a hollow  interior,  ti*aversed  by  a solid 
cross-piece  ; tliese  slabs,  used  for  inlaying  carpentry,  have 
two  lioles  pierced  at  either  end,  so  that  they  may  be 
insei’ted  in  a bed,  or  in  the  back  of  a chair,  wljen  they 
look  very  effective. 

* Refer  to  Plate  LX  for  a finely  decorated  figure  of  the  period.  Kuan-yin  is 
the  Buddhist  divinity  Avalokita. 

f For  a striking  example  of  this  work,  refer  to  Plate  LXVII. 


355 


LETTEES  OF  PEKE  d’eNTRECOLLES. 

The  mandarins,  who  know  the  genius  of  Europeans 
for  inventions,  often  ask  me  to  have  brought  from  Europe 
novel  and  curious  designs,  in  order  that  they  may  present 
to  the  emperor  something  unique.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  Christians  press  me  strongly  not  to  get  any  such 
models,  for  the  mandarins  are  not  so  easy  to  be  con- 
vinced as  our  merchants,  when  the  workmen  tell  them 
that  a task  is  impracticable  ; and  the  bastinado  is  liber- 
ally administered  before  the  mandarin  will  abandon  a 
design  which  may  bring  him,  he  hopes,  great  profit. 

As  each  profession  has  its  particular  idol,  and  divinity 
is  conferred  here  as  easily  as  the  rank  of  count  or  marquis 
is  given  in  some  European  countries,  it  is  not  surprising 
that  there  should  be  a god  of  porcelain.  The  Pou-sa  * 
(the  name  of  this  idol)  owes  its  origin  to  these  kinds  of 
designs  which  it  is  impossible  for  the  workmen  to  exe- 
cute. They  say  that  formerly  an  empei’or  decreed  posi- 
tively that  some  porcelain  should  be  made  after  a model 
which  he  gave ; it  was  represented  to  him  several  times 
that  the  thing  was  impossible,  but  all  these  remonstrances 
served  only  to  excite  more  and  moi’e  his  desire.  His 
officers  persecuted  the  workmen  incessantly.  The  poor 
wretches  spent  all  their  money  and  gave  themselves  infi- 
nite pains,  but  they  got  nothing  but  blows  in  return.  At 
last  one  of  them  in  a moment  of  despair  threw  himself 
into  the  burning  furnace  and  was  consumed  in  an  instant. 
The  porcelain  which  was  being  baked  came  out,  they  say, 
perfectly  beautiful,  and  pleased  the  emperor,  who  de- 
manded nothing  more.  After  his  death  the  unfoi*tunate 
man  was  regarded  as  a hero,  and  he  became  in  coui’se  of 

* Pou-sa  is  tlie  Chinese  contraction  of  the  Sanskrit  Bodhisattxa,  a personage 
who  has  only  one  more  stage  of  human  existence  to  pass  through  before  lie 
becomes  a Buddha.  It  is  applied  secondarily  to  any  idol.  The  Pou-sa,  who 
has  become  proverbial  in  Europe  as  the  god  of  luxurious  indolence,  often 
molded  in  porcelain,  is  the  representation  of  Maitr^ya,  the  coming  Buddha  or 
Messiah  of  the  present  Kalpa. 


356 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


time  the  idol  who  is  now  the  protector  of  the  workers  in 
porcelain. 

“ Porcelain  having  been  so  highly  esteemed  through  so 
many  centuries,  one  would  wish  to  know  in  what  respects 
that  of  the  earlier  times  differs  from  that  of  our  own 
days,  andnvhat  the  Chinese  think  of  it  themselves.  It 
must  not  be  doubted  that  China  has  its  antiquaries,  whose 
predilections  are  all  for  ancient  works.  The  Chinaman, 
indeed,  has  an  innate  respect  for  antiquity,  although  one 
finds  defenders  of  modern  art ; but  porcelain  is  not  like 
ancient  medals,  which  reveal  the  science  of  distant  ages. 
Ancient  porcelain  may  be  ornamented  with  Chinese 
characters,  but  they  mark  no  point  in  history,  so  that  the 
curious  could  only  find  something  in  the  style  and  in 
the  colors  which  could  lead  them  to  prefer  it  to  that  of  the 
present  day.  I believe  that  I heard  it  said,  when  I was 
in  Europe,  that  porcelain,  to  have  its  full  perfection,  must 
have  been  buried  for  a long  time  in  the  ground  ; this  is 
an  absurdity  which  the  Chinese  ridicule.  The  history  of 
King-te-cheu,  speaking  of  the  most  beautiful  porcelain  of 
earlier  times,  says  that  it  was  so  recherche  that  the  furnace 
was  hardly  opened  before  the  merchants  were  disputing 
for  the  first  clioice.  There  is  no  question  here  of  having 
it  buried. 

It  is  true  that  in  digging  up  the  ruins  of  old  build- 
ings, and  especially  in  cleaning  out  old  abandoned  wells, 
fine  pieces  of  porcelain  are  sometimes  discovered,  which 
have  been  hidden  there  in  times  of  revolution  ; the  porce- 
lain is  beautiful,  because  at  such  times  they  would  only 
think  of  hiding  what  was  precious,  in  order  to  recover  it 
Avhen  the  troubles  were  over.  It  is  esteemed  not  because 
it  has  gained  from  the  moist  earth  some  new  beauty,  but 
because  its  ancient  beauty  has  been  ]U‘eserved,  and  that 
alone  has  its  price  in  China,  where  they  give  large  sums 
for  the  smallest  utensils  of  the  ordinary  potteiy  tliat  was 


LETTERS  OF  PERE  d’eNTRECOLLES. 


357 


used  by  the  Emperors  Yao  and  Sliwn^  who  reigned  many 
centuries  before  the  Yang  dynasty,  during  which  porce- 
lain began  to  be  used  by  the  emperors. 

The  mandarin  of  King-te-chen,  who  honors  me  with 
his  friendship,  makes  to  his  patrons  at  the  imperial  court 
presents  of  old  porcelain,  which  he  has  the  talent  of  mak- 
ing himself.  I mean  that  he  has  discovered  the  art  of 
imitating  ancient  porcelain,  or  at  least  that  of  a medium 
antiquity ; he  employs  at  tliis  Avork  a number  of  artisans. 
The  material  of  which  these  false  hu-fmig — that  is, 
ancient  counterfeits — are  made  is  a yellowish  clay,  which 
is  brought  from  a place  not  far  from  King-te-chen,  called 
Ma-an-shan  (Saddle-back  Hill).  They  are  very  thick  ; 
a plate  of  this  kind  which  the  mandarin  gave  me  weiglis 
as  much  as  ten  ordinary  plates.  There  is  nothing 
peculiar  in  the  ^vorkmanship  of  this  kind  of  porcelain, 
except  that  it  is  given  a glaze  prepared  from  a yellow 
]*ock,  wdiicli  is  mixed  Avith  the  ordinary  glaze,  the  latter 
predominating  ; this  mixture  gives  to  the  porcelain  a sea- 
green  color.  After  it  has  been  baked  it  is  immersed  in  a 
veiy  strong  bouillon  made  of  fowds  and  other  meat ; it  is 
stewed  in  this  a while,  and  is  afterward  put  into  the  most 
filthy  sew^er  that  can  be  found,  where  it  is  left  a month  or 
more.  When  it  comes  out  of  this  sewer  it  passes  for 
being  three  or  four  centuries  old,  or  at  least  for  a speci- 
men of  the  preceding  dynasty  of  the  Ming^  wdien  porce- 
lain of  this  color  and  thickness  was  highly  esteemed  at 
court.  These  false  antiques  are  also  similar  to  the 
genuine  things,  in  that  they  do  not  ring  when  stiTick,  and 
emit  no  humming  vibrations  when  held  close  to  the  ear. 

They  liave  brought  to  me  from  the  debris  of  a large 
sliop  a little  plate  which  I value  much  more  than  the 
finest  porcelain  of  a thousand  yeai’s  ago.  Tliere  is 
])ainted  on  tlie  l:>ottom  of  this  })late  a crucifix  betw^een  the 
Holy  Virgin  and  St.  John  ; tliey  told  me  that  they  used 


358 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


formerly  to  export  such  porcelain  to  Japan,  but  that  they 
had  made  none  of  it  since  sixteen  or  seventeen  years  ago. 
Apparently  the  Christians  of  Japan  availed  themselves  of 
this  industry  during  the  persecutions,  to  have  images  of 
our  sacred  mysteries  ; the  porcelain,  mixed  in  the  cases 
with  the  rest,  might  escape  the  search  of  the  enemies  of 
religion ; the  pious  artifice  would  have  been  discovered 
later  and  rendered  of  no  avail  by  a stricter  search,  and 
this  is  why,  no  doubt,  they  have  left  oft  making  thiugs  of 
the  kind  at  King-te-cheu.” 


CHAPTER  XII. 


THE  yung-ch^:ng  period. 


^HE  Emperor  Yung-clieng^  who  succeeded  his  father 


K\ing-lisi^  reigned  for  only  thirteen  years  (1723- 
35),  a comparatively  short  interval  between  the  long 
reign  of  sixty-one  years  of  his  predecessor  and  the  reign 
of  sixty  years  of  his  son  and  successor,  the  celebrated 
CKien-lung^  who  resigned  the  throne  after  he  had 
reigned  a complete  cycle,  in  accordance  with  a vow 
that  he  had  made  not  to  outreign  his  grandfather,  if 
the  celestial  powers  would  allow  him  to  reign  as  long. 
The  ceramic  productions  of  this  reign  are  sometimes 
grouped  with  those  of  the  reign  of  CKien-lung^  and 
described  under  the  same  heading,  but,  in  my  opinion, 
they  are  of  sufficient  interest  and  importance  to  deserve  a 
chapter  to  themselves.  It  is  a transition  period  in  which 
the  strong  colors  and  bold,  vigorous  decoration  of  the 
pi’eceding  reign  are  gradually  toned  down,  until  they 
merge  into  the  half  tints  and  broken  colors  which  mark 
the  more  regular  and  carefully  finished  designs  on  the 
poi'celain  of  the  reign  of  ClCien-lung,  The  deep  irides- 
cent greens  boldly  laid  on  in  thick  patches,  which 
cliaracterize  the  last  reign,  are  only  by  gradual  degrees 
replaced  by  a green  of  less  brilliant  tone  and  more  even 
shade,  so  that  an  early  Yung-cheng  piece  often  retains  a 
touch  of  the  old  vigor.  If  it  want  something  of  the 
pristine  brilliancy,  the  new  reign  is  distinguished  for  the 
neat  precision  of  its  penciling,  the  soft  purity  of  its  color- 
ing, and  the  finished  technique  of  its  ceramic  productions. 
They  are  well  illustrated  in  this  collection,  especially  in 

359 


360 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


the  decorated  class,  as  in  the  magnificent  round  dishes  in 
Plate  XL VIII  and  Fig.  101,  the  pilgrim  bottle  in  Plate 
XLVII,  and  the  Buddhist  ecclesiastical  vase  in  Plate  XX, 
all  of  which  are  marked  in  full  with  the  “six-character” 
mark  of  the  reign.  The  decorated  citron-yellow  vase  in 
Plate  LXV,  the  Taoist-Triad  vase  in  Plate  XXI,  and 
some  of  the  eggshell  plates,  although  they  do  not  happen 
to  be  marked,  are,  from  their  style  and  coloring,  attribu- 
table to  the  same  period.  Among  the  single  colors,  the 
gray  vase  illustrated  in  Plate  LXXXV  has  the  mark  of 
the  reign  inscribed  underneath,  and  the  pea-green  celadon 
{tou-cK ing)  vase  in  Plate  XL,  the  crackled  gray  vase  in 
Plate  LXXXVI,  the  etched  sea-green  celadon  {tung- 
cKing)  vase  in  Plate  XXXVIII,  and  the  pink  mono- 
chrome vase  of  “rose  Dubarry”  in  Plate  LIII  are  to  be 
referred,  in  all  pi'obability,  to  the  same  period. 

Two  of  the  colors  especially  characteristic  of  the  JS'itn 
Yao^  or  “Xien  Porcelain,”  of  this  epoch  ai‘e  the  clair-de- 
lune,  or  yueh-pai^  and  the  bright  souffle  copper-red.  A 
specimen  of  the  former  is  given  in  Plate  LI  (b) ; and  the 
coloi‘  of  the  new  reign  is  the  same,  although  the  fabi’ic  of 
the  porcelain  is  genei’ally  more  delicate  and  the  form 
more  studied.  The  latter  occurs  in  a rare  combination 
with  painted  decoration  in  the  charming  little  vase  of 
baluster  shape  seen  in  Fig.  250,  which  deserves  a word  of 
description : 

Nien  Yao  Vase^  exhibiting  the  cliaracteristic  mono- 
chrome glaze  of  bright  ruby-red  tint  and  stippled  surface. 
The  souffle  glaze  is  applied  over  the  whole  suidace,  with 
the  exception  of  a panel  of  irregular  outline  reserved  on 
one  side  of  the  vase,  where  it  is  shaded  off  so  that  the 
red  fades  gradually  into  a nearly  white  ground.  Within 
the  panel  there  is  painted,  over  the  glaze,  the  picture  of 
Tung  Fang  So,  a Taoist  divinity,  in  flowing  robes,  speed- 
ing across  the  clouds  with  a branch  of  peaches,  the  sacred 


THE  YUNG-OH^INa  PERIOD. 


361 


fruit  of  longevity,  on  his  shoulder.  This  is  lightly  etched 
in  sepia  and  touched  with  gold,  with  the  addition  of  a 
few  strokes  of  pale  overglaze  cobalt-blue  and  rouge  d^or 
of  the  Yting-cheng  period.  The  foot  of  the  vase  is 
encircled  by  an  ornamental  scroll,  nearly  obliterated, 
painted  over  the  ruby  ground  in  black  and  gold.  There 
is  no  mark  underneath. 

The  Nien  just  referred  to  is,  as  the  reader  will  recall, 
Nien  Hsi-yao,  an  official  of  the  Nei  Wu  Fu,  or  Imperial 
Household,  who  was  appointed  in  the  beginning  of  the 
reign  of  Yung-cheng,  commissioner  of  customs  at  Huai- 
an-fu,  with  control  over  the  river  dues  of  the  three 
provinces  of  Kiangsu,  Kiangsi,  and  Anhui,  and  the  super- 
intendency of  the  imperial  porcelain  manufactory  at 
Ching-te-chen,  for  which  he  was  also  required  to  provide 
the  necessary  funds  out  of  the  customs  dues.  He  held 
the  post  till  the  first  year  of  the  reign  of  ChHen-lung, 
when  he  was  promoted,  and  replaced  in  the  commis- 
sionership  by  T’ang  Ying.  He  was  consequently 
director  of  the  porcelain  works  during  the  whole  of  the 
reign  of  Yung-cheng^  and  some  of  the  peculiar  produc- 
tions of  the  period  are  still  commonly  known  as  Nien 
Yao,  after  him.  He  seems  to  have  made  periodical  tours 
of  inspection  to  Ching-te-chen,  during  one  of  which  he 
repaired  the  temple  of  tlie  patron  god,  and  erected  a 
stone  tablet  in  the  courtyard  to  commemorate  the  fact. 
The  inscription  on  this  monument,  Avhich  still  stands 
there,  records  his  official  visit  to  the  place  in  the  fifth 
year  of  the  reign  of  Yung-cheng  (1727),  and  his  orders 
that  the  porcelain  made  for  the  use  of  the  emperor 
should  he  sent  by  boat  twice  every  month  to  be  inspected 
by  him  at  Huai-an-fu,  and  that  he  would  forward  it  on  to 
the  palace  at  Peking.  We  have  a long  list  of  the  deco- 
rative designs  and  colors  of  the  imperial  porcelain  made 
uudei’  his  inspection,  which  is  derived  from  official 


362 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


sources,  and  which  is  given  in  full  detail  in  the  next 
chapter.  It  supplies  a fund  of  exact  information,  and  is,, 
on  that  account,  of  the  greatest  interest. 

According  to  the  Cliing4e-chen  T\io  lu^  “the  vases 
made  at  this  time  included  A^eiy  many  of  soft  eggshell 
color  and  well-rounded  form,  the  glaze  of  which  shone 
with  the  luster  of  pure  silver.  Some  Avere  decorated  in 
blue  and  Avhite,  others  in  colors,  and  the  various  processes 
of  painting,  engraving,  modeling  under  the  glaze,  and 
carving  in  pierced  work,  were  all  practiced  in  turn. 
The  reproduction  of  ancient  wares  and  the  im^ention  of 
novelties  Avere  undertaken  in  the  imperial  factory  under 
his  (Nien’s)  direction.” 

The  rounded  form  referred  to  in  this  extract  is 
exhibited  in  the  oval,  melon-shaped  vase  of  six-lobed 
outline  in  Fig.  251,  Avhicli  is  coated  Avith  a silvery 
Avhite  glaze,  very  finely  crackled  {truite^  with  a close 
reticulation  of  dark  lines,  so  as  to  give  a general  gray 
effect ; and  in  the  white  vase  of  the  period  in  Fig.  252,. 
the  neck  of  which  is  encircled  Avith  the  form  of  a coiling 
dragon  modeled  in  openwork  relief  and  enameled  in 
rouge  (Vor  of  crimson  tint,  the  rest  of  the  surface  being 
pure  white,  excej)t  for  an  occasional  single  peach-blossom 
touched  in  delicate  colors  near  the  foot  and  on  the 
shoulder  of  the  rippled  surface  of  the  vase,  which  was 
once  marked  underneath,  but  has  had  the  inscription 
purposely  ground  away.'^ 

The  good  form  and  perfect  technique  of  the  period  are 
well  shown  in  two  other  illustrations.  The  first  is  a 
large  baluster  vase  (mei-p’ing^^  Fig.  253,  with  gracefully 
rounded  outlines,  Avhich  is  artistically  decorated  in 

*The  mark  is  not  infrequently  obliterated  in  China  on  the  lapidary’s  polish- 
ing wheel,  and  some  of  the  finest  pieces  of  Chinese  porcelain  are  found  to  have 
been  thus  defaced.  Such  pieces  have  usually  been  stolen  from  the  imperial 
palace  by  some  of  the  eunuchs,  or  from  some  important  collection  by  the 
servants  in  charge  and  treated  in  this  way  to  avoid  detection. 


THE  yung-ch^:ng  period. 


863 


brilliant  enamel  colors  with  fruits  and  flowers,  the 
branches  springing  from  below  on  one  side  and  spread- 
ing upward  in  all  directions  upon  the  vase,  so  as  to  cover 
it  with  large  pomegranates  and  peaches  and  bunches  of 
3^ellow  dragon’s  eye  {Neplieliimi  longanwii)  fruit,  mingled 
with  sprays  of  scarlet  pomegranate-flowers  and  pink 
peach-blossom.  The  mark  underneath,  penciled  in  under- 
glaze blue  within  a double  ring,  is  Ta  dicing  Yung 
eheng  nien  cMh,  ‘^Made  in  the  reign  of  Yung-cheng^  of 
the  great  CKing  [dynasty].”  The  other  vase  (Fig.  257), 
tliough  unmarked,  is  a typical  piece  of  the  period,  in 
form,  style  of  decoration,  and  coloring.  The  peculiarly 
tall,  slender  form  springing  from  a spreading  foot  seems 
toliave  been  introduced  at  this  time.  The  scene  depicted 
on  the  vase  is  the  appearance  of  the  Taoist  goddess  Hsi 
W ang  Mu  coming  across  the  sea,  borne  upon  a floating 
lotus-petal.  The  base  of  the  vase  is  surrounded  by 
scrolled  and  crested  green  waves,  from  which  green  and 
blue  rocks  rise  in  _ the  background,  and  a temple  with 
veranda  and  curling  eaves — the  abode  of  the  divinity — 
is  seen  in  the  midst  of  the  sea,  with  a gigantic  stork 
perched  on  the  roof.  From  a rock  behind  the  temple 
springs  a sacred  peach-tree  laden  with  scarlet  and  pink 
fruit,  the  branches  mingled  with  rosy  clouds  floating 
across  the  shoulder  of  the  vase,  illuminated  by  the  ver- 
milion disk  of  the  sun.  A second  stork  is  flying  back 
to  the  temple,  as  the  aerial  messenger  of  the  goddess, 
carrying  in  its  beak  two  scrolls  tied  by  a red  band.  The 
frail  craft,  a scarlet  lotus-petal,  floating  on  the  sea  in  the 
foreground,  contains  two  female  figures.  The  goddess  is 
sitting  upon  a rustic  seat  in  the  stern,  dressed  in  con- 
ventional style  in  long  robes  and  floating  scarf  with  a 
short  cloak  of  lotus-leaves  thrown  across  her  shoulders, 
and  holds  a branch  of  sacred  fungus  (Hng-ehih').  The 
standing  figure  in  front  is  her  attendant,  clad  in  a similar 


364 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


costume  with  a deep  collar  of  fig-leaves,  holding  a rosy 
peach  fringed  with  green  leaves,  and  having  a basket  by 
her  side  full  of  flowers  and  Buddha’s-hand  citrons. 

Fig.  56  shows  an  example  of  slip  ” decoration  in 
partial  relief,  painted  in  underglaze  cobalt-blue,  as  well  as 
in  the  enamel  colors,  coral-red,  yellow,  greens  of  different 
shade,  and  black.  It  has  inscribed  underneath  the  usual 
seal-mark  penciled  in  underglaze  blue  of  the  reign  of 
Ymig-cheng.  It  is  a brush  cylinder  (^pi-fung^  of  wide 
low  form  with  swelling  mouth,  decorated  with  an 
appropriate  motive,  Meng  Pi  SJieng  Hua — i.  e.,  ‘^The 
Pencil  Blossoming  in  Dreams.”  On  the  right  a young 
man  in  scholarly  dress  is  reclining  asleep  upon  a couch ; 
his  figure,  and  the  rocks  and  palms  which  rise  in  the 
background,  are  modeled  in  salient  ]-elief.  From  the  top 
of  his  head  proceeds  a scroll  which  unrolls  to  show 
another  scene,  in  which  the  same  figure  is  seated  at  a 
table,  with  ink  upon  the  pallet  and  a brush  in  his  hand^ 
about  to  dash  down  upon  paper  the  poem  evolved  in 
dreamland,  which  he  had  vainly  tried  to  compose  during 
waking  hours.  The  title  of  the  picture,  which  is  given 
above,  is  a half  stanza  from  a classical  poet.  The  Chinese 
artist  always  presents  a dream  as  an  unrolled  scroll  pro- 
ceeding from  the  head  of  the  dreamer  in  this  cpiaint 
fashion. 

Two  little  tea-jars  are  examples  of  modeling  in  relief 
and  openwork  carving,  two  distinct  processes  of  Avork 
which  distinguish  some  of  the  largest  and  most  im- 
poi'tant  Abases  of  the  time.  That  shown  in  Fig.  254 
has  a ring  of  lotus  j^lants  projecting  in  salient  relief 
round  the  base,  and  another  lotus  encircling  the  top 
of  the  cover.  It  is  painted  in  enamel  colors  with 
gilding,  with  a temple  hung  Avith  gold  bells  rising  in 
the  midst  of  the  sea ; with  swallows  flying  in  the  air^ 
and  Avith  a border  of  gilded  diapers  encircling  the 


THE  yung-ch^:ng  period. 


365 


shoulder  alternating  with  wavy  scrolls  painted  in  black. 
The  other  little  jar  of  similar  form  (Fig.  255),  which  has 
the  foot  surrounded  by  a pierced  openwork  scroll,  is 
decorated  with  lotus-leaf-shaped  panels  containing  sprays 
of  peonies,  displayed  upon  a spiral  black  ground,  sprin- 
kled with  blue  bamboo-leaves  and  white  plum-blossoms. 

The  saucer-shaped  dish  in  Fig.  249  (ft)  is  included 
here,  because  it  happens  to  have  the  mark  of  the  reign 
penciled  underneath  in  blue,  encircled  by  a double  ring, 
the  eggshell  plates  of  the  period  being  usually  not 
marked.  It  is  decorated  inside  in  enamel  colors,  with 
a flowering  bulb  of  narcissus,  a spray  of  roses,  and  two 
branching  stems  of  Polyporus  lucidus — the  variegated 
fungus  of  Taoist  sacred  lore.  A favorite  symbolical 
design  upon  imperial  porcelain,  which  was  first  intro- 
duced in  this  reign,  is  that  shown  upon  the  ChHen-lung 
saucer-dish  in  Fig.  249  (i),  which  is  painted  with 
branches  of  sacred  peaches  bearing  both  flowei’s  and 
fruit,  that  wind  over  the  rim  of  the  dish  to  decorate  the 
interior,  and  with  five  flying  bats,  symbols  of  the  five 
happinesses.  It  is  a common  notion  of  the  Chinese  that 
every  decoration  for  imperial  use  must  have  some  recon- 
dite meaning  of  this  kind  and  not  be  introduced  simply 
for  ornament,  like  a landscape  or  a few  sprays  of  simple 
flowers  that  are  thought  sufficient  for  the  ordinary  cups 
and  bowls  that  are  intended  for  more  vulgar  use. 

The  Emperor  Yung-cheng  is  considered  by  the  Chi- 
nese to  have  been  a special  patron  of  the  ceramic 
art,  and  some  of  the  more  elaborate  work  that  distin- 
guislied  the  latter  part  of  the  preceding  reign  was  due 
directly  to  the  interest  he  took  in  it  when  heir-apparent, 
as  described  by  Pere  d’Entrecolles  in  his  lettei-s.  Dur- 
ing his  reign  he  continued  to  send  down  to  Ching-te- 
chen  from  the  imperial  collections  at  Peking  a number 
<'>f  anticpie  ol)jects  and  specimens  of  ancient  glazes  to 


366 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


be  reproduced  in  the  imperial  manufactory.  The  repro- 
ductions are  described  to  have  been  often  more  finished 
and  perfect  than  the  originals,  and  they  figure  as  such  in 
many  a private  collection,  both  in  China  and  abroad. 
Their  variety  and  character  will  be  enumerated  in  the 
next  chapter,  which  is  taken  directly  from  the  official 
records  of  the  time. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


OFFICIAL  LIST  OF  THE  DESIGNS  AND  COLOES  PRODUCED  AT 
THE  IMPERIAL  MANUFACTORY  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  YUNG- 
CHtNG. 

This  list  was  first  published  in  the  Cliiang-lisi-tung- 
chih,  the  General  Descrij)tion  of  the  Province  of 
Kiangsi,  in  which  Ching-te-chen,  with  its  Imperial  Porce- 
lain Manufactory,  is  situated.  I am  translating  it  from 
the  latest  edition  of  this  voluminous  compilation  (book 
xciii,  folio  11-13).  It  is  given  there  under  the  heading, 
An  Old  List  of  the  Different  Colors  of  the  Round  and 
Square  Porcelain,  and  of  the  Vases  ordered  to  be  made 
for  the  Emperor.”  The  following  explanatory  note  is 
added  by  the  editors  below  the  title : With  respectful 

reference  to  the  productions  of  the  imperial  porcelain 
manufactory,  among  the  ornamental  vases  and  jars,  the 
vessels  for  sacrificial  wine  and  for  meat  offerings,  the 
dishes,  bowls,  cups,  and  platters  for  ordinary  use,  ordered 
to  be  sent  in  annual  rotation  to  the  palace,  there  are  so 
many  different  kind  of  things,  that  it  Avould  be  impos- 
sible to  attempt  to  enumerate  them  all.  We  will  ex- 
tract from  Hsieh’s  Description  (of  the  province)  a list  of 
fifty-seven  kinds  given  there,  in  order  to  give  a general 
idea  of  the  porcelain  made  at  the  time.” 

The  first  edition  of  the  Cliiang-lisi4hing-cliili^  we  are 
told  in  the  introduction,  was  pulfiished  in  the  Ming 
dynasty,  in  the  reign  of  Cliia-cliing  (1522-66).  Two 
revised  editions  were  issued  during  the  reign  of  K^ang- 
Itsi  (1662-1722),  and  another  in  the  reign  of  Yung- 
cheng^  which  was  published  in  the  cyclical  year  jen-tzu 

367 


368 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


(1732).  This  last  edition  is  the  one  referred  to  above. 
It  was  compiled  by  Hsieh  Min,  who  was  governor  of  the 
province  of  Kiangsi  from  1729  to  1732.  The  list,  there- 
fore, can  not  be  later  than  1732.  It  was  prepared 
specially  for  the  official  work,  and  affords  an  invaluable 
description  of  the  porcelain  made  in  the  reign  of  Yung- 
cheng^  under  the  superintendence  of  the  director,  Nien 
Hsi-yao,  referred  to  in  the  last  chapter.  This  is  alto- 
gether confirmed  by  the  internal  evidence  of  the  list 
itself,  as  many  of  the  things  described  are  characteristic 
productions  of  his  time,  and  are  still  known  to  Chinese 
collectors  as  Nien  Yao, 

This  list,  with  some  minor  variations,  is  given  by 
Jnlien  (loc.  cit.^  livre  vi,  page  192),  who  quotes  it  from 
the  annals  of  the  city  of  Foii-liang,  under  the  some- 
what misleading  title  Catalogue  des  emaux  et  des  vases 
anciens  ([iCon  imite  d King-te-teliin.  His  translation 
of  the  Chinese,  too,  is  very  inaccurate,  probably  because 
he  was  not  familiar  with  the  objects  described.  I 
venture  to  allude  to  this  because  his  book  is  so  uni- 
versally accepted  as  the  text-book  on  the  subject; 
there  is  no  space  to  notice  all  the  discrepancies,  and 
1 will  therefore  pass  on  at  once  to  the  list : 

“ 1.  Glazes  of  the  Ta-kuan  period,  with  iron  (-colored) 
paste.'^  ^ H§  f[tl).  These  are  of  three  differ- 

ent colors:  (1)  pale  blue,  ov  clair-de-lime  {yueli  imt)  ; (2) 
pale  blue  or  green  {fen  cKing^  ; (3)  dark  green  or  gros 
vert  {ta  lit) — all  of  which  are  copied  from  the  colors  of 
the  glazes  of  specimens  of  the  Sung  dynasty  sent  from 
the  imperial  palace.” 

* Julien’s  rendering  tlie  first  four  examples  is  Exdjyient  enfer.  Excipient  en- 
cuivre,  and  recent  writers  liave  twitted  the  Chinese,  on  his  authority,  for  not 
being  able  to  distinguish  enameled  iron  and  copper  from  porcelain.  The  last 
paragraph,  again,  he  translates;  “ Ces  trois  sortes  d’emaux  avaient  la  couleur 
et  le  lustre  des  vases  des  Song  appeles  Nei-fa-song-khi,  c’est-a-dire  vases  fournis 
pour  I’usage  du  palais  (dans  la  pQY\o(\e  King-te,  1004-1007).”  There  is  no  allu- 
sion to  this  period  in  the  original  text. 


DESIGNS  AND  COLOKS  OF  REIGN  OF  YUNG -CUBING.  369 


The  specimens  wliich  were  sent  out  to  be  copied  must 
have  been  examples  of  the  Kuan  Yao^  the  imperial 
ware  ” of  the  Simg  dynasty,  which  was  described  in 
Chapter  V as  having  been  made  at  the  capital  of  the 
time,  the  modern  K’ai-feng-fii.  It  was  not  till  long  after- 
ward that  it  came  to  be  called  Ta-huan  Yao^  after  the 
name  of  the  period  Ta-huan  (1107-1110),  in  which  it 
was  invented,  to  distinguish  it  from  the  “ imperial 
ware  ” of  more  recent  times. 

2.  Ko  Yao  glazes,  with  iron  (-colored)  paste. 

# ^ fffl). 

These  are  of  two  kinds — (1)  rice-colored,  (2)  pale 
blue,  or  green  (celadon),  both  copied  from  the  colors  of 
the  glazes  of  ancient  pieces  sent  from  the  imperial 
palace.” 

Reproductions  of  the  ancient  crackled  ware  of  the 
S^lng  dynasty  made  at  Liu-t’ien  in  Lung-ch’iian-hsien, 
the  invention  of  which  was  attributed  to  the  elder 
Chang,  from  which  it  derived  its  name  of  Ko  Yao — i.  e., 
Elder  Brother’s  Ware.” 

‘^3.  Uncrackled  Ju  (-chou)  glaze,  with  copj)er  (-col- 
ored)  paste.  (||  # f \k  fffl)- 

‘‘Copied  from  the  color  of  the  glaze  of  two  pieces  of 
the  Sung  dynasty — ^a  cat’s  food-basin  {gnao  skill  p^en\ 
and  a mask-shaped  dish  {jen  mienlisi)^ 

The  traditional  tint  of  the  Ju-chou  porcelain  is  sky- 
bine,  and  the  reproduction  of  the  old  glaze  forms  the  yil 
huo  fien  (King,  “the  blue  of  the  sky  after  rain,”  of 
modern  times.  The  peculiar  shape  of  the  second  piece 
reminds  one  of  the  wine-cup  {^jen  mien  pei)^  molded  in 
the  form  of  a man’s  face,  of  Sung  imperial  ware,  which 
was  descriVjed  in  Chapter  Y.  Such  a cup  would  make 
a convenient  dish  for  washing  {lisi)  pencil-brushes,  for 
which  purpose,  from  its  uneven  surface,  it  ^vould  be  well 
adapted. 


370 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


‘^4.  Ju  (-chou)  glaze  with  fish-roe  crackle  of  copper 
(-colored)  paste.  ^ ^ fffl). 

Copied  from  the  colors  of  the  glaze  of  a piece  of  the 
Sung  dynasty  sent  from  the  imperial  palace.” 

“ 5.  White  Ting  (-chon)  glaze.  (Q  ^ fj). 

Only  one  kind  is  copied,  the  Fen  Ting ; the  other 
variety,  the  Fu  Ting^  is  not  imitated.” 

These  two  varieties  of  ancient  porcelain  have  been 
already  described  and  illustrated.  The  Fen  Ting, 
which  is  composed  of  fine  white  material,  is  enameled 
with  a soft-looking,  ivory-white  glaze,  with  a surface 
either  plain  or  crackled,  generally  the  latter,  as  in  the 
gourd-shaped  vase  illustrated  in  Plate  LXXXIX.  The 
little  vase  in  Fig.  256,  with  foliations  molded  in  slight 
relief  covered  by  a sparsely  crackled  glaze,  is  a piece 
attributed  to  this  period,  fashioned  after  an  ancient 
model. 

6.  Chim  (-chou)  glazes.  fiti). 

“ Five  different  colors  have  been  copied  from  ancient 
specimens  sent  from  the  imperial  palace,  viz.: 

(1)  Pose  crimson  {Mei-huei  Tzii). 

“ (2)  Pyrus  japonica  pink  {Hai-tang  Hung\ 

“ (3)  Aubergine  purple  {Cliieli-])H  Tzii). 

(4)  Plum-colored  blue  {Mei-tzu  Cli’ing^. 

“ (5)  Mule’s  liver  mingled  with  horse’s  lung  (Zo  han 
mafei). 

“ And  besides,  in  addition  to  these,  the  four  following 
varieties  have  been  taken  from  new  acquisitions  : 

(6)  Dark  purple  {Slim  TzHt). 

‘‘  (7)  Rice-colored  {Mi-se'), 

(8)  Sky-blue  {THen  Lan). 

(9)  Furnace-transmutations,  or  flambes  ( Yao  Pien)y 
This  is  the  most  complete  list  we  possess  of  the  colors 

that  were  produced  at  the  Chiin-chou  potteries  during 
the  Sung  dynasty,  and  the  whole  empire  must  have 


DESIGNS  AND  COLORS  OF  REIGN  OF  YUNG-CHI:NG.  371 


been  ransacked  in  order  to  get  together  so  many 
treasures  to  be  copied.  The  colors,  it  should  be  noticed, 
are  all  those  of  the  grand  feu^  produced  by  ditferent 
combinations  of  oxide  of  copper  and  cobaltiferous  oxide 
of  manganese,  transmuted  b}^  the  flames,  oxidizing  or 
reducing  according  to  circumstances,  of  the  large  furnace. 
The  skill  of  the  potters  in  this  line  at  this  particular 
period  has  never  been  rivaled,  and  their  work  often 
figures  in  collections  among  the  genuine  antiques,  for  the 
form  as  well  as  the  color  of  the  original  seems  generally 
to  have  been  carefully  reproduced.  A striking  example 
of  a shaped  bowl  of  antique  form,  exhibiting  the  Pyrus 
japonica  glaze  ” — a pink  ground  flecked  with  darker  red 
— was  illustrated  in  Fig.  126.  This  is  marked  Yung- 
cheng  underneath,  indicating  that  it  was  an  avowed 
reproduction  of  this  time.  An  original  piece  of  the 
Sung  dynasty  is  illustrated  in  colors  in  Plate  XCIV. 
The  names  of  the  colors  are  generally  sufficiently 
descriptive  of  the  varied  shades,  but  no  two  pieces  of  the 
time  are  exactly  alike,  and  some  of  the  most  brilliant 
successes  in  the  originals,  as  well  as  in  the  attempts  at 
reproduction,  must  have  often  been  due  to  mere  hazard. 

7.  Reproductions  of  the  copper-red  of  Hsiian-te  por- 
celain. {'f^  ^ ^ ^ Two  varieties  are  in- 

, eluded : 

(1)  the  clear  red  (^Hsien  Hung^. 

“ (2)  The  ruby  red  {Pao-shih  Hunger 

The  bright  red  of  ruby  tint  derived  from  copper  was 
used  in  the  reign  of  Hman-te  as  the  color  of  the  sacri- 
ficial cups  which  were  employed  by  the  emperor  in  the 
worship  of  the  sun.  Hence  the  name  of  chi  hung^ 
which  means  ‘‘sacrificial  red,”  when  it  is  properly 
written.  The  character  used  above  is  a borro^ved  one  of 
the  same  sound,  which  means  “ clear  sky,”  and  is  prop- 
erly used  only  for  the  next  glaze.  Other  unauthor> 


372 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


ized  characters  are  sometimes  substituted  by  writers 
who  are  ignorant  of  the  derivation  of  the  term,  the 
strangest  of  which  is  chi  Tiung^  chicken-red,”  on  which 
M.  Grandidier  seems  to  base  his  term  sang  du  poulet. 

8.  Reproduction  of  the  deep  blue  of  Hsuande  porce- 
lain,  ("te  ^ ^ p W). 

“ The  color  of  this  glaze  is  deep  and  somewhat 
reddish;  it  has  an  orange-peel  texture  and  palm  eyes.” 

The  orange-peel  texture  refers  to  its  undulatory  sur- 
face ; the  “palm  eyes”  are  due  to  the  production  of  tiny 
bubbles  in  the  glaze.  The  color  is  of  purplish  tint ; it  is 
generally  crackled,  and  the  saucer-dishes  on  which  it 
often  occurs  are  usually  found  marked  underneath  with 
the  seal  of  Hsuan-te^  lightly  impressed  under  the  glaze. 

“ 9.  Reproductions  of  colored  glazes  of  the  Imperial 
Manufactory,  (ft  f®). 

“These  are  of  three  kinds:  (1)  Eel-yellow  {Shan-yil 
Huang^.  (2)  Snake-skin  green  {slie-pi  Lii).  (3)  Varie- 
gated yellow  {Huang  pan  tien)y 

These  three  glazes,  which  were  invented  in  the  pre- 
ceding reign  of  K^ang-Jisihj  Ts’ang  Ying-hsiian  during 
his  directorship,  have  been  described  in  Chapter  X. 

“ 10.  Lung-cKuan  glazes.  fj). 

“These  are  of  two  shades,  pale  {cKie^i)  and  deep 
{slien)y 

The  Lung-di'uan  glaze  of  this  time,  which  derives  its 
name  from  the  place  where  the  old  celadons  of  the  Sung 
dynasty  were  made,  is  of  a pronounced  greenish  tone, 
and  it  is  often  called  tou-cKing^  oi*  “ pea-green,”  for  that 
reason.  The  color  was  produced  by  the  addition  of  a 
little  cobalt  to  the  next  glaze,  which  is  the  celadon  proper. 
The  Lung-clt^ilan  glaze  is  well  represented  in  Plate  LXXI, 
and  in  the  ground  color  of  the  fish-bowl  illustrated  in 
Plate  XXXVI. 

“11.  lung  CliHng  ^ f®). 


DESIGNS  AND  COLORS  OF  REIGN  OF  YUNG-CH^ING.  373 


These  are  of  two  shades,  pale  (chHen^  and  dark 

(slie7i)y 

This  color,  the  sea-green  celadon,  takes  its  name,  which 
means  eastern  green,”  from  the  fact  that  its  celebrated 
prototype  was  made  at  K’ai-feng-fii,  the  eastern  capital  of 
China  in  the  early  part  of  the  Sung  dynasty.  Whatever 
may  have  been  the  materials  of  the  old  color,  the  recent 
reproductions  owe  their  tint  to  the  addition  to  the 
ordinary  Avhite  glaze  of  a very  small  proportion  of  the 
ferruginous  clay  (liimng-tu)^  which  produced  the  dead- 
leaf  ” brown  (^tz'u-cliin).  The  typical  celadon  color  is 
too  well  known  to  need  description ; it  is,  according  to 
Salvetat,  un  ton  pale  clair  legerement  bleuatre,  analogue 
au  ton  de  certains  verres  de  gobeletterie.”  The  peculiar 
clear  translucency  is  difficult  to  i-eproduce  on  paper,  but 
the  shade  of  color  is  perfectly  represented  in  Plates  VII 
and  XXXVIII ; the  last  vase  is  one  attributed  to  the 
Yung-cheng  period. 

^^12.  Reproduction  of  rice-colored  glaze  of  the  Sung 
dynasty.  ('W  M ^ f®)- 

“This  has  been  taken  from  fj*agments  of  broken 
pottery  discovered  in  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  manufactory 
of  the  Simg  dynasty  at  a place  called  Hsiang-hu,  situated 
twenty  U to  the  eastward  of  Ching-te-chen,  both  the 
colored  glaze  and  the  foi’in  of  which  have  been  repro- 
duced.” 

“ 13.  Reproduction  of  pale-blue  (oi-  green)  glaze  of  the 
Sung  dynasty,  (t^  W ^ f®)- 

“ The  specimens  copied  here  in  form  and  color  were 
obtained  at  the  same  time  as  the  rice-colored  pieces  of  the 
Simg  dynasty  just  referi’ed  to.” 

“ 14.  Repi’oduction  of  the  oil -green  glaze.  (tt  ifi 

“ This  was  copied  from  an  ancient  piece  of  the  fui’iiace- 
transmutation  {yao  pievi^  class  sent  from  the  imperial 


374 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


palace^  the  color  of  which  resembled  moss-green  jade 
yi()^  having  a brilliant  ground  variegated  with 
mottled  tints  of  antique  rare  beauty.” 

There  is  a small  vase  of  the  peach-bloom  ” type  illus^ 
trated  in  Plate  L,  which  answers  remarkably  well  to  this 
description,  being  invested  with  a green  glaze  variegated 
with  streaks  and  mottled  clouds  of  deepest  emei’ald,. 
passing  into  olive  as  they  run  down  across  the  field. 

“ 15.  The  Chlin  (-chou)  glaze  of  the  muffle  stove. 

^ fii). 

The  color  of  this  is  between  that  of  the  Canton 
pottery  ware  and  that  of  the  enamel  of  the  Yi-hsing 
‘ boccaro  ’ stoneware,^'  and  it  excels  these  in  its  markings 
and  in  the  changing  tints  of  its  flowing  drops.” 

This  glaze  is  the  robin’s  egg  ” of  the  American 
collector,  and  no  better  name  could  be  imagined  for  it. 
It  has  greenish-blue  dappling  and  flecking  on  a reddish 
ground,  the  green  being  subordinate  to  the  blue.  The 
term  muffle  ” is  added  to  distinguish  it  from  the  high- 
flred  Chlin-chou  glazes  which  are  described  above  and 
under  No.  6,  but  in  modern  usage  this  is  generally  omitted^ 
now  that  the  other  glazes  are  no  longer  prepared,  so  that 
the  robin’s  egg  ” is  the  Chlin  yu  ” of  the  present  day. 
The  glaze  is  prepared,  according  to  the  GhHng-te-chen 
T\io  lu  (book  iii,  folio  12),  by  combining  nitre,  rock- 
crystal,  and  cobaltiferous  manganese  with  the  materials 
of  the  ordinary  white  glaze. 

13.  Oil’s  glazes. 

These  have  been  copied  from  productions  of  the 
ancient  potter  named  Ou.  There  are  two  varieties  made, 
one  with  red  markings  (Jmmg  wen^^  the  other  with  blue 
markings  (Ian 

This  potter  flourished  in  the  dynasty  at  Yi-hsing- 

*The  references  liere  are,  doubtless,  to  the  glazes  of  these  two  potteries 
described  in  the  next  two  sections. 


DESIGI^S  AND  COLORS  OF  REIGN  OF  YUNG-CH^:NG.  375 


hsien,  near  Shanghai,  in  the  province  of  Kiangnan,  where 
he  made  a red  stoneware,  the  kind  known  to  us  from  a 
Portuguese  word  as  boccaro  ware,  w^hich  is  still  made 
there. 

17.  Glaze  flecked  with  blue.  (W  fffl). 

This  has  been  copied  from  the  colored  glaze  of  an 
ancient  piece  of  Kuang  Yao  sent  from  the  imperial 
palace.” 

The  Kuang-Yao  ” is  the  brown  stoneware  made  in 
the  province  of  Kuangtung,  at  Kiang-yang-hsien,  in  the 
prefecture  of  Chao-ch’ing-fu.  An  example  is  illustrated 
in  the  statuette  of  Bodhi-dharma  in  Plate  XLI. 

‘‘  18.  Clair-de-lune  glaze.  Q f^). 

“ The  color  resembles  very  closely  that  of  the  Ta-kuan 
glaze  (No.  1),  but  the  paste  of  the  porcelain  is  white. 
The  glaze  is  not  crackled.  There  are  two  shades — pale 
(cldien)  and  deep  (slieri)^ 

This  is  the  pale  sky-blue  glaze  derived  from  cobalt 
which  is  one  of  the  choicest  and  most  characteristic  single 
colors  of  the  period.  It  is  of  the  monochrome  tint  of 
the  vase  of  the  preceding  reign,  which  is  illustrated  in 
Plate  LI. 

19.  Co^^ies  of  Hsuan  (-te)  porcelain  decorated  in 
ruby-red.  ^ # ^)- 

There  are  four  varieties:  (1)  With  three  fishes,  (2) 
with  three  fruits,  (3)  with  three  ling -chilly  (4)  with  five 
bats,  symbols  of  the  five  happinesses.” 

The  designs  were  painted  sur  biscuit  in  copper-red,  as 
described  in  Chapter  VII.  The  name  oi  pao-sliao — i.  e., 
‘‘ruby-fired” — comes  from  an  old  tradition  that  powdered 
ruViies  were  mixed  with  the  glaze ; amethystine  quartz  is 
really  used  in  the  present  day,  but  this  has  nothing  to  do 
with  the  red  color,  which  is  a copper  silicate. 

“ 20.  Copies  of  the  Lung-ch’uan  glaze  decorated  in 
rnby-red.  f|  f[H  « ^). 


376 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


This  is  a new  process,  introduced  during  the  reigning 
dynasty.  There  are  also  the  following  four  kinds  of 
decoration  : (1)  With  three  fishes,  (2)  with  three  fruits, 
(3)  with  three  ling-cMli^  (4)  with  five  bats.” 

The  color  of  the  ground  and  the  effect  of  the  red 
decoration  may  be  seen  from  a glance  at  the  fish-bowl 
illustrated  in  Plate  XXXVI,  which  is  fashioned  in  the 
similitude  of  a lotus-leaf  with  the  details  of  the  plant 
picked  out  in  copper-red  on  the  ground  of  greenish  celadon. 
Of  the  different  decorations  given  above,  the  three  fruits 
are  most  frequently  seen  on  the  outside  of  globular  jars, 
for  instance,  which  are  ornamented  with  peaches,  pome- 
granates, and  Buddha’s-hand  citrons  in  the  shape  of  three 
medallions.  The  outlines  and  leaves  are  occasionally 
touched  in  cobalt-blue,  penciled  under  the  glaze  at  the 
same  time  as  the  copper-red. 

The  small  ovoid  vase  in  Fig.  258  offers  a charming 
example  of  the  decorative  effect  of  these  two  colors  in 
combination.  The  irregular  splash  that  covei’s  one-third 
of  its  surface  is  of  the  deepest  and  most  brilliantly  scin- 
tillating ruby  color  in  the  middle,  and  shades  off  to 
crimson  and  pinkish  mottled  tints,  as  it  gradually  fades 
away  into  the  celadon  ground  which  invests  the  rest  of 
the  vase. 

^‘21.  Turquoise  glazes.  ^ 

These  are  copied  from  three  varieties  sent  from  the 
imperial  palace  : (1)  Plain  turquoise  {su  (2)  fiecked 

with  blue  {clCing  tien)^  (3)  fiecked  with  gold  (c/m?  tien)y 
The  turquoise  glaze,  produced  by  a combination  of 
oxide  of  copper  with  a flux  containing  nitre,  and  apjfiied 
sttr  biscuit,  is  finely  crackled.  It  is  called  by  the  Chinese 
fei-tshii,  from  the  similarity  of  its  tint  to  that  of  the  azure 
plumes  of  the  kingfislier  which  are  extensively  used  by 
them  in  jewelry.  It  is  represented  in  nearly  a hundred 
shapes  in  the  collection,  and  some  of  its  different  shades 


DESIGNS  AND  COLOES  OF  EEIGN  OF  YUNG-CH^:NG.  377 


may  be  seen  reproduced  in  Plates  XLIV,  LXXXIV, 
XLV,  and  LXXV.  The  second  variety  referred  to 
above,  where  it  is  hecked  with  purple,  is  not  rare,  but 
the  third  variety,  the  gold-spotted  turquoise  glaze,  is 
quite  unfamiliar  to  me. 

22.  The  souffle  red  glaze.  m II  ffl).” 

The  method  of  application  of  this  glaze  has  been 
described  by  Pere  d’Entrecolles  in  the  last  chapter,  and 
a specimen  was  exhibited  there  in  Fig.  242,  of  the  kind 
with  a ruby-red  ground  derived  from  copper  silicate. 
There  is  also  a souffle  iron-red  of  coral  tint,  produced  by 
sprinkling  the  prepared  oxide  upon  the  white  glaze  of 
porcelain  that  has  been  previously  fired  in  the  large  fur- 
nace, and  fixed  by  baking  the  piece  a second  time  in  the 
muffle  stove.  There  is  a charming  example  of  this  before 
us  in  Fig.  259 ; a vase  with  a four-clawed  dragon  in  pur- 
suit of  the  jewel  worked  in  relief  in  the  paste,  huished 
with  the  graving  tool,  and  I’eserved  under  the  translucent 
white  glaze,  while  the  rest  of  the  surface  is  covered  with 
a coral-red  of  soft  tone,  shading  off  into  paler  tints  as  it 
merges  into  the  irregular  edge  of  the  dragon  medallion. 
The  stippled  texture,  displaying  an  infinity  of  minute 
mottled  points,  indicates  its  souffle  application. 

“ 23.  The  souffle  blue  glaze.  ^ 

This  was  also  described  in  the  last  chapter.  The  cli^ui- 
eliing  glaze,  often  called  powder-blue,”  is  one  of  the 
chief  triumphs  of  the  Chinese  potter,  and  shows  at  its 
best,  perhaps,  when  left  as  a single  color,  neither  penciled 
over  with  gold  nor  contrasted  with  bright  enamel  colors, 
as  is  often  the  case.  Xothino;  could  be  more  maomificent 
than  the  vase,  eighteen  inches  high,  illustrated  in  Fig. 
260,  in  its  brilliant  blue  coat  of  intense  mazarin  tint,  the 
ground  flecked  with  darker  spots,  displaying,  as  it  does, 
every  shade  of  pui'e  color  flashing  out  from  the  depths  of 
a translucent  medium.  The  prepared  cobalt  material  is 


378 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


blown  upon  tlie  raw  body  of  the  piece,  which  is  subse- 
quently glazed  and  fired  in  the  large  furnace,  so  that  it 
gradually  penetrates  the  glaze,  liquefied  by  the  heat  of 
the  grand  feu.  The  glaze  must  not  be  of  a hard  nature^ 
we  are  told,  like  that  of  the  white  porcelain ; it  must  be 
liquefied  by  having  a larger  proportion  of  chalk  in  its 
composition,  otherwise  the  color  will  not  penetrate. 

‘‘  24.  Copies  of  Yung-lo  porcelain,  including  pieces  of 
eggshell  (fo-tai),,  of  plain  white  (su-paif  and  with  en- 
graved {chui)  and  embossed  (hung^  designs. 

m).” 

These  varieties  are  all  w ell  known  to  collectors,  but 
very  many  of  the  pieces  that  figure  in  collections  as  genu- 
ine relics  of  early  Ming  date  are  copies,  with  the  original 
designs  and  marks  carefully  reproduced,  that  came  from 
the  workshops  of  the  pei  iod  we  are  discussing.  They 
are  too  jierfect  in  technical  finish,  and  never  show  the 
irregularity  of  shape  and  pitting  of  glaze  that  so  fi*e- 
quently  mark  the  ancient  porcelain.  The  quality,  in 
short,  is  exactly  that  of  the  decorated  eggshell  plates  of 
the  same  date,  and  I have  heard  it  argued  from  this  fact 
that  the  latter  must  really  date  from  the  reign  of  Yung-lo,. 
even  if  they  were  painted  in  subsequent  times ; they  are 
really  contemporaiy  ; it  is  only  that  the  white  eggshell  is 
ante-dated.  For  a genuine  early  specimen  of  this  class^ 
refer  to  Fig.  70. 

25.  Copies  of  porcelain  of  the  reigns  of  Wan-li,  and 
of  Cheng-te,  decorated  in  the  five  colors. 

The  five-colored  decoration  of  the  Wan-U  period  was 
executed  in  ovei’glaze  enamel  colors,  with  the  exception 
of  the  cobalt-blue,  which  was  previously  painted  on  the 
raw  body  before  glazing.  It  is  illustrated  in  Figs.  167 
and  106.  That  of  the  reign  of  Chmg-te,  of  more  archaic 
style,  was  in  coloi-ed  glazes,  which  were  laid  upon  the 


DESIGNS  AND  COLORS  OF  REION  OF  YUN0-CHI:N0.  379 


unbaked  paste,  worked  in  outline  and  chiseled,  and  which 
were  fired  in  the  grand  feu.  A reproduction  of  this  class 
with  the  Clieng-te  mark  impressed  underneath  the  vase, 
which  may  date  from  the  time  Ave  are  considering,  has 
been  given  in  Fig.  162. 

26.  Copies  of  porcelain  of  the  reign  of  CKeng-hua, 
decorated  in  the  five  colors.  ('fe  ^ tL  ^ it  ^ 
^ M).”  This  has  been  discussed  at  sufficient  length  in 


Chapter  VII. 

27.  Copies  of  porcelain  of  the  reign  of  Hsuan-te,  Avith 
painted  designs  on  a yellow  ground.  m Mm 

This  refers  probably  to  pieces  painted  in  colored  glazes, 
Avith  the  designs  relieved  by  an  enameled  yelloAV  ground. 
I have  seen  boAvls  and  saucer-dishes  of  the  kind,  dec- 
orated Avith  peonies — the  flowers  violet  and  the  leaves 
green — surrounded  by  a yelloAv  ground,  Avhich  had  the 
mark  of  Hsuan-te  underneath.  The  finely  modeled  vase 
illustrated  in  Fig.  261,  although  it  has  no  mark,  is  an 
example  of  a similar  technique,  Avhich  is  to  be  attributed 
probably  to  this  reign  of  Yung-clieng.  It  is  decorated 
AA  ith  peonies,  chrysanthemums,  and  daisies,  groAving  from 
rocks,  AAuth  a butterfly  or  tAvo  flying  in  the  intervals. 
The  details  of  the  decoration  are  all  lightly  engraved  in 
the  paste.  The  colors  are  gi’een  and  purple,  with  a feAv 
touches  of  Avhite,  displayed  upon  a background  of  pure 
bright  yelloAA^,  Avhich  is  minutely  crackled  throughout. 
Tlie  foot  is  coated  Avith  the  same  truite  yelloAv  glaze 
underneath,  and  has  no  mark  attached. 

“ 28.  The  cloisonne  blue  glaze.  ('^  ^ f[|). 

“ The  combination  of  this  glaze  is  founded  upon  recent 
experiments.  Compared  Avith  the  pui‘plish-blue  glaze 
(described  under  No.  8),  it  is  deeper  and  more  brilliant, 
and  it  has  no  orange-peel  markings  or  uiinute  bubbles 
(palm-spots).” 


380 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


The  character (the  first  of  the  three)  is  used  here 
as  a contraction  for  fa-lang^  cloisonne  enamel.”  The 
color  referred  to  is  that  generally  known  by  the  name  of 
pao-sliih  lan^  or  sapphire-blue,”  which  was  introduced 
about  this  time,  and  which  is  illustrated  in  Plate 
XXIX. 

29.  Copies  of  European  figures  and  models  after  life 
executed  with  carving  and  embossed  work.  mmn 

Sets  of  the  five  sacrificial  utensils  (wu  hung^,  dishes 
plates  (tieli)^  vases  {pHng)^  and  boxes  (ho)^  and 
the  like,  are  also  decorated  with  coloied  pictures  painted 
in  the  European  style.” 

We  saw,  in  the  last  chapter,  in  Pere  d’Entrecolles’s 
letters,  that  porcelain  was  made  at  Ching-te-chen  for 
export  to  Europe,  and  painted  with  foreign  designs 
brought  there  by  Cantonese  traders ; and  he  also  tells  us 
that  the  mandarin  in  charge  asked  him  to  procure  new 
designs  from  Europe,  so  that  he  might  make  more  novel- 
ties for  presentation  at  court.  Here  we  learn  that  such 
tilings  were  made  at  the  imperial  manufactory  and  sent 
direct  to  the  emperor  at  Peking. 

On  the  other  hand,  many  of  the  sovereigns  of  Europe 
sent  to  China  about  this  time  for  services  of  porcelain,  to 
be  decorated  for  them  and  painted  with  their  coats  of 
arms.  Most  collections  of  Oriental  porcelain  contain 
specimens  of  ‘‘  armorial  china,”  the  majority  of  it  dating 
from  this  reign  and  the  succeeding  one ; some  from  the 
earlier  reign  of  ICang-hsi.  A selection  has  been  pub- 
lished with  the  pieces  illustrated  in  colors  by  W.  Griggs, 
London,'^*  and  the  date  is  often  fixed  by  tracing  back  the 
piece  to  its  original  owner.  The  mug,  for  example,  in 
Part  IV  of  his  work,  decorated  in  coral-red,  gold,  and 

* Illustrations  of  Armorial  Ch ilia.  Privately  printed.  One  hundred  copies 
only.  1887. 


DESIGNS  AND  COLORS  OF  REIGN  OF  YUNG-CH^NG.  381 


black,  which  has  the  arms,  crest,  and  supporters  of 
Thomas  Trevor,  created  Baron  Trevor  of  Bromham, 
December  31,  1711,  emblazoned  upon  it,  must  have 
been  made  in  this  reign,  because  Lord  Trevor  died  June 
19,  1730,  the  impaled  arms  being  those  of  his  second 
wife,  Anne,  daughter  of  Robert  Weldon,  Esq. 

A teapot  of  armorial  china,”  with  a ducal  coronet 
upon  it,  is  illustrated  in  Fig.  262,  and  a vase  painted  with 
copies  of  European  pictures  by  a Chinese  artist  in  Fig. 
263.  The  vase  shown  in  Fig.  264  is  one  of  the  class 
fashioned  in  European  style,  with  branches  of  fruit 
molded  round  the  pedestal,  and  a delicate  interlacement 
of  wild  roses  and  other  flowers  filling  the  hollows  of  the 
flowing  bandlike  handles ; it  is  decorated  in  gold  with 
phoenixes  and  dragons,  the  latter  painted  on  the  outside 
of  the  handles,  witli  their  centipede  bodies  and  winged 
insect  heads,  and  of  very  un-Chinese  aspect. 

30.  Copies  of  porcelain,  painted  in  monochrome 
yellow,  with  chiseled  green  designs. 

m ^ M).” 


The  porcelain  copied  here  must  have  belonged  to  the 
class  decorated  in  mixed  enamel  colors,  which  I have 
olescribed  under  the  reign  of  K\mg-lisi^  at  the  end  of 
Chapter  X.  The  designs  of  flowers,  dragons,  phoenixes, 
etc.,  were  chiseled  in  the  paste,  and  filled  in  with  green 
enamel,  while  the  rest  of  the  surface  was  enameled  yellow, 
the  two  colors  being  laid  on  with  a bnish  sur  hiscuit. 

“31.  Copies  of  monochi*ome-yellow  porcelain.  m 


“ Two  kinds  are  made : (1)  With  plain  gi*ound  (sit  ti), 
(2)  Avith  engraved  designs  (chu/i  liuct)^ 

The  word  clnao^  used  here,  means  litei’ally  “ watered,” 
but  it  does  not  imply  the  idea  of  “ pale,”  as  it  is  some- 
times rendered  ; this  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  in  the 
modern  lists  it  is  replaced  by  another  character  of  the 


382 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


same  sound,  meaning  “ bright  ” or  pretty  it  is  used 
only  of  single  colors.  The  tint  of  the  ‘‘  imperial  yellow  ” 
of  the  time  was  orange,  due  to  the  presence  of  iron  with 
the  antimony.  It  is  the  prohibited  color  ” of  the  present 
day,  sacred  to  the  emperor,  and  is  often  enameled  over 
imperial  five-clawed  dragons,  disporting  in  clouds  chiseled 
in  the  paste  under  the  glaze. 

“ 32.  Copies  of  monochrome  purple-brown  porcelain. 

There  are  two  varieties  made  : (1)  With  plain  ground 
(su  t'l),  (2)  with  etched  designs  (clmi  hua)y 

The  Cliiao  Tzu  is  the  purplish-brown  single  color,  pro- 
duced by  the  cobaltiferous  ore  of  manganese  (cKing  liao\ 
which  shares  with  the  “ imperial  yellow,”  and  the  trans- 
parent green  of  camellia-leaf  tint,  the  distinction  of  being 
used  for  the  emperor’s  services  of  porcelain. 

“33.  Porcelain  with  engraved  designs.  m.  m ^ 


M). 

“ All  the  different  kinds  of  glazes  may  have  this 
decoration.” 

The  engraved  designs  (clmi  hud)  are  etched  at  the 
point  with  a graving  tool  in  the  paste  of  the  piece  before 
it  is  quite  dry,  and  it  is  subsequently  glazed  by  immer- 
sion, or  by  sprinkling. 

The  white  vase  (Fig.  265)  of  the  “Fen-Ting”  class 
is  an  example  of  this  work,  having  on  the  front  and 
back  of  its  swelling  body  the  figure  of  a five-clawed 
dragon,  enveloped  in  clouds,  delicately  etched  in  the 
paste  under  the  ivory-white  glaze. 

“ 34.  Porcelain  with  embossed  designs. 

M). 

“ These  may  be  associated  with  all  the  different  kinds 
of  glazes.” 

The  embossed  designs  (tad  hud)  are  worked  in  relief 
upon  the  paste,  the  outlines  having  been  previously  traced 


DESIGNS  AND  COLOKS  OF  REIGN  OF  YUNG-CH^NG.  383 


with  a graver,  and  any  additional  paste  required  is  applied 
by  a brush.  Pdte-mr-pdte  reliefs  are  now  executed  on 
porcelain  in  this  way  all  over  the  world.  The  reign  of 
Yung-cheng  is  especially  distinguished  for  this  kind  of 
work. 

‘‘35.  Coral-red  porcelain.  m n ^ M). 

“ Reproduced  from  old  pieces.” 

The  term  Mo  Hung  is  a]3plied  to  the  process  of  paint- 
ing the  coral-red  monochrome  derived  from  iron  over  the 
glaze  with  an  ordinary  brush.  The  characteristic  tones 
of  color  are  perfectly  exhibited  in  Plates  XXXII  and 
XCII. 

“ 36.  Porcelain  decorated  in  coral-red.  ^ 

M). 

“ Reproduced  from  old  specimens.” 

The  term  Hal  Hung  means  “ Painting  in  red,”  just  as 
Tshii  Shui-mo  (No.  40)  means  “ Painting  in  black.”  It  is 
applied  to  the  art  of  penciling  the  decoration  in  coral-red 
over  the  glaze,  the  piece  being  fii*ed  afterward  in  the 
muffle  stove.  Plate  LXVII  displays  a peerless  model. 

“ 37.  Porcelain  enameled  yellow  after  the  European 
style.  (®  # ^ ^ ^ M).” 

The  heading  leaves  it  an  open  question  whether  it  was 
the  form  of  the  pieces,  or  the  enamel  color,  that  was 
modeled  after  the  European  style.  In  all  probability  it 
was  the  color,  and  the  beautiful  lemon-yellow,  which 
makes  its  appearance  now  for  the  first  time  on  Chinese 
porcelain,  would  be  the  new  shade  indicated.  The  tint  is 
perfectly  shown  in  the  ground  of  the  vase  which  is  illus- 
trated in  Plate  LXY. 

“ 38.  Porcelain  enameled  purple  after  the  European 
style. 

“39.  Silvered  porcelain.  ^ ^ fill).” 

The  term  3Io  J i?iy  “Painting  with  silver,”  refers  to 
the  application  of  the  metal  in  the  form  of  an  ena]]iel  as  a 


384 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


single  color.  It  was  not  spread  upon  white  porcelain,  but 
over  a coat  of  pale  golden  tint,  lightly  colored  with  the 
^‘dead-leaf”  or  tzu-chin  glaze.  The  enamel  had  to  be 
gently  fired  in  the  muffle  stove  on  account  of  the  fugitive 
nature  of  the  silver. 

40.  Porcelain  decorated  in  ink  black.'^  7lc  M 

The  decoration  of  porcelain  by  pictures  penciled  in 
black  or  sepia  was  a novelty  introduced  at  this  time. 
Pere  d’Entrecolles  describes  in  the  last  paragraph  of  his 
second  letter  how  attempts  have  been  made  to  paint 
vases  with  the  finest  Chinese  ink,  but  all  in  vain,  as  the 
porcelain  always  came  out  white — a result  not  very  sur- 
prising— as  the  carbon  to  which  the  color  of  Chinese 
ink  is  due  would  be  immediately  dissipated  in  the  fur- 
nace. The  ruby-backed  eggshell  plate  shown  in  Fig.  230 
is  a fine  example  of  painting  in  sepia,  having  the  encir- 
cling bands  of  basket-work,  diaper,  and  brocaded  patterns^ 
as  well  as  the  picture  which  forms  its  main  decoration, 
all  penciled  in  that  tint.  The  picture  represents  the 
dragon  procession  of  the  great  midsummer  festival,  which 
is  celebrated  throughout  China  on  the  fifth  day  of  the 
fifth  moon.  The  large  barge  made  in  the  form  of  a 
dragon,  attended  by  a smaller  boat  with  a band  of  music,, 
is  being  towed  along  a river,  accompanied  by  two  lines  of 
horsemen.  The  banks  are  fringed  with  willoAvs,  and  the 
crenelated  wall  of  a city  is  seen  in  the  background, 
which  is  filled  in  with  the  usual  details  of  a Chinese 
landscape. 

^‘41.  Reproductions  of  pieces  of  pure  white  porcelain  of 
the  reign  of  Hsilan-te. 

‘^In  Julien’s  list,  which  is  extracted  from  the  Fou-liang-hsien  Chili,  there  is 
an  interesting  note  attached  here,  which  is  made,  however,  into  a separate 
heading.  It  says  that  “ by  the  new  process  the  details  of  landscapes  and  figure 
scenes,  flowering  plants  and  birds,  are  all  executed  with  shading,  so  as  to  repro- 
duce the  light  and  dark  strokes  in  the  original  pen-and-ink  drawing.” 


DESIGNS  AND  COLOES  OF  EEIGN  OF  YUNG-CH^:NG.  385 


These  include  many  different  objects,  thick  and  thin^ 
large  and  small.” 

The  first  word  in  the  compound  term  tHen-pai  used 
here  (the  fourth  and  fifth  characters)  means  ‘‘  filled  in,” 
or  ‘‘  fully,”  but  another  word  having  the  signification  of 
“pure”  is  often  substituted  for  it.  Few  ceramic  terms 
have,  however,  given  rise  to  so  much  misunderstanding, 
owing  to  a gratuitous  assumption  that  it  was  glazed  white 
in  order  to  be  afterwards  “ filled  in  ” with  enamel  colors. 
So  Du  Sartel  creates  a class  with  the  heading  of  “Then 
Pai,”  to  include  a variety  of  objects  painted  in  colors  sur 
biscuit — a class  which,  as  Grandidier  justly  observes, 
threatens  to  remain  without  a member  to  represent  it. 
The  “ pure  white  ” porcelain  of  the  time,  which  was  said 
to  rival  the  finest  and  most  translucent  white  jade,  has 
been  already  sufficiently  described  in  Chapter  VII,  under 
the  reign  of  Hsuan-te  (1426-35). 

“ 42.  Copies  of  Chia  (-cliing)  Porcelain  painted  in 

blue,  ^ W W” 

The  blue  and  white  decoration  of  the  Cliia-cliing 
period  (1522-66)  Avas  distinguished  for  its  deep,  strong 
coloring.  It  has  been  fully  described  already,  and  is  well 
illustrated  in  Plate  XLIX. 

“ 43.  Copies  of  CIC eng-lvua  Blue  and  White  Porcelain 
Avith  the  decorations  penciled  in  pale  blue.  (ft  « -ft 

Beproductions  of  this  period  are  much  more  common 
in  collections  than  the  originals,  although  genuine  pieces 
occasionally  occur.  They  are  small  in  size,  boxes  for 
seal  vermilion,  miniature  vases,  Avine-cups,  oi*  tiny  saucers, 
and  usually  have  the  mark  of  Cli^eng-lma  (1465-8T) 
delicately  penciled  underneath  in  the  same  gi’ay-toned 
blue  Avith  Avhich  the  decoration  is  painted.  The  tech- 
nique of  the  draAving  in  these  jiieces  is  remarkable  for 
its  clear  penciling  and  miniature-like  finish,  and  a small 


386 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


round  box,  as  well  as  its  cover,  will  often  be  found  most 
elaborately  painted  both  inside  and  outside. 

44.  Rice-colored  glazes  f®). 

These  differ  from  the  reproduction  of  the  rice-colored 
glaze  of  the  Sung  dynasty  (No.  12).  They  are  of  two 
kinds : (1)  pale  (cli’ien')]  (2)  deep  (slien). 

^^45.  Porcelain  decorated  with  underglaze  red.  (fj 

K 11  ^ M). 

In  one  class  of  pieces  (1)  the  decoration  is  entirely 
painted  in  the  underglaze  red ; another  class  (2)  has 
green  leaves  in  combination  with  red  flowers.” 

The  term  yu-li-hung  (the  first  three  of  the  group  of 
five  Chinese  characters  immediately  above  this)  means 
literally  red  inside  the  glaze  ” ; the  color,  due  to  copper 
silicate,  ranges  from  a bright  ‘^peach-bloom”  tint  to  a 
dull  maroon.  It  is  a color  of  the  grand  feu  of  very 
ancient  origin  in  China. 

The  two  classes  given  above  may  be  illustrated  by  two 
beautiful  vases,  both  dating  from  the  preceding  reign  of 
K'^angdid : 

1.  Heavy  solid  vase  (Fig.  229),  of  finished  form  and 
technique,  decorated  in  maroon  copper-red,  under  a white 
glaze  of  harmonious  translucent  tone,  with  five  horizontal 
bands  of  dragons  and  other  grotesque  monsters  in  scrolled 
sea- waves,  separated  by  narrower  bands  of  diaper  and 
lozenge  fret,  and  with  two  rings  of  formal  foliations 
encircling  the  lip.  The  “ six-cliaracter  mark  ” of  the 
reign  of  K'^ang-Jisi  (1662-1722)  is  penciled  underneath 
in  cobalt-blue  in  the  style  of  the  “ peach-bloom  ” vases. 

2.  A small  vase  (Fig.  266),  of  globular,  bowl-like 
form,  a writer’s  water-pot  {sliui  cVeng^^  with  the  rim  of 
its  mouth  strengthened  by  a silver  collar.  It  is  decorated . 
soberly  and  chastely  with  two  little  sprigs  of  peony, 
which  have  the  blossoms  tinted  a warm  maroon,  and  the 
tiny  leaves,  outlined  and  veined  with  the  same  under- 


DESIGNS  AND  COLOKS  OF  EEIGN  OF  YUNG-CH^:NG.  387 


glaze  red,  filled  in  with  a bright  green  overglaze  enamel. 
The  mark  is  precisely  similar  to  that  of  Fig.  229. 

‘‘  46.  Copies  of  cotfee-brown  glazes.  (#  IK  ^ f®). 

‘^Two  different  shades  are  produced:  (1)  reddish 

(liung)]  (2)  yellowish  {lmang)P 

The  Tzu-cliin^  or  burnished  gold,”  glaze  is  derived 
from  yellow  ferruginous  clay  (Imiang-thi)  and  varies  in 
shade,  in  proportion  to  the  concentration  of  the  glaze, 
from  the  darkest  chocolate-brown  to  the  tint  of  old 
gold.”  It  is  of  ancient  origin,  and  has  been  referred  to 
many  times  already  under  its  various  names  of  fond- 
laque,”  dead-leaf,”  coffee-colored,”  cafe-au-lait,”  or 
bruni,”  etc. 

47.  Monochrome  yellow  poi-celain  decorated  in  the 
five  enamel  colors.  ^ ^ M). 

This  is  a novel  decoration  founded  upon  recent 
experiments.” 

The  enameled  yellow  ground  was  either  plain  or  etched 
in  the  glaze  with  a close  pattern  of  spiral  scrolls.  A 
description  of  a piece  will  give  an  idea  of  the  class. 
Large  bottle-shaped  vase  with  swelling  body,  twenty-one 
inches  high,  richly  decorated  in  enamel  colors  with  gild- 
ing, with  the  ground  of  yellow  enamel  engraved  in  scrolls, 
interspersed  with  colored  flowers,  among  which  stand 
out,  in  high  embossed  relief,  vases  of  flowers,  bowls  of 
fruit,  incense  urns,  guitars,  chessboard,  fans,  books,  and 
scroll  paintings,  the  varied  apparatus  of  a Chinese  library, 
mingled  with  emblems  and  symbols,  all  painted  in  the 
brilliant  enamels  of  the  Yung-cheng  peifod. 

A charming  little  vase,  decorated  in  coloi’S  upon  a yel- 
low background,  which  may  also  be  I’eferred  to  this 
])eriod,  is  shown  in  Fig.  261.  It  is  painted  in  green  and 
purple,  with  a few  touches  of  white  with  peonies,  chrys- 
anthemums, and  daisies  growing  from  rocks,  and  with 
butterflies  flying  above.  The  details  of  the  decoi’ation 


388 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


are  all  delicately  etched  in  the  paste.  The  yellow 
ground,  of  pure  tone,  is  minutely  crackled,  and  the  foot 
is  coated  underneath  with  the  same  truite  yellow  glaze, 
and  has  no  mark  attached. 

48.  Copies  of  monochrome-green  porcelain. 

H ^ M). 

“ Two  kinds  are  made : (1)  with  plain  ground  {su  ti)  ; 
(2)  with  engraved  designs  (clmi  Imd)^ 

The  green  monochrome  (cliiao  li'i)  of  this  period  is  a 
bright,  attractive  color  composed  of  copper  silicate  in 
combination  with  a lead  flux.  Bowls  and  dishes  of 
imperial  ware,  often  etched  with  dragons  under  the 
glaze,  are  not  rare,  but  vases  are  less  common,  and  prized 
accordingly  ; they  are  usually  pieces  that  once  belonged 
to  temple  altar  sets. 

49.  Porcelain  painted  in  colors  in  European  style. 

In  the  new  copies  of  the  Western  style  of  painting  on 
enamels  {fa-lang)  the  landscapes  and  figure  scenes,  the 
flowering  plants  and  birds,  are,  without  excej^tion,  of 
supernatural  beauty  and  finish.” 

The  class  of  Yang  Ts'ai^  or  “Foreign  Coloring,”  is 
very  extensive  and  vai-ied,  as  it  includes  not  only  the 
vases,  eggshell  plates,  and  other  things  painted  with 
foreign  designs,  but  also  objects  decorated  with  Chinese 
scenes  in  the  same  class  of  colors.  It  represents,  more  or 
less,  the  class  that  has  been  called  t\\e  famille  rose,  on 
account  of  the  prevalence  of  a pink  among  the  enamel 
colors.  In  addition  to  the  pink  and  crimson  derived 
from  gold  we  notice  a bright  lemon-yellow,  a pale  green, 
and  a general  preponderance  of  soft  tints  in  mai'ked  con- 
trast to  the  bold,  vigorous  coloring  of  the  lYang-lisi 
epoch.  The  colors  were  those  previously  in  use  among 
enamelers  in  copper,  and  were  first  introduced  into  China 
from  abroad,  probably  from  India.  The  art  of  painting 


DESIGNS  AND  COLORS  OF  REIGN  OF  YUNG-CH^NG.  389 


ill  enamels  upon  copper  flourished  in  China  at  the  same 
time,  and  it  would  be  easy  to  collect  a series  of  rose- 
backed  and  crimson-backed  copper  dishes  decorated  in 
the  same  characteristic  style,  and  painted  in  the  same 
colors,  as  the  eggshell  porcelain  dishes  of  the  period. 

“50.  Porcelain  with  embossed  designs  executed  in 
undercut  relief.  M). 

“ These  are  applied  in  combination  with  all  the  dift'er- 
ent  colored  glazes.” 

The  term  hung-hua,  which  means  literally  “ arched 
designs,”  is  used  to  convey  the  idea  of  more  salient  relief 
than  that  of  or  “ embossed  designs,”  of  No.  34, 

although  the  two  terms  are  occasionally  interchanged. 
The  dragon  curled  round  the  neck  of  the  celadon  vase 
illustrated  in  Plate  XL  is  an  example  of  this  kind  of  work 
which  may  be  referred  to  the  reign  of  Yung-cheng, 

“51.  Porcelain  enameled  Red  after  the  European 
style. 

The  single  colors  included  in  this  class  would  be 
the  crimson  (gyen-chih  hung)  derived  from  gold,  and  the 
pink  (^fen  hung)  obtained  by  an  addition  of  a propor- 
tion of  the  white  enamel,  obtained  fiDin  arsenic,  to  the 
crimson.  A beautiful  example  of  the  latter  monochrome, 
a rose  (Vor  of  the  “ rose  Dubarry  ” tint,  which  dates 
probably  from  this  period,  is  shown  in  Plate  LIII. 

“ 52.  Copies  of  the  Black  Glaze.  iW  ^ fin)- 
“ There  are  two  varieties  of  this  made:  (1)  with  the 
decoration  reserved  in  white  upon  the  black  ground ; 
(2)  with  the  black  ground  penciled  over  in  gold,” 

These  would  be  reproductions  of  the  so-called  “mirror- 
black  ” monochrome  glaze,  which  was  one  of  the  special 
triumphs  of  tlie  potters  of  the  preceding  reign  of  K\mg- 
hsi,  and  which  is  well  illustrated  in  Plates  IX,  LXI,  and 
EXIT.  The  copies  liave  an  intense  lustrous  depth,  but 
without  the  ^rreenish,  iridescent  tones  of  the  orif^inals. 


390 


OKIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


53.  Porcelain  enameled  Green  after  the  European 
style. 

This  would  be  the  pale-green  monochrome,  which 
is  occasionally  found  replacing  the  pink  on  the  back  of 
eggshell  dishes  of  the  time,  or  applied  as  a single  color 
on  pieces  interrupted  by  painted  medallions. 

Sometimes  it  is  of  palest  eau-de-Nil  tint.  It  is  made 
by  tingeing  the  white  enamel  of  the  muffle  stove  with 
a little  of  the  green  enamel  derived  from  copper. 

54.  Porcelain  enameled  Black  after  the  European 

style.  ^ M). 

55.  Porcelain  enameled  in  Gold — i.  e..  Gilded. 

M).  After  the  Japanese  {Tung  Yang), 

56.  Porcelain  painted  in  Gold.  ^ JDl)* 

After  the  Japanese. 

'^57.  Porcelain  painted  in  Silver.  ^ ffll)* 

After  the  Japanese.” 

The  Japanese  are  commonly  called  Tung  Yang  Ten^ 
or  ‘‘Eastern  Sea  Men,”  by  the  Chinese,  and  Julien  is 
incorrect  in  translating  the  term  as  “ I’lndo-Chine,”  the 
natives  of  which  would  be  “ southerners,”  and  who, 
moreover,  never  had  any  porcelain  to  copy.  The  “old 
Imari  ” porcelain  of  Japan,  which  was  decorated  after 
the  pattern  of  later  Ming  times,  and  marked  with  the 
same  Chinese  marks,  now  comes  across  to  be  recopied 
at  Ching-te-chen,  just  as  old  Delft  plates,  copied  from 
older  Chinese  blue  and  white,  were  reproduced  later 
in  the  same  Chinese  factory,  as  is  proved  by  some 
curious  specimens  on  the  shelves  of  the  British  Museum. 
It  is  not  so  easy  to  distinguish  the  copies  of  the  old 
Japanese  pieces,  with  a simple  decoration  of  a pair  of 
quails,  a straw  hedge,  and  such-like,  painted  in  soft 
colors,  from  the  originals ; they  form  a subdivision  of 
the  class  of  Yang  Tdai  (No.  49).  The  Chinese  are 
inveterate  copyists,  and  it  is  fortunate  that  they  usually 
register  the  fact,  as  in  the  above  three  cases. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


THE  Ch’iEN-LUNG  PERIOD. 

AFTER  the  death  of  the  Emperor  Yung-cJieng,  in 
1735,  he  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  who  began  his 
reign  with  the  title  of  CKien-lung  on  the  first  day  of  the 
following  year,  and  reigned  till  the  end  of  the  year  1795, 
when  he  resigned  the  throne  after  a long  reign  of  sixty 
years,  in  accordance  with  a vow  that  his  reign  should 
not  exceed  that  of  his  celebrated  grandfather  K^ang-hsL 
The  reign  of  this  last  emperor,  as  we  have  seen,  ranks 
as  by  far  the  most  brilliant  period  in  the  history  of  the 
ceramic  art.  The  reign  of  Yung-cheng  was  distinguished, 
as  the  official  annalist  has  just  told  ns,  by  many  new 
inventions  and  by  a remarkable  success  in  the  repro- 
duction of  the  colored  glazes  of  olden  times,  and  in 
the  long  reign  of  CliHen-lung  the  new  inventions  intro- 
duced in  the  previous  reign  were  gradually  developed, 
till  the  porcelain  attained  a finished  technique  and 
a decoration  of  perfect  symmetry,  which  are  among  its 
chief  characteristics — so  much  so,  in  fact,  that  one  is  apt 
to  get  tired  at  last  of  its  conventionality  and  almost 
mechanical  perfection,  and  long  for  the  artistic  irregu- 
larity and  the  bold,  vigorous  coloring  of  the  older  style, 
which  is  so  varied  as  never  to  be  monotonous. 

The  successes  of  the  early  years  of  CYien-limg  are 
due  to  T’ang  Ying,  the  famous  director  of  the  imperial 
manufactory,  who  occupies  the  same  position  now  that 
Xien  Hsi-yao  did  in  the  previous  reign  of  Yung-cheng. 
T'aug  Ying  received  his  first  appointment  in  the  ceramic 
field  of  work  from  the  empei'or  in  1728,  and  was  ordered 

391 


392 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


to  proceed  at  once  to  Ching-te-chen,  to  take  charge  of 
the  imperial  works  under  Nien  Hsi-yao,  Avho  was  ap- 
pointed in  the  following  year  commissioner  of  customs  at 
Huai-an-fu,  still  retaining,  however,  his  post  of  chief 
director  of  the  imperial  porcelain  manufactory.  In  the 
first  year  of  the  new  reign  (1736)  T’ang  Ying  succeeded 
him  In  these  two  posts,  and  he  remained  at  Huai-an-fu 
till  1739,  when  he  was  transferred  to  Kiukiang-fu,  where 
he  lived  for  the  next  ten  years  as  Chief  Commissioner  of 
Customs  of  the  Provinces  of  Kiangsi,  Kiang-su,  and 
Anhui,  and  Director  of  the  Imperial  Manufactory.  He 
was  a voluminous  writer,  and  his  writings  have  been 
published  in  a collected  form,  including  disquisitions 
on  his  work,  as  well  as  the  poems  composed  by  him, 
as  he  surveyed  the  surrounding  scene  from  the  top  of 
the  Jewel  Hill,  at  Ching-te-chen  and  on  many  other 
occasions.  He  relates  how,  for  the  first  three  years, 
he  always  had  his  meals  with  the  workmen  and  slept  in 
the  same  room  with  them,  so  as  to  gain  a familiar  knowl- 
edge of  all  the  smaller  details  of  their  handicraft.  A 
chapter  of  his  autobiography  may  be  quoted  here  from 
the  Cliiang  hsi  Vung  chilly  which  says  that  the  intimate 
knowledge  that  T’ang  Ying  finally  succeeded  in  acquir- 
ing of  the  creative  power  of  the  fire  in  the  development 
of  colors  had  certainly  never  been  equaled  : 

Among  the  least  of  crafts,  which  can  yet,  however, 
supply  the  needs  of  an  emperor  as  well  as  afford  a means 
of  livelihood  for  the  common  people,  is  the  art  of  the 
potter  in  the  manufacture  of  vessels,  which,  in  their 
highest  uses,  figure  as  sacrificial  bowls  and  dishes,  in 
their  lowest  as  articles  of  daily  service  for  eating  and 
drinking.  Porcelain  does  not  date  fi*om  to-day.  Re- 
searches show  that  it  was  first  made  dui'ing  the  Han 
dynasty,  that  the  industry  has  been  constantly  practiced 
down  through  succeeding  generations,  and  that  among 


THE  Cn’lEN-LUNG  PERIOD. 


393 


all  the  different  localities  that  of  Ch’ang-nan  (Ching-te- 
chen)  has  prev^ailed  and  flourished  beyond  any  other. 
The  preceding  Ming  dynasty  built  the  imperial  manufac- 
tory at  the  foot  of  the  Jewel  Hill,  and  appointed  officials 
to  superintend  the  work,  but  their  regulations  were  bad, 
the  public  funds  and  materials  were  wasted,  and  the 
people  were  oppressed,  so  that  they  were  unable  to  gain 
a livdng  by  their  work.  Who  will  dare  to  say  that 
pottery  is  a mean  thing,  and  that  therefore  the  super- 
intendents need  not  be  so  A^ery  careful  ? 

I (Ying),  a native  of  Sheng-yang,  in  the  province 
of  Kuantung  (Chinese  Manchuria),  whose  family  has 
for  generations  shared  in  the  imperial  favor,  since  they 
followed  the  dragon  standard  to  Peking,"^  had  my  name 
enrolled  at  my  birth  in  the  Nei-wu-fu,  the  imperial 
Household.’  In  my  youth  I was  employed  in  the 
palace  in  the  Yang-hsin-tien,  and  worked  there  for  more 
than  twenty  years.  In  the  year  that  the  emperor  noAv 
reigning  came  to  the  throne  (1723)  I prostrated  myself 
to  heaven  and  earth  in  acknowledgment  of  the  imperial 
grace  in  promoting  me  to  be  secretary  (la7ig\  and  only 
fear  my  inability  to  deserve  such  honors.  Later,  in  the 
autumn  of  the  sixth  year  (1728)  of  the  reign  of  Yung- 
cheng^  in  the  eighth  month,  the  late  Prince  of  Yi  con- 
veyed to  me,  by  Avord  of  mouth,  the  celestial  (imperial) 
orders,  appointing  me  (Ying)  to  superintend  the  porce- 
lain manufacture  in  the  province  of  Kiangsi,  and  in- 
structing me  to  relieve  tlie  Avorkmen  in  cases  of  disease 
and  trouble,  and  to  encourage  the  trade  among  the 
the  merchants.  The  imperial  Avords  Avere  truly  grand ; 
tlie  emperor’s  grace  is  all-pervading,  and  his  thoughts 

* Many  of  the  Chinese  on  the  northern  frontier  joined  the  Manchus  when 
they  marched  on  Peking  in  1643.  They  were  enrolled  afterward,  on  the 
Manchii  plan,  under  banners,  to  form  the  Han  Cliiin,  or  “ Chinese  army,”  and 
their  descendants  are  retained  to  the  present  day.  T’ang  Ying  was  a captain 
• of  his  banner. 


394 


OEIENTAL  CEKAMIC  AET. 


are  imfatliomable.  In  reverent  obedience  to  the  order,  I 
(Ying)  started  at  once  from  the  capital,  and,  in  the  tenth 
month  of  the  same  year,  arrived  at  the  manufactory 
at  Ching-te-chen,  and  hastened  to  regulate  the  work 
of  the  potters  and  the  trade  of  the  merchants,  in  obedi- 
ence to  the  decree.  With  care  and  trembling,  without 
wasting  a ^ cash  ’ of  the  funds  intrusted  to  me,  I had  the 
porcelain  made  according  to  the  indents.  A list  of  the 
things  sent,  and  a statement  of  accounts,  have  been 
forwarded  by  me  each  month  to  the  superintendence 
of  the  imperial  household  (Nei-wu-fu).  Up  to  now,  the 
cyclical  year,  yi-mao  (1735),  I have  been  seven  years 
engaged  in  the  work.  Although  but  ^ a broken-down 
horse,’  I put  forth  all  my  strength.  My  ability  is  poor,, 
and  my  faults  many,  and  it  is  only  by  the  emperor’s^ 
grace  that  I have  escaped  punishment.  An  annual 
allowance  (in  addition  to  salary)  of  five  hundred  taels 
has  been  granted  me  for  fuel  and  water,  so  my  family 
subsists  on  the  imperial  bounty,  which  a life’s  poor  work 
could  ill  requite.  The  potter’s  work  is  a humble  one,  yet 
my  own  life,  as  well  as  that  of  the  craftsmen,  depend  on 
the  favor  of  the  emperor,  and  I can  not  but  proclaim  the 
imperial  grace.  The  ritual  wine-vessels  (tsmi)  and  the 
sacrificial  bowls  (Jcuai)  are  now  all  made  of  clay,  so  as 
not  to  waste  the  national  resources,  and  the  daily  wants 
of  the  people  are  also  supplied  by  the  potter’s  craft,  so 
that  the  work  must  continue  to  be  carried  on  by  our 
successors.  If  the  rules  of  the  art  be  preserved,  the 
labor  will  be  halved,  and  the  gain  two-fold ; if  the  rules 
be  forgotten,  money  will  be  wasted,  and  the  artisans’ 
labor  lost,  so,  for  the  use  of  after  times,  I have  compiled 
the  present  epitome.  Although  I (Ying)  dare  not 
profess  a complete  knowledge  of  all  the  minute  details 
of  the  ceramic  art,  yet  I have  practiced  it  diligently  for 
a long  time,  and  am  familiar  with  the  official  lists  of  the 


THE  CH’iEN-LUNG  PERIOD. 


395 


:articles  produced,  with  the  composition  of  the  glazes 
used  in  their  decoration,  with  the  designs  and  dimen- 
sions of  the  pieces,  as  well  as  with  the  wages  and  food 
of  the  workmen,  their  rewards  for  diligence,  and  their 
tines  for  negligence.  Although  naturally  stupid,  I have 
learned  one  or  two  of  these  things,  which  I have  col- 
lected and  written  down,  and  had  them  cut  upon  stone 
tablets,  erected  on  the  south  side  of  the  Jewel  Hill,  so 
that  my  successors  in  the  directorship  may  have  some 
materials  for  further  researches,  and  be  encouraged  in 
their  careful  zeal ; to  put  on  record  also  the  emperor’s 
compassion  for  the  people,  and  his  instructions  that  the 
funds  should  not  be  wasted  nor  the  workman’s  labor 
unrecompensed.  What  I have  carefully  written,  I know 
personally,  and  I submit  it  with  deference  to  the  officials 
that  shall  succeed  me.  ‘The  farmer  may  learn  some- 
thing from  his  bondman,  and  the  weaver  from  the  hand- 
maid who  holds  the  thread  for  her  mistress.’  ” 

This  scrap  of  autobiography,  written  in  the  high- 
flown  language,  bristling  with  classical  quotations, 
affected  by  the  Chinese  literati^  however  feebly  rendered 
in  the  translation,  is  sufficient  to  show  the  zeal  of  the 
worthy  T’ang  Ying  in  his  work.  Although  nominally 
subordinate  to  Nien  Hsi-yao,  who  was  promoted  to  be 
commissioner  of  customs  the  year  after  the  arrival  of 
T’ang  Ying  at  Ching-te-chen,  and  transferred  to  his  dis- 
tant post  at  Huai-an-fu,  the  work  must  have  owed  much 
to  his  personal  superintendence.  In  the  fi]*st  year  of  the 
reign  of  CJiHen-lung  (1736),  T’ang  Ying  became  in  his 
turn  commissioner  of  customs  for  the  viceroyalty,  and 
was  himself  transferred  to  Huai-an-fu,  where  he  re- 
mained three  years,  retaining,  like  his  predecessoi',  the 
post  of  director  of  the  porcelain  manufactory,  but  only 
making,  lie  tells  us,  one  official  visit  of  inspection  to 
Ching-te-chen  during  the  peilod. 


396 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


In  1739  the  commissionership  was  finally  transferred 
to  Kiukiang-fu,  and  the  director  was,  at  his  new  post^ 
within  easy  reach  of  the  scene  of  his  former  labors.  His 
family,  who  w^ere,  as  we  have  seen,  originally  natives  of 
Manchuria,  were  enrolled  by  the  new  dynasty  under  the 
Han  Chiin,  or  Chinese  Baniiermen,  and  T’ang  Ying  was 
captain  of  his  banner.  A full  list  of  his  titles,  in  the 
year  1741,  is  inscribed  upon  the  long  mark  of  dedication 
which  has  been  taken  from  an  altar  candlestick,  made 
by  him  in  that  year,  and  leproduced  in  facsimile  in 
Chapter  IV.  In  addition  to  his  appointments  in  con- 
nection with  the  Imperial  Household  at  Peking,  he  was 
then  the  imperial  commissioner  in  charge  of  the  customs 
stations  of  Huai-an-fu,  Hai-chou,  and  Su-ch’ien-hsien,  in 
the  dual  province  of  Kiangmin,  and  of  Kiukiang-fu,  in  the 
province  of  Kiangsi,  with  the  control  of  all  the  customs 
dues  of  the  viceroyalty,  made  up  of  these  provinces,  and 
was  at  the  same  time  director  of  the  imperial  porcelain 
manufactory.  In  the  year  1743  he  visited  Peking,  and 
he  bi*ought  up  with  him  on  that  occasion,  no  doubt,  the 
sacrificial  set  of  utensils,  which  he  had  made  for  the 
Taoist  temple  near  that  city.  As  soon  as  he  arrived 
at  the  palace  he  was  handed  an  imperial  decree,  dated 
the  eightli  day  of  the  fourth  month  of  that  year,  directing 
him  to  write  a detailed  description  of  twenty  illustrations 
of  the  manufacture  of  porcelain,  w^hich  had  been  found  in 
the  imperial  library,  and  to  send  back  the  album  as  soon 
as  he  had  finished.  The  pictu]*es  were  returned  in  the 
following  month  to  their  former  seclusion,  and  have  never 
been,  I believe,  published.  AVith  regard  to  the  descrip- 
tion written  by  the  accomplished  director,  and  submitted 
at  the  same  time  to  the  imperial  glance,  no  Chinese  book  on 
ceramic  art  is  considered  to  be  complete  wdthout  it,  and  I 
will  translate  it  in  the  next  chapter  from  the  pages  of  the 
annals  of  the  province  of  Kiangsi,  so  often  quoted. 


THE  Ch’iEN-LUNG  PERIOD. 


397 


T’ang  Ying  returned  to  his  post  at  Kiukiang  the  same 
year  and  remained  there  as  director  of  the  porcelain 
manufactory  till  1749. 

The  writers  of  the  Oiling -te-clien  Tao  lu  say,  under  the 
heading  of  “ The  Porcelain  of  T’ang  of  the  reign  of 
Cli’ien-lwng “This  heading  refers  to  the  porcelain 
made  at  the  imperial  manufactory  (at  Ching-te-chen) 
under  the  direction  of  T’ang  Ying,  Secretary  of  the 
Imperial  Household.  The  Honorable  T’ang,  in  the 
cyclical  year  lisu-shen  (1728)  of  the  reign  of  Yung-ch'mg^ 
hrst  came  to  reside  at  the  imperial  manufactory  as  assist- 
ant to  the  director  Nien,  and  he  acquired  a great  reputa- 
tion for  his  work.  In  the  first  year  (1736)  of  the  reign 
of  CKien-lung  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  customs  at 
Huai-an-fu.  In  the  eighth  year  (1743)  he  was  trans- 
feri’ed  to  be  commissioner  of  customs  at  Kiukiang-fu. 
In  both  these  posts  he  retained  the  directorship  of  the 
porcelain  manufacture.  He  had  a profound  knowledge 
of  the  properties  of  the  different  kinds  of  earth  and  of 
the  action  of  fire  upon  them,  and  took  every  care  in  the 
proper  selection  of  the  materials,  so  that  his  productions 
Avere  all  highly  finished  and  perfectly  translucent.  In 
the  reproductions  which  he  made  of  the  celebrated 
poi’celains  of  ancient  times  every  piece  was  perfectly 
successful ; in  his  copies  of  famous  glazes  there  was  not 
one  that  he  could  riot  cleverly  imitate.  His  genius  and 
al)ility  were  so  great  that  he  succeeded  in  everything  he 
attempted.  He  also  made  porcelain  decorated  with  the 
various  colored  glazes  newly  invented — viz.,  foreign 
[)iu’ple  {gjctng  cloisonne  blue  {^fa  cliing)^  enameled 

silver  {ino  painted  in  sepia  {t^ai  slmiono')^  foreign 
black  { yang  w}i-chin\  painted  in  the  style  of  cloisonne 

* This  must  be  an  error.  The  official  annals  of  tlie  province  of  Kiangsi 
make  his  appointment  date  from  1749,  and  tins  is  confirmed  by  the  inscription 
in  Chapter  IV,  whicli  proves  that  he  w^as  commissioner  at  Kiukiang  in  1741. 


398 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


enamels  (^fa-lang  liua  fa)^  painted  with  foreign  enamel 
colors  on  a black  ground  {gjang  ts’ai  wu-chin)^  with  white 
designs  reserved  on  the  black  ground  (liei  ti  pal  Jiua), 
with  the  black  ground  penciled  over  in  gold  (liei  ti  miao 
cliin)^  the  new  sky-blue  monochrome  {tien-lan),  and  the 
transmutation  glazes  (yao-pien).  The  paste  of  the  pieces 
was  white,  rich,  and  compact ; the  fabric,  whether  thick 
or  thin,  was  brilliant  and  lustrous ; and  the  imperial 
porcelain  attained  at  this  period  its  greatest  perfection.” 
He  also,  in  obedience  to  an  imperial  decree,  respect- 
fully described  the  ^Twenty  Illustrations  of  the  Manu- 
facture of  Porcelain,’  arranged  them  in  order,  and  wrote 
detailed  descriptions  of  the  illustrations,  which  wei’e 
presented  by  him  to  the  emperor.” 

The  learned  Li  chii-lai  of  Lin-ch’iian  in  his  preface  to 
the  Collected  Works  of  the  Honorable  T’ang,  says:  ^ As 
results  of  his  genius  alone,  flowering  and  producing  fruit 
in  his  mind,  the  ancient  manufacture  of  the  large  dragon 
hsh-bowls  and  of  the  Chiin-chou  porcelain,  which  had 
long  been  lost,  was  re-established  ; and  turquoise  {fei‘ 
ts\ii)  and  rose-i*ed  (inei-huei)  glazes  were  produced  by 
him  of  new  tints  and  rare  beauty.  T’ang  was  thoroughly 
devoted  to  his  work,  and  the  brilliancy  of  his  genius  is 
reflected  in  the  beautiful  porcelain  made  by  him.’  ” 

When  T’ang  Ying  was  appointed  to  his  new  post  at 
Huai-an-fu  in  1736,  he  left  behind,  for  the  instruction  of 
his  successors,  a collection  of  memoranda  entitled  T^ao 
cKeng  shih  yu  Draughts  of  Instruction  on  the 

Manufacture  of  Porcelain,”  which  ai'e  often  quoted  in 
official  books.  The  author  writes  in  his  preface  to  these 
drafts,  which  is  quoted  in  the  Fou-liang-hsien  Annals : 
‘AVhen  I was  sent  by  imperial  decree  in  the  sixth  year 
of  the  reign  of  Yuiig-cheiig  (1728)  to  undertake  the 
superintendence  of  the  porcelain  manufactory,  I was 
unacquainted  with  the  finer  details  of  the  porcelain 


THE  Ch’iEN-LUNG  PERIOD. 


399 


works  of  the  province  of  Cliiang-yu  (Kiangsi),  where 
I had  never  been  before.  But  the  materials  are  the  same 
as  those  employed  in  other  art-work  and  are  changed  in 
the  fire  in  accordance  with  the  chemical  laws  of  the  five 
elements,  and  they  are  combined  after  old  prescriptions, 
as  well  as  by  new  experiments.  I worked  hard  with 
heart  and  strength,  and  for  three  years  shared  with  the 
workmen  their  meals  and  hours  of  rest,  until  in  the  ninth 
year,  hsin-hai^  of  the  cycle  (1731)  I had  conquered  my 
ignorance  of  the  materials  and  processes  of  firing,  and, 
although  I dared  not  claim  familiarity  with  all  the  laws 
of  transformation,  my  knowledge  was  much  increased. 
After  five  more  hot  and  cold  seasons  had  passed  by, 
during  which  ‘ his  pottery  vessels  were  not  imperfect 
and  the  potter  had  not  asked  for  sick-leave,’  the  accounts 
were  made  up  to  the,  thirteenth  year  of  Yiing-chmg 
(1735),  and  it  was  found  that,  for  an  expenditure  of 
several  tens  of  thousands  of  taels  of  treasury  silver,  no 
less  than  between  300,000  and  400,000  pieces  of  porce- 
lain, comprising  all  kinds  of  vases  and  round  ware,  had 
been  sent  up  to  the  palace  at  Peking  for  the  use  of  the 
emperor.  After  the  sovereign  had  flown  up  to  heaven 
on  a dragon,  in  the  first  year  of  his  successor  Cli'ien-lung 
(1736),  I received  the  appointment  of  Commissioner  of 
Customs  at  Huai-an  and  had  to  leave  tlie  immediate 
superintendence  of  the  porcelain  works.  For  this  reason 
I have  collected  the  drafts  of  the  instructions  of  these 
3^ears,  and  as  many  of  the  scattered  leaflets  as  have  been 
preserved,  and  arranged  them  in  order,  adding  some 
notes  of  the  progress  of  the  work  during  the  nine  years 
in  wliich  I have  been  director.” 

T’ang  Ying  is  the  last  of  the  directors  of  whom  we 
hear  anything  outside  of  the  pages  of  the  annals,  on 
wliich  the  names  of  a long  line  of  his  successors  are 
registered.  One  other  artist  is  often  talked  of  as  having 


400 


OKIENTAL  CEEAMIC  ART. 


flourislied  in  the  early  years  of  the  reign  of  CKien-lungy 
so  that  he  must  have  been  a contemporary.  This  is  the 
worker  in  glass  named  Hu,  who  adopted  the  studio  name 
of  Ku  Yueh  Hsuan^  Chamber  of  the  Ancient  Moon,’^ 
by  splitting  the  Chinese  character  his  surname,  into 
its  two  component  parts,  Yueh^  as  explained  in 

Chapter  IV.  He  was,  I am  told,  a worker  in  glass  in 
the  palace  at  Peking,  where  a manufactory  was  founded 
under  the  superintendence  of  the  Jesuit  missionaries, 
and  he  is  mentioned  hei*e  only  because  his  productions 
are  said  to  have  been  sent  down  to  Ching-te-chen 
to  be  reproduced  in  porcelain,  which  was  considered 
by  the  emperor  to  be  a more  noble  material  than 
glass.  The  glass  made  by  him  was  of  two  kinds:  a 
clear  glass  of  greenish  tint  with  an  embossed  decoration 
executed  in  colored  glasses,  and  an  opaque  white  glass, 
which  was  either  engi‘aved  with  etched  designs  or  deco- 
rated  in  colors.  It  is  the  former  kind  that  is  most  highly 
valued  in  the  present  day,  a tiny  snuif -bottle  being  sold 
for  as  much  as  several  hundred  taels,  or  even  for  a 
thousand  dollars ; the  latter  kind  was  the  type  that  was 
copied  in  porcelain.  The  result  was  the  ware  of  peculiar 
vitreous  aspect  which  is  technically  known  as  Fang  Ku 
Yueh  Ilsuan^  or  copies  of  Ku  Yueh  Hsiian.”  Mr. 
Hippisley  was  one  of  the  first  to  introduce  these  wares 
to  the  outside  world,  and  he  has  exhibited  several  choice 
specimens  in  his  collection  at  the  Smithsonian  Institution 
at  Washington.  He  says  {Catalogue^  loc,  page  423): 

Ku  Yueh  hsuan'"'  introduced  about  the  year  1735  the 
use  of  an  opaque  white  vitreous  ware  for  the  manu- 
facture of  articles  of  small  dimensions,  such  as  snuff- 
bottles,  wine-cups,  vessels  for  Avashing  pencils  in,  etc. 

* Mr.  Hippisley  seems  to  take  Ku  Yueh  Hsliaii  to  be  the  actual  name  of  the 
man,  whom  he  refers  to  as  being  “a  subordinate  officer,  I believe  in  the 
directorate  of  the  Ching-t^-cliSn  factories.” 


THE  CH’iEN-LUNG  PERIOD. 


401 


The  vitreous  nature  of  the  body-  imparts  a tone  and 
brilliancy  to  the  colors  used  in  the  decoration  which  is 
greatly  admired,  and  the  best  specimens  of  this  ware  will 
well  repay  minute  study.  The  choice  of  gi*oundwork  is 
effective,  the  grouping  of  the  colors  soft  and  harmonious^ 
the  introduction  of  European  figures  is  interesting,  and 
the  arrangement  of  flowers  evidence  of  the  highest  artistic 
skill.  The  earliest  pieces  were  marked,  usually  in  red, 
Ta  Gib  ing  nien  chilly  ^Made  during  the  great  Pure  (the 
ChHng  or  present)  dynasty,’  the  later  pieces  had  the 
mark,  within  a square  seal-like  border,  ClCien  lung  nien 
chilly  ^ Made  during  the  reign  of  GlCien-liing^  engraved 
in  the  foot,  and  filled  with  a thick,  bright  blue  enamel 
glaze.  T’ang  Ying  (in  his  imitations  of  this  vitreous 
ware  in  jiorcelain)  appeared  to  have  employed  for  his 
purpose  a very  pure  glaze  of  a highly  vitrifiable  nature, 
and  to  have  thereby  effected  an  enamel  brilliancy  that 
no  other  porcelain  shows,  and  to  have  also  secured  to 
a considerable  extent  the  same  soft  transparency  in  the 
decorative  coloi*s  which  was  so  much  appreciated  on  the 
Ku  Yueh  Hsiian  vitreous  w^are.  Specimens  of  this  porce- 
lain, which  is  quite  rare,  are  held  in  very  high  esteem  by 
the  Chinese,  alike  for  the  pui'ity  of  the  paste,  the 
brilliance  of  the  glaze,  and  the  beauty  of  the  decoration, 
and  are  considered  among  the  finest  productions  of  the 
period  during  which  the  manufacture  attained  its  highest 
excellence.” 

The  glass  ware  referred  to  here  is  outside  our  prov- 
ince. Of  the  porcelain  modeled  in  tlie  Ku  Yueh  Hsiian 
type  a beautiful  specimen  was  illustrated  in  Fig.  68 
— a teapot  with  tlie  mark  of  the  Yung-cheng  period 
penciled  underneath  in  overglaze  blue  euame].  Another 
example  is  presented  here  in  Fig.  273,  which  I will 
briefly  describe  : 

Small  bottle-shaped  vase,  with  a globular  body  and 


402 


OKIENTAL  CEEAMIC  ART. 


gently  tapering  neck  expanding  above  into  a prominent 
lip,  coated  with  a lustrous  white  glaze  of  vitreous  aspect 
decorated  with  delicate  enamel  colors  of  the  Ku  Yueh 
Hsiian  type.  On  the  body  is  a picture  suggestive  of  an 
autumnal  scene,  with  roses  growing  by  a rockery,  trees 
with  autumn-tinted  leaves  and  marguerite  daisies,  in  the 
foreground  of  which  a pair  of  quails,  beautifully  painted 
with  a miniature-like  finish,  stand  out  prominently. 
The  neck  of  the  vase  is  decorated  with  a ring  of  formal 
palmate  design,  the  shoulder  is  encircled  by  two  bands, 
a pink  scroll  worked  in  relief  succeeded  by  a blue  fret, 
and  the  lip  is  defined  by  a line  of  gilding. 

There  is  a couplet  of  verse  written  at  the  back : 

Years  roll  by  as  we  sit  at  the  table,  painting  pictures  in  colors; 

Charmed  by  all  the  happy  notes  of  Nature,  listening  to  the  call- 
ing quails.” 

The  headpiece  is  a small  oval  panel  with  the  seal 
characters  Jm  Ho^  Benevolence  and  Harmony,”  inside; 
at  the  foot  of  the  stanza  are  two  small  oblong  panels 
with  the  inscription  Ssu  Fang  CKing  Yen,  Serenity 
and  calm  throughout  the  empire.”  The  motto  is 
declared  to  be  appropriate  to  the  emperor  alone,  and  it 
is  outlined  in  red,  the  color  of  the  sacred  ‘^vermilion 
pencil.” 

The  next  vase  of  Ku  Yueh  Hsiian  style,  exhibited  in 
Fig.  263,  is  an  example  of  the  class  decorated  with 
European  pictures.  It  is  a small  ovoid  vase  of  broad 
shape,  formed,  as  it  were,  of  twin  coalescing  vases,  with 
the  line  of  junction  indicated  by  a vertical  groove.  The 
shape  is  like  that  of  the  pair  of  vases  of  which  one  is 
illustrated  in  Plate  LXXVI,  and,  like  them,  it  once  had 
a cover,  now  lost ; the  bottom  has  had  a piece  chipped 
out  so  as  to  remove  the  date  of  the  four-character  seal, 
penciled  underneath  in  black,  leaving  only  the  tail-end 


403 


THE  Ch’iEN-LUNG  PERIOD. 

nien  but  we  can  not  be  far  wrong  in  supplying 

ClUieii-lung  as  the  missing  half.  The  vase  is  painted  in 
delicate  enamel  colors,  roiige  cVor  predominating.  It  is 
decorated  with  two  large  oval  medallions  and  two  small 
round  panels  with  scrolled  borders,  displayed  upon  a 
floral  ground,  and  with  bands  of  ornamental  design 
around  the  neck  and  foot,  all  in  the  ordinary  Chinese 
style  of  the  period.  The  small  round  medallions  contain 
landscape  sketches  with  European  houses.  The  large 
oval  panels  are  filled  with  copies  of  European  pictures, 
cleverly  executed,  but  betraying  in  the  details  the  touch 
of  the  Chinese  artist.  In  one  there  is  a female  figure  in 
pink  dress  and  purple  robe  with  two  children,  copied, 
apparently,  from  a sacred  picture  representing  the  Virgin 
Mother  with  the  Infant  Jesus  and  St.  James.  The  other, 
similarly  shaped,  and  upon  the  opposite  side,  contains  a 
picture  of  a garden  scene  with  two  girls  in  European 
costume,  one  of  whom  is  carrying  a basket  of  flowers. 

The  enamel  colors  used  in  painting  these  vases  are 
precisely  those  that  had  been  previously  used  in  the 
West  in  enameling  upon  metal.  The  working  palette  of 
the  enamel  painter  was  rich  in  variety  of  colors,  as 
metallic  oxides  readily  lend  themselves  to  an  infinite 
number  of  combinations  Avith  glass.  The  green,  blue, 
red,  turquoise,  gray,  orange,  and  yellow  may  be  obtained 
either  pure  or  compound,  so  as  to  form  shades  as  gradual 
as  a chromatic  scale.  The  light-red  color  is  called  in  old 
English  books  upon  the  subject  the  chief  and  paragon 
of  all.”  It  is  said  to  have  been  discovered  by  a gold- 
smith who  studied  alchemy,  and  found  it  one  day  at  the 
Vjottom  of  his  crucible  in  tiying  to  make  gold. 

This  last  is  the  color  Avhich  suddenly  makes  its 
appearance  upon  Chinese  porcelain  in  the  beginning  of 
the  eighteenth  century,  in  common  with  the  other  new 
enamel  colors  which  are  knoAvn  collectively  to  the 


404 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


Chinese  potter  as  Yang  or  Foreign  Colors.” 

The  earliest  date-mark  found  upon  the  rose-backed  ” 
plates,  which  are  decorated  in  these  colors  of  the  famille 
rose,  is  that  of  the  cyclical  year  Tisin-cKou  (1721),  the 
last  year  but  one  of  the  reign  of  K'’ang-hsi.  It  was  this 
emperor  who  was  probably  the  means  of  introducing 
these  colors  into  China,  through  the  medium  of  the 
Koman  Catholic  missionaries,  of  whom  he  was  a great 
patron.  He  founded  a manufactory  of  colored  glass 
near  the  palace  at  Peking,  under  their  superintendence, 
where,  no  doubt,  many  of  the  materials  were  manu- 
factured for  the  use  of  the  school  of  enamelers  upon 
copper  that  was  also  established  at  Peking  about  the 
same  time  under  their  tuition,  and  produced  painted 
work  executed  in  the  style  of  Battersea  enamels.  He 
even  tried  to  introduce  the  manufacture  of  porcelain, 
and  had  all  the  materials  brought  up  to  Peking  for  the 
purpose,  as  described  by  Pere  d’Entrecolles  in  his  letters, 
but  this  project  failed,  partly  on  account,  it  is  suggested, 
of  the  opposition  of  the  porcelain  guild.  The  enamelers 
in  metal  were  more  successful,  and  their  work  was  sent 
to  Ching-te-chen  to  be  reproduced  in  porcelain.  The 
same  designs  occur  on  both,  and  are  associated  with  the 
same  rose-colored  grounds  and  pink  diapers.  I have  a 
small  mirror,  for  example,  mounted  in  a copper  frame, 
which  is  enameled  at  the  back  with  the  same  sacred 
picture  that  is  painted  upon  the  vase  that  has  just  been 
described,  and  a long  series  of  such  identical  designs 
might  be  collected.  European  pictures  are  not  an  inap- 
propriate decoration  for  the  enameled  work,  recalling  its 
original  source,  but  there  is  no  excuse  for  the  unseemly 
scenes  which  are  occasionally  associated  with  them,  and 
which  prove  that  the  missionaries  of  those  days  were 
assailed  with  the  same  scandalous  stories  that  are  put 
forth  about  them  in  the  present  day. 


THE  Ch’iEN-LUNG  PERIOD. 


405 


Actual  specimens  of  old  European  enamels  were  also 
sent  at  this  period  to  Ching-te-chen  and  copied  in  porce- 
lain. This  is  proved  by  an  interesting  cup  of  Chinese 
porcelain  from  the  Marquis  collection  at  Paris, ^ which  is 
thus  described  : A wide  shallow  cup  with  two  open 

flowing  handles,  of  fine  and  light  porcelain,  an  exact 
imitation,  both  in  form  and  decoration,  of  the  piece  of 
Limoges  enamel  which  has  served  as  its  model  in  China, 
so  that  it  might  even  be  mistaken  for  the  original.  It 
has,  outside,  ornamental  designs  reserved  in  white  upon 
a black  ground,  enhanced  by  gilding ; inside,  it  is  deco- 
rated in  different  colors  with  flowers  and  fruit,  executed 
with  the  enamels  of  i\\%  famille  ve7^te.  Close  to  the  basket 
of  fruit  painted  in  the  bottom  of  the  bowl  there  is  found, 
faithfully  reproduced,  the  monogram  I.  L.  of  the  Limoges 
enameler,  Jean  Laudin.” 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  features  indeed  of  the 
practice  of  the  ceramic  art  in  China  at  this  period  was 
the  way  the  world  was  ransacked  for  new  objects  to 
copy.  Pere  d’Entrecolles  describes  how  his  mandarin 
friends  pressed  him  to  get  for  them  new  models  from 
Europe  for  this  purpose.  In  the  last  chapter  we  saw 
how  specimens  of  ancient  ware  of  all  kinds  were  sent 
down  to  Ching-te-chen  to  be  copied.  Pieces  of  old 
Imari  ” porcelain  came  from  Japan  at  the  same  time  to 
be  imitated.  The  author  of  the  T'^ao  Shuo  declares 
that  the  older  designs  in  chiseled  gold,  in  embossed 
silver,  in  carved  jade  and  other  hard  stones,  in  lacquer 
ware,  in  mother-of-pearl  inlaid  work,  in  carvings  of 
rhinoceros  hoim,  bamboo,  wood,  gourd,  and  sliell,  Avere 
all,  Avithout  exception,  executed  in  porcelain,  as  exact 
copies  of  the  originals,  and  that  the  potters  Avere  sup- 
planting the  skilled  artificers  in  all  these  different 

*Thi3  cup  is  now,  I have  reason  to  believe,  in  the  Grandidier  collection  in 
the  Louvre. 


406 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


branches  of  work.  The  texture  of  the  ivory,  shell,  or 
bamboo  is  carefully  indicated  in  the  porcelain,  and  the 
surface  colors  are  reproduced  so  as  to  bring  out  the  tints 
of  the  variegated  marble  and  pudding-stone,  the  mottled 
jade,  the  striped  carnelian  and  agate,  the  veined  walnut- 
wood,  and  the  carved  cinnabar  lac,  with  such  exactitude 
that  it  is  necessary  to  handle  the  piece  to  convince  one’s 
self  that  it  is  really  made  of  porcelain.  The  aspect  of 
gold  and  silver  was  given  by  enamels  prepared  from  the 
metals  themselves ; the  surface  tints  of  copper  and 
bronze,  the  rust  of  iron,  and  the  play  of  colors  upon 
ancient  patinated  bronze  in  which  the  Chinese  anti- 
(j[uarian  takes  so  much  delight,  were  produced  by  combi- 
nations of  different  glazes,  applied  either  with  the  brush 
or  by  sprinkling  over  the  first  ground  color. 

A characteristic  example  of  the  iridescent  iron-rust  ” 
(f ieli-lisiii)  glaze  is  illustrated  in  Plate  XIX,  showing  a 
deep  bronze-colored  ground,  speckled  with  lustrous 
metallic  spots,  and  flecked  with  red  clouds.  In  Fig.  274 
is  exhibited  a specimen  of  the  class  of  ancient  bronze 
design  which  is  known  as  hu  thing  tshd.  It  is  a libation 
cup  {cliueli)  of  anticpie  style,  molded  in  relief  and 
enameled  with  color  to  imitate  patinated  bronze.  The 
handle  is  fashioned  in  the  form  of  a dragon,  and  the  bowl 
of  the  cup  is  encircled  by  a broad  sunken  band  containing 
archaic  designs  in  relief,  with  an  ogre’s  face  (fao-tHeli) 
under  the  lip,  and  conventional  scrolls  starting  from 
dragons’  heads  round  the  sides.  The  surface,  enameled 
olive-brown  flecked  with  tea-dust,”  is  penciled  in  gold 
with  scrolls  and  borders  of  rectangular  fret ; the  ground 
of  the  sunken  band,  which  is  pitted,  is  partially  filled  in 
with  a grayish-blue  overglaze  of  mottled  tints  passing 
into  green.  There  is  a seal  underneath,  outlined  in  gold, 
Clthenlung  nien  chili  \ “Made  in  the  reign  of  ChHen- 
luiigT  Some  of  the  larger  objects  of  this  class  exhibit  a 


THE  Ch’iEN-LUNG  PERIOD. 


407 


remarkable  combination  of  brilliant  colors,  suck  as  copper 
alone  is  capable  of  producing,  and  it  is  wonderful  how  the 
same  tints  are  almost  instantaneously  brought  out  arti- 
ficially by  the  oxidizing  power  of  the  furnace  flames,  that 
usually  require  centuries  to  develop  by  gi*adual  oxidation 
of  the  metal  buried  in  moist  ground. 

The  technique  of  the  class  just  described  is  similar  to 
that  of  the  transmutation,  flamhe^  or  yao-pien  glazes, 
which  derive  their  most  brilliant  colors  from  the  same 
protean  metal.  These  flourished  abundantly  during  the 
CK ien-lung  period,  to  which  three  of  the  vases  shown 
in  the  colored  illustrations  may  be  referred.  The  egg- 
shaped  vase  in  Plate  XVI  is  a brilliant  example  of  the 
kind,  with  its  lightly  crackled  glaze  veilically  splashed 
with  all  the  different  tints  imprinted  by  the  flames  as  the 
liquescent  glaze  was  running  down  in  the  furnace,  passing 
from  turquoise  through  purple  and  other  intermediate 
shades  of  red  to  the  richest  crimson.  The  vase  in  Plate 
LXXXVIII  has  the  same  brilliant  flambe  glaze  running 
down  over  its  surface  so  as  to  form  large  tears,  only  par- 
tially covering  the  crackled  surface  of  mottled  olive-brown 
tint  due  to  iron,  which  is  often  used  on  such  pieces  in 
combination  with  the  copper  that  produces  the  typical 
colors.  The  quadrangular  vase  in  Plate  XL VI,  with  open 
scroll  handles  at  the  sides  and  relief  panels  in  front  and 
at  the  back,  differs  from  the  other  two  in  having  a very 
fine,  compact,  and  white  paste  ; the  shape  is  one  often 
reproduced  in  copper-red  {chi-liiing)  vases  oi  flambe  type 
in  the  present  day,  some  of  which  are  of  very  brilliant 
color,  albeit  wanting  in  depth  and  too  glossy. 

With  regard  to  the  monochrome  porcelain  of  this  reign, 
the  coloi’s  which  distinguished  the  Yung-cheng  period  con- 
tinued to  be  produced  under  the  dii’ectorship  of  T’ang 
\ing,  who  had  learned  his  art  in  the  ateliers  of  the  latter 
period.  The  soft  red  derived  from  gold,  passing  from  the 


408 


ORIEOTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


deepest  crimson  of  the  rose  petals,  through  rouge  red,’^ 
or  yen-chill  liung^  down  to  the  palest  of  the  pinks  called 
by  them  fen-lmng ; the  lemon-yellow,  camellia-leaf,  and 
paler  tone  of  green,  the  bright  blue,  the  brilliant  glossy 
black,  and  the  other  colors  of  the  foreign  enameler’s 
palette,  were  still  prepared,  although  in  process  of  time 
they  gi*adually  lost  something  of  their  pristine  purity. 
The  same  may  be  said  of  the  sonffle  copper-red  of  ruby 
tone,  and  the  sky-blue  or  clair-de-lune^  the  two  finest 
shades  of  the  Nien  Yao.  The  coral-red,  on  the  contrary, 
comes  into  greater  prominence,  and  is  gradually  improved 
in  tone  till  it  excels  that  of  any  of  older  times,"^  as  in  the 
beautiful  monochrome  vase  selected  for  illustration  in 
Plate  XCII,  and  in  the  vase  shown  in  Plate  XXVI,  where 
it  forms  a pure  vermilion  ground  round  a dragon  pursu- 
ing the  magic  jewel,  enameled  green  with  touches  of 
other  colors.  The  ordinary  green,  yellow,  and  manganese 
brown  or  purple  are  common  single  colors,  either  plain  or 
investing  an  etched  decoration  engraved  with  a style  in 
the  j)art  underneath  the  glaze.  The  fine  white  porcelain, 
like  that  of  the  preceding  reign,  is  of  special  pellucid 
purity  and  soft,  pearly  tone  ; the  egg-shell  vase  in  Fig. 
275,  which  is  modeled  on  the  lines  of  the  pink  vase  illus- 
trated in  Plate  LIII,  and  which  is  perfectly  plain  with 
the  exception  of  faintest  rings  in  the  paste  defining  the 
rims  of  the  neck  and  of  the  foot,  is  a white  vase  of  this 
kind,  which  may  be  attributed  to  either  of  these  two 
reigns.  A new  shade  which  now  appears  among  the 
single  colors  is  the  intense  deep  blue  known  to  the 
Cl]inese  as  ijao-shili  Ian.,  or  sapphire-blue,”  which  is  often 
seen  in  combination  with  imperial  dragons  faintly 
engraved  in  the  paste,  and  usually  Avith  a square  seal  of 

* The  calcined  peroxide  of  iron  was  formerly  painted  on,  mixed  with  a 
simple  dux  of  white  lead  ; now  it  is  combined  with  the  ordinary  vitreous  flux 
of  the  enameler,  and  acquires  the  brilliant  tint  known  to  the  Chinese  as  tsao-’rh 
hung,  the  “ red  of  the  jujube,”  the  fruit  of  the  Zizyphus  communis. 


409 


THE  Ch’iEN-LUNH  PERIOD. 

the  CliHen-lung  period  impressed  uudenieath  the  piece, 
the  foot  being  coated  with  the  same  glaze. 

This  last  glaze,  however,  is  usually  finely  crackled,  as 
is  shown  in  the  vase  of  rich  sapphire-blue  color  illustrated 
in  Plate  XXIX.  Many  of  the  single  colors  of  the  time 
are,  in  fact,  distinguished  by  having  this  finely  crackled 
reticulation  in  the  glaze,  the  truite  of  the  French,  the 
yil4zu  wen  or  ‘^fish-roe”  crackle  of  the  Chinese.  The 
colored  glazes  in  these  cases  were  applied,  sur  hiscuit^  on 
porcelain  that  had  been  previously  fired  in  an  unglazed 
state.  The  manganese-purple  and  the  turquoise-blue  of 
the  time  are  among  the  finest  of  these,  especially  the 
latter,  which  excels  that  of  any  previous  period  in  its 
mottled  shades  of  purest  cerulean  hue,  exactly  resembling 
those  of  the  plumes  of  the  kingfisher,  from  which  it 
derives  its  Chinese  name  of  fei-ts\i%  whicli  is  contracted 
sometimes  to  tshd  se]  se  meaning  color.  The  tones  of 
color  are  perfectly  displayed  in  the  two  graceful  beakers 
of  ancient  bronze  design  in  Plates  XLIV  and  XLV,  the 
first  of  which  is  modeled  ith  archaic  details  under  the 
glaze,  while  the  second,  left  plain,  has  nothing  to  detract 
from  the  symmetiy  of  its  outlines  or  the  beauty  of  its 
coloring. 

The  finely  crackled  green  and  yellow  monochromes  of 
the  same  class,  which  are  usually  bracketed  together,  are 
characteristic  coloi*s  of  the  period,  the  production  of  which 
is  continued  down  to  the  present  day.  Of  the  ^‘fish-roe 
green,”  or  yil-tzu  lu,  a typical  specimen  is  seen  illustrated 
in  Plate  XXVII ; this  is  also  called  by  the  Chinese  hva- 
])i  lu^  or  cucumber-green,”  a name  more  ap])ropriate  to 
tlie  color  of  the  vase  illustrated  in  Plate  LXXVIII  ; it 
is  sometimes  called  “ apple-green  ” by  AVestei*n  collectors, 
but  tills  term  (^p^ing-hvo  lv4)  is  always  applied  by  the 
Chinese  to  the  green  which  accompanies  their  pdng^kvo 
h^mg^  or  “apple-red,”  on  the  “peach-bloom”  vases  of  the 


410 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


K'^ang-Jisi  period.  The  yellow  crackle  of  the  same  type^ 
called  yu-tzu  huang^  or  fish -roe  yellow/’  is  illustrated  in 
Plate  LXXXVII ; under  tlie  name  of  mustard-yellow,” 
which  indicates  its  usual  shade,  it  acquired  at  one  time  a 
celebrity  which  it  hardly  deseiwed. 

The  ordinary  crackle  of  tlie  time,  marked  by  the  wider 
reticulation  of  lines,  which  is  likened  to  fissured  ice,  and 
hence  known  by  the  name  of  lieh  wen,  is  sufiiciently 
illustrated  by  the  vase  of  aicliaic  design  shown  in  Plate 
LXXVII,  which  is  coated  with  the  grayish-blue  glaze 
called  Ju  yu,  from  its  reseiiil)lance  in  color  to  that  of  the 
ancient  Ju-chou  jDorcelain,  after  which  it  was  modeled ; it  is 
marked  underneath  in  blue  \vith  the  date-mark  of  CTiHen- 
lung.  Crackled  glazes  were  among  the  specialties  of  the 
period,  and  were  produced  at  will  in  any  color  or  com- 
bination of  colors.  The  vai  iety  of  souffle  glazes  was  also 
very  gi*eat,  and  many  novel  combinations  were  introduced 
by  the  application  of  a different  shade  of  the  same  color, 
or  of  a new  color  altogether.  The  second  enamel  was 
sprinkled  on  in  the  form  of  a fine  rain  by  blowing 
through  a bamboo  tube  with  gauze  tied  over  the  end, 
which  was  lightly  dipped  in  the  color,  or  it  was  flecked 
on  in  larger  or  smaller  tears  with  a brush  dipped  in  the 
moist  color ; or,  again,  it  was  painted  on  in  larger  patches 
of  overglaze  enamel ; the  effect  of  each  process  can  be 
readily  distinguished,  so  that  a fuller  description  is 
unnecessary. 

The  decorated  porcelain  produced  during  this  long 
reign  of  sixty  years  is  also  of  almost  infinite  variety.  If 
it  wants  something  of  the  artistic  freedom  of  design  and 
brilliancy  of  coloring  which  distinguish  the  K''ang-hsi 
period,  it  evinces  a grace  and  technical  finish  of  its  own. 
Brilliant  greens  of  different  shades  predominate  in  the 
painted  porcelain  of  the  latter  reign,  which  is  indicated 
by  the  selection  for  it  of  the  name  of  famille  verte.  In 


THE  Ch’iEN-LUNH  PERIOD. 


411 


the  new  reign  the  green  is  paler  in  tone  and  occupies  a 
subordinate  position  among  the  colors ; it  is  supplanted 
by  reds  of  crimson  and  pink  shades  derived  from  gold, 
hence  the  name  oi  famille  rose  which  is  often  applied  to 
the  decoration. 

The  decorated  porcelains  may  be  conveniently  classi- 
fied under  the  headings  of  the  table  in  Chapter  X : 

A.  Colors  of  the  grand  feu. 

B.  Colors  of  the  demi-grand feu. 

C.  Colors  of  the  mufile  stove. 

We  shall  find  that  the  eight  classes  which  were  com- 
prised in  the  table  under  the  above  three  headings  are  all 
abundantly  represented  in  the  productions  of  the  reign  of 
QKiendung. 

There  is  nothing  special  to  be  noticed  in  the  first  two 
classes  which  include  the  pieces  painted  in  cobalt-blue 
and  in  copper-red  respectively.  The  blue  and  white  is 
generally  carefully  penciled  with  graceful  fioral  sprays 
and  conventional  scrolls,  but  the  blue  has  lost  its  pulsat- 
ing vigor,  and  the  glaze  its  pellucid  depth.  The  white 
ground  is  purer  in  tint,  but  it  is  apt  to  become  almost 
chalky,  and  one  misses  the  tinge  of  blue  which  seemed  to 
give  a note  of  harmony  to  the  older  pictures.  Mr.  Monk- 
house  in  his  appreciative  introduction  to  the  catalogue  of 
blue  and  white,  already  referred  to,  asks : Does  this 

tinge  come  from  the  pigment  with  which  the  vase  is 
painted  ? If  so,  it  is,  perhaps,  one  advantage  of  the  Chi- 
nese practice  of  baking  the  paste,  the  blue  and  the  glaze, 
at  tlie  same  firing.  The  tinge,  whether  gray  or  Ifiue,  is 
always  in  accord  wdth  the  quality  of  the  blue.” 

A typical  example  of  Ifiue  and  wliite,  witli  the  seal  of 
Cliien-lnng  insciibed  undeiaieatli,  may  be  seen  in  the 
ritual  wine-pot  wutli  Buddhist  symbols  and  floral  scrolls 
in  Fig.  90.  The  two  pieces  now  to  be  mentioned  are  dec- 
orated in  mixed  underglaze  colors,  and  belong,  therefore. 


412 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


to  the  third  class  on  the  table.  The  pilgrim-bottle  (^pao 
yueh  pHng)  in  Fig.  176,  outlined  in  the  shape  of  the  full 
moon,  is  decorated  on  each  side  with  a five-clawed  impe- 
rial dragon  coiling  round  the  magic  jewel.  The  dragons^ 
the  fiames  proceeding  from  their  bodies,  and  the  effulgent 
jewels  in  the  middle,  are  painted  in  copper-red  of  maroon 
tint ; the  scrolled  clouds  which  fill  in  the  intervals  and  the 
crested  sea-waves  at  the  base  of  the  vase  are  painted  in 
cobalt-blue.  The  outside  of  each  loop-handle  is  decorated 
in  blue  with  a spiral  scroll,  and  the  seal  of  the  CKien-lung 
period  underneath  is  penciled  in  the  same  underglaze  color. 
The  smaller  bottle-shaped  vase  in  Fig.  276  is  an  example 
of  the  so-called  soft-paste  ” class,  decorated  in  the  same 
two  colors  as  the  last  piece.  The  crackled  Q^ai-pien) 
glaze,  which  has  a slightly  undulatory  surface,  is  traversed 
throughout  with  a ]*eticulation  of  fine  lines.  The  mon- 
strous lionlike  quadruped,  di’awn  after  the  unusually 
grotesque  fashion  of  this  time,  is  standing  at  the  foot  of 
a spreading  pine-tree,  with  a bat  fiying  overhead,  all 
painted  in  blues  of  subdued  tones : the  flames  which  pro- 
ceed from  the  shoulders  and  hips  of  the  monster  are 
tinged  copper-red,  and  its  eyes  are  lightly  touched  with 
rings  of  the  same  underglaze  color.  There  is  no  mark 
attached. 

A representative  piece  of  the  fourth  class,  decorated 
in  glazes  of  several  colors,”  is  illustrated  in  Plate  XXXI 
in  the  magnificent  vase,  two  feet  high,  decoi'ated  with 
imperial  dragons  in  the  midst  of  clouds,  with  the  details 
engi*aved  in  the  paste  and  enameled  green,  displayed  upon 
a monochrome  yellow  ground. 

The  remaining  four  classes,  including  all  the  different 
kinds  of  decoration  in  enamel  colors  fired  in  the  muifie 
stove,  are  particularly  w^ell  filled.  In  the  reign  of  CKien- 
lung^  according  to  Chinese  authorities,  the  highest  art  was 
lavished  on  porcelain-painting  in  colors,  and  the  dealers 


THE  Ch’iEN-LUNG  PERIOD. 


418 


thronged  round  the  mouth  of  the  kiln  to  have  the  first 
pick  of  the  things  as  they  were  taken  out.  The  red 
shops,”  as  the  manufactories  of  colored  ware  had  been 
commonly  called  since  the  introduction  of  the  coral-red 
derived  from  iron,  one  of  the  earliest  of  the  enamel  colors, 
were  now  widely  patronized,  instead  of  those  of  the  pro- 
ducers of  single  colors  and  the  decorators  in  plain  blue 
and  white,  who  had  hitherto  monopolized  attention. 
The  three  beautiful  specimens  selected  for  illustration  in 
colors  are  unrivaled  examples  of  the  style  and  coloring  of 
the  time.  The  first,  Plate  LXIV,  is  one  of  a pair  of 
quadrangular  vases,  with  openwork  railings  projecting 
from  the  corners,  which  are  richly  decorated  in  colors 
with  gilding.  The  large  panels  are  painted  with  land- 
scape pictures  of  the  four  seasons,  bordered  by  scrolls, 
penciled  in  gold  on  a soft  coral-red,  by  bands  of  gold-bro- 
caded blue  or  embroidered  yellow.  The  study  of  the 
colors  on  a vase  of  this  kind,  of  which  the  date  is  cer- 
tainly known,  is  an  invaluable  aid  to  the  correct  classifi- 
cation of  the  enameled  single  colors  which  are  so  often 
unmarked.  The  second  vase,  Plate  LXXVI,  is  a typi- 
cal member  of  famille  rose,  exhibiting  broad  bands  of 
crimson  rouge  cVor  etched  with  scrolls.  Like  the  forego- 
ing vase  the  base  is  enameled  pale  green  underneath,  a 
characteristic  of  the  finest  decoi'ated  porcelain  of  this 
reign  which  is  worthy  of  notice.  The  mark  is  written 
hei’e  in  bright  overglaze  blue,  in  one  horizontal  line ; in 
tlie  former  case  it  is  in  the  form  of  a seal,  penciled  in  red 
on  a white  panel  reserved  in  the  middle  of  the  pale- 
green  ground.  The  third  of  the  Ch^ien-lung  pieces,  the 
hexagonal  lantern  with  pierced  openwork  sides  in  Plate 
XXII,  is  another  striking  evidence  in  its  soft,  harmoni- 
ous tone  of  coloring,  in  its  graceful  decorative  designs, 
and  in  its  finished  technique,  of  the  artistic  skill  of  the 
potters  of  this  period. 


414 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


It  is  possible  to  admire  the  fine  productions  of  this 
time,  and  yet  to  prefer  the  bolder  style  and  stronger 
coloring  of  the  decorated  porcelain,  as  well  as  the 
brilliancy  of  the  monochromes  of  the  older  reign  of 
K’^ang-hsi.  M.  Grandidier,  a practiced  connoisseur  of 
Chinese  ceramic  art,  observes  : Some  collectors  prefer 

the  delicate  porcelains  of  the  CKien-lung  epoch  to  any 
other ; I can  find  no  fault  with  them  ; others  remain  cold, 
dull,  and  indifferent  in  the  presence  of  the  most  perfect 
of  these  marvels,  and  are  only  enthusiastically  attracted 
by  the  porcelain  of  the  Ming  dynasty,  so  majestic  in  its 
barbaric  effect ; these  last  are  not  wrong,  and  I offer 
them  my  approval.  Some,  again,  put  in  the  first  rank  the 
productions  of  the  time  of  K'' ang-Tisi^  and  they  are  right. 
I exclude  none  of  these  three  periods  ; each  has  its  special 
qualities  of  a different  order,  and  I admire  them  all 
sincerely  without  admitting  the  superiority  of  any  one 
over  the  others.  Beauty  has  always  the  gift  of  captivat- 
ing me,  and  under  all  its  forms ; queen  of  the  world,  it 
reigns  an  absolute  sovereign  in  the  realm  of  art.” 

There  is  no  fixed  line  of  demarcation  between  the 
decorated  porcelain  of  the  Yung-cheng  and  CliHen-lung 
periods.  Two  pieces,  in  form  and  design  as  well  as  in 
smaller  technical  details,  might  pass  for  pi-oductions  of 
the  former  reign  had  they  not  the  mark  of  CKien-lung 
inscribed  underneath,  etched  under  the  glaze  in  the  first 
case,  penciled  in  cobalt- blue  in  the  second.  The  oval 
bowl-shaped  vase  in  Fig.  27T  in  white  with  scrolls  of 
lotus  and  peony  flowers  etched  under  the  clear  glaze;  the 
dragon  of  archaic  design,  coiled  in  openwork  ]*elief  round 
the  rim,  is  enameled  reddish  brown  and  touched  with 
gold.  The  saucer-shaped  dish  in  Fig.  249  is  painted  in 
the  same  brilliant  enamels  ns  the  laro;e  dish  illustrated  in 
Plate  XLVIII,  with  branches  of  peaches  springing  from 
the  circular  rim  of  the  foot  and  passing  over  the  border 


THE  Ch’iEN-LUNG  PEEIOD. 


415 


of  the  dish  to  decorate  its  interior,  as  well  as  its  outer 
surface.  The  branches  bear  pink  flowers  and  buds,  as 
well  as  large  peaches,  the  fruit  of  long  life,  and  they  are 
accompanied  by  five  flying  bats,  painted  in  shaded  red, 
emblems  of  the  five  happinesses,  three  being  displayed  in 
the  field,  two  on  the  outer  edge  of  the  saucer.  In  Fig. 
278  is  exhibited  a charming  little  vase,  modeled  as  a four- 
sided  beaker  (tsun^,  of  ancient  bronze  design,  with  an 
archaic  scrolled  band  round  the  waist,  and  vertical 
dentated  ridges  projecting  from  the  sides  and  corners  ; 
upon  it  are  seen  the  lizardlike  forms  of  nine  dragons,  in 
undercut  relief,  painted  in  delicate  OKien-lung  colors,  of 
which  a large  OKili-limg,  with  four  small  ones  crawling 
over  its  body,  composes  the  handle,  while  four  others 
coil  round  the  neck  of  the  vase. 

Two  other  pieces  will  serve  to  give  an  idea  of  the 
great  variety  of  flowers  depicted  in  the  naturalistic  floral 
decoration  of  porcelain  at  this  time.  The  flower-pot  of 
eight-lobed  form  in  Fig.  280  has  eight  panels  of  flowers 
and  fruit,  with  butterflies  and  dragonflies,  all  painted  in 
delicate  enamel  colors.  The  front  panel  displays  the  fir, 
bamboo,  and  prunus,  so  often  associated  as  emblems  of 
longevity  ; the  next,  proceeding  from  right  to  left,  contains 
flowering  bulbs  of  narcissus  and  sprays  of  roses,  followed 
in  order  by  pomegranates  and  chrysanthemums ; a group 
of  begonias;  of  hibiscus  branches ; sprays 

of  Dielytra  sgjectahilis  and  azure-tipped  marguerite  dai- 
sies; of  yellow  Jasmine  and  scarlet  ling-cMli  (^Polyporus 
lucidus)\  of  red-leaved  amarantlnis  and  orchids  {Gymhi- 
dium  emifoliinii).  The  large  double  gourd-shaped  vase 
(liu-lu pHng")^  nearly  two  feet  high,  in  Fig.  279,  displays 
in  its  rich  floral  ground  the  “ hundred  flowers  ” of  the 
Cliinese,  painted  in  natural  colors,  so  that  each  species 
may  ]>e  recognized  at  a glance  by  one  familiar  with  the 
garden  flora  of  China.  Among  them  may  be  distinguished 


416 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


peonies  of  several  kinds,  lotus,  chrysanthemum,  magnolia, 
roses,  hibiscus  (both  pink  and  yellow),  orchids,  iris,  lilies 
(scarlet  and  white),  asters,  hydrangea,  wistaria,  dielytra, 
pomegranate,  begonia,  narcissus,  convolvulus,  syringa 
(white  and  lilac),  Pyrus  japonica  {liai-f any)  and  double 
peach,  Olea  fragrans,  cockscomb,  etc.  The  foot  is 
encircled  by  a band  of  formal  foliations  in  shaded  blue 
and  green  upon  a pink  monochrome  ground,  between 
heavily  gilded  rims.  The  base  enameled,  like  the  inside 
of  the  mouth,  pale  green,  has  a reserved  panel  in  the 
middle  in  which  is  penciled  in  red  the  seal  Ta  cKing 
CKien  lung  nien  chili — i.  e.,  ‘‘Made  in  the  reign  of 
OKien-lung^  of  the  great  CliHng  [dynasty].”  * 

The  varied  processes  of  decoration  in  white  slip  over 
colored  glazes ; of  embossing  in  plain,  and  in  undercut 
relief ; of  pierced  designs,  intended  either  to  be  left  in 
openwork  or  to  be  subsequently  filled  in  with  glaze  ; and 
of  making  composite  vases,  composed  either  of  articulated 
pieces  or  furnished  with  movable  appendages — all  these 
branches  of  the  ceramic  art  were  executed  with  success 
at  this  time,  and  some  examples  have  been  already  illus- 
trated in  these  pages.  The  vase  in  Fig.  282  displays  the 
floi*al  embossed  work  which  was  so  exactly  copied  at 
Meissen  in  early  Dresden  porcelain  that  it  is,  at  first 
sight,  difficult  to  distinguish  the  copies  from  the  originals, 
as  they  are  now  placed  side  by  side  for  comparison  within 
the  glass  cases  of  the  museum  at  Dresden.  It  is  an 

* A magnificent  jar  (kuan)  forty-five  centimetres  high,  of  broad,  massive 
form,  illustrated  by  M.  Grandidier  (loc.  cit.,  Plate  XXXVI,  109),  is  covered 
with  the  same  floral  decoration.  The  author  describes  it  as  “ composed  of  an 
interlacement  of  floral  sprays  in  juxtaposition  presenting  an  infinite  variety  of 
types  and  of  colors  ; the  Chinese  flora  is  represented  upon  it  with  an  incredible 
luxury.  It  produces  the  effect  of  an  immense  sheaf  of  flowers — of  a colossal 
bouquet.  (From  the  Summer  Palace).”  The  cover  is  apparently  wanting. 
Its  fellow,  which  is  in  the  Dana  Collection  in  New  York,  is,  if  I remember 
rightly,  complete  with  the  original  cover  decorated  with  the  same  floral  ground 
crowned  with  a gilded  knob. 


THE  Ch’iEN-LUNG  PERIOD. 


417 


ovoid  vase  of  fine  eggshell  texture,  overlaid  with  a close- 
set  floral  decoration  composed  of  chrysanthemums,  hai- 
t’ang  {Pyrus  japo'tiicd)^  and  daisies,  painted  in  red,  green, 
and  gold.  Within  this  floral  ground  are  reserved  two 
oval  panels,  painted  in  delicate  enamels  with  familiar 
scenes  of  domestic  life,  an  interior  with  ladies  drinking 
wine  out  of  tiny  gilded  cups,  and  a garden  with  another 
group  of  ladies  looking  at  fighting  cocks;,  scrolled  bands 
penciled  in  gold  round  the  rims  of  the  vase  complete  the 
decoration.  The  vase  in  Fig.  283  exhibits  a floral  decora- 
tion in  full  undercut  relief  projecting  from  a background 
of  “ tea-dust,”  or  cKa-yeli  mo.  The  tea-dust  ” is  one  of 
the  characteristic  souffle  glazes  of  the  time,  an  olive-green 
monochrome  ground  thickly  flecked  with  tiny  spots  of 
lighter  green.  The  vase,  grooved  with  three  vertical 
lines,  has  an  indented  foot  and  a three-lobed  lip.  The 
branches  of  fruit  in  white  relief  are  pomegranates,  wind- 
ing round  the  vase  and  leaving  a small  interval  on  the 
shoulder,  which  is  filled  by  a branded  stem  of  sacred 
fungus  {Polyporus  lucidus')  which  is  also  enameled  white. 
The  foot,  coated  underneath  with  the  same  “ tea-dust  ” 
glaze,  has  the  seal,  stamped  in  the  paste,  Ta  CKing 
CKien  lung  nien  cliih — i.  e.,  “Made  in  the  reign  of 
CKiendung^  of  the  gi*eat  OKing  [dynasty].” 

No  better  examples  of  pierced  work  could  be  found 
than  the  lantern  with  openwork  panels,  which  is 
illusti’ated  in  Plate  XXII,  and  the  magnificent  vase  with' 
pierced  trellis-work  in  the  outer  casing  that  is  shown  in 
Fig.  185.  This  last  is  also  provided  with  a movable 
appendage  in  the  form  of  a revolving  belt  attached  to 
the  waist  of  the  double  gourd  ; it  is  marked  underneath 
with  a gold  “ seal  ” of  the  CKien-lung  period.*  An 
articulated  specimen  is  presented  in  Fig.  284,  which 
represents  a celadon  vase  of  bronze  form  and  design,  cut 
across  into  two  parts  by  a wavy,  dovetailed  line  of  four- 


418 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


lobed  foliated  outline.  The  designs,  worked  in  relief  in 
the  paste,  in  a broad  band  encircling  the  body  of  the 
vase,  consist  of  four  monstrous  ogre  (fao4HeK)  faces, 
conventionalized  into  ornamental  scrolls.  The  varying 
depth  of  the  investing  glaze  produces  corresponding 
shades  in  soft  tones  of  pea-green.  The  seal  of  Ta  OKing 
CKien  lung  nien  chilly  Made  in  the  reign  of  CKien-lung^ 
of  the  great  OKing  [dynasty],”  is  penciled  on  the  foot  in 
cobalt-blue  underneath  a coat  of  the  same  celadon  glaze. 

The  last  technical  process  of  decoration  to  be  noticed 
here  is  that  in  which  the  pierced  designs  cut  in  the  por- 
celain are  filled  in  with  glaze,  producing  a charming 
effect  when  the  piece  is  looked  at  as  a transparency. 
This  is  sometimes  known  as  rice-grain  ” decoration.  It 
may  either  form  the  sole  ornamentation  of  a piece  or  be 
employed  in  combination  either  with  blue  and  white  or 
with  colored  enamels,  a few  leaves  or  ]3etals  in  the  latter 
case,  for  example,  being  treated  in  this  way  so  as  to 
appear  transparent  when  held  up  to  the  light.  The 
most  usual  form  is  that  of  bands  of  diaper  or  star  pattern. 
The  delicate  bowls  of  this  reign  which  display  an  intri- 
cate conventional  pattern,  like  that  of  lacework,  contrast- 
ing in  its  greenish  transparency  with  the  pure  white 
ground,  are  among  the  most  graceful  and  charming  of 
ceramic  triumphs ; they  are  called  lace-bowls  ” by  col- 
lectors, and  have  a tiny  seal  mark  of  the  reign  penciled 
underneath  in  blue.  Still  rarer  are  vases  of  which  we 
have  one  for  illustration  in  Fig.  285,  the  sides  of  which 
are  pierced  throughout  with  a lacework  pattern  of  con- 
ventional peony-fiowers  in  the  midst  of  leafy  scrolls,  and 
which  has  the  pierced  floral  pattern  filled  in  with  glaze. 
The  structure  of  tlie  vase  is  of  eggshell  thinness  and 
undulatoiy  surface,  and  the  decoration  imparts  a marvel- 
ous lightness  of  effect.  The  borders  of  the  vase  are 
encircled  by  rings  of  conventional  ornament  molded  in 


419 


THE  Ch’iEN-LUNG  PEEIOD. 

slight  relief,  so  as  to  be  picked  out  in  white  on  a ground 
of  palest  celadon  tint.  There  is  no  mark  inscribed,  but 
it  could  hardly  belong  to  any  other  epoch,  and  its  peculiar 
delicacy  and  beauty  make  it  a fitting  type  to  close  this 
brief  sketch  of  the  ceramic  art  of  the  reign  of  CKien- 
lung,  the  chief  charm  of  which  lies  in  these  tw^o 
qualities. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


THE  TWENTY  ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  THE  MANUFACTURE  OF 
PORCELAIN  DESCRIBED  BY  t’aNO  YINO. 

’AXG  YING,  the  celebrated  director  of  the  imperial 


porcelain  manufactory  at  Ching-te-chen,  to  whom  we 
have  already  so  often  referred,  came  np  to  Peking  in  the 
eighth  year  of  the  reign  of  the  Emperor  Cluien-lung 
(1743).  He  had  been  absent  for  fifteen  years,  engaged 
in  superintending  the  ceramic  works,  and  was  sent  for 
now  by  the  emperor,  who  was  anxious  for  personal  infor- 
mation about  the  details  of  the  industry  from  a professor 
of  the  art.  On  the  twenty-second  day  of  the  fourth  inter- 
calary month  he  was  summoned  to  the  Office  of  the 
Board  of  Works  in  the  Yang-hsiu-tien,  one  of  the  large 
halls  of  the  imperial  palace,  to  take  part  as  a member  of 
a commission  which  had  been  especially  appointed  for 
the  purpose  of  revising  some  of  the  classical  works  on 
technical  subjects.  When  he  arrived  there  a series  of 
twenty  illustrations  of  the  manufacture  of  porcelain, 
which  had  been  found  in  the  imperial  library,  were 
handed  to  him,  together  with  an  imperial  rescript,  dated 
the  eighth  day  of  the  preceding  month,  ordering  him 
(T’ang  Ying)  ‘Go  arrange  the  illustrations  in  their  proper 
order,  and  to  describe  carefully  the  different  processes 
illustrated  in  the  water-color  pictures,  specifying  the 
hills  from  which  the  porcelain  earth  was  obtained,  as  well 
as  the  sources  of  the  other  matei’ials ; and  finally  to 
return  the  pictures,  with  the  descriptions  which  he  had 
wi’itten  attached,  to  the  imperial  library.’’ 

The  task  was  completed  in  twelve  days,  and  the  result 

420 


ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  MANUFACTURE  OF  PORCELAIN.  421 


was  reverentially  submitted  to  the  imperial  glance  for 
correction  ” in  a memorial  by  T’ang  Ying,  who  subscribes 
himself  as  “ Junior  Secretary  of  the  Imperial  Household 
(Nei  Wii  Fii),  Tao-t’ai  in  charge  of  the  Customs  at 
Kiukiang,  and  ex-officio  Director  of  the  Imperial  Porcelain 
Manufactory.”  The  pictures  have  remained  in  seclusion 
eve]’  since,  and  have  never,  so  far  as  I know,  been  pub- 
lished. Their  description  by  T’ang  Ying,  on  the  contrary, 
is  to  be  found  either  in  its  complete  form  or  in  abstract 
in  every  Chinese  book  of  any  pretensions  on  cei’amics. 
The  most  complete  form,  including  copies  of  the  original 
imperial  decree  and  of  T’augYing’s  memorial  announcing 
the  completion  of  his  task,  is  contained  in  the  chapter  on 
porcelain  in  the  Wen  fang  8su  Researches  on  the 

apparatus  of  the  library,”  by  T’ang  Ping-chiiu,  a book 
published  in  the  reign  of  CVien-lung,  The  most  authen- 
tic version  is  to  be  found  in  the  official  annals  of  the 
province  of  Kiaugsi  {Chiang  lisi  T''mig  chilly  book  xciii, 
folio  19-23),  whei’e  it  is  published  as  an  appendix  to  the 
article  on  porcelain. 

There  is,  unfortunately,  no  word  of  the  date  of  the 
pictures  themselves;  it  is  only  stated  that  they  were 
painted  by  order  of  the  emperor,  but  of  which  particular 
emperor  we  are  not  informed.  We  know  that  the 
Emperor  K'^ang-lisi  had  two  sei’ies  of  pictui*es  painted  to 
illustrate  the  different  processes  of  lice-cultivation  and 
silk- weaving,  which  Avere  published,  with  imperial  odes 
attached,  in  the  thirty-fifth  year  of  iiis  reign  (1696), 
under  the  title  of  Yii  chili  Keng  chili  Vov.  Each 
series  consists  of  twenty-three  pictures,  ending  with  the 
worship  of  the  patron  deities,  and  the  form  resem]>les 
that  of  the  T\io  Yeh  You^  tlie  Illustratioiis  of  the 
Manufacture  of  Porcelain,”  which  would  seem  to  have 
been  designed  after  theii’  model.  Onlinary  albums  of 
pictures  of  the  different  processes  in  tlie  ]'>reparation  of 


422 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


tea,  silk,  and  porcelain  are  common  enough,  but  these, 
which  have  generally  been  painted  at  Canton  for  foreign- 
ers, come  under  a different  category. 

There  is  a beautiful  eggshell  vase  in  the  collection, 
shown  in  Fig.  287,  decorated  in  the  delicate  enamel 
colors  with  gilding  of  the  ChHen-lung  period,  which  dis- 
plays in  detail  the  various  processes  of  the  cultivation  of 
silk  in  China.  The  different  steps  are  exhibited  in  a suc- 
cession of  scenes  with  groups  of  busy  women  and  children 
represented  as  gathered  either  in  the  interior  of  houses  of 
elaborate  design  or  in  courtyards  filled  with  flowering 
trees  and  palms ; from  the  hatching  of  the  tiny  eggs,  the 
feeding  of  the  worms  in  every  stage  of  their  growth,  in 
the  open  baskets  ranged  on  curtained  bamboo  shelves, 
with  mulberry-leaves,  to  the  winding  of  the  silk  from  the 
chrysalides,  and  the  weaving  of  the  spun  material  in 
looms  of  complicated  structure.  In  the  first  scene  a boy 
is  bringing  baskets  of  mulberry-leaves  slung  from  a pole 
on  his  shoulder  ; in  the  last  scene  a second  is  seated  at 
the  large  hand-loom.  A wreath  of  red  and  pink  roses 
underneath  the  upper  rim,  which  is  gilded,  completes  the 
decorations  of  the  vase. 

With  regard  to  the  series  of  twenty  illustrations  of  the 
manufacture  of  porcelain,  T’ang  Ying  in  his  memorial 
observes  that  they  are  not  enough  to  give  a complete 
picture  of  all  the  different  technical  processes,  and  that 
still  less  must  an  exhaustive  account  of  the  ceramic  indus- 
try be  expected  in  his  notes,  which  are  intended  only  to 
be  descriptive  of  the  illustrations.  As  far  as  they  go, 
however,  they  form  a sketch  of  the  art  from  the  hand  of 
a master,  which  is  translated  in  this  chapter  as  literally  as 
possible,  with  the  addition  of  a few  explanatory  notes  at 
the  end  of  each  section. 


ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  MANUFACTURE  OF  PORCELAIN.  423 


Illustration  iVc.  1 : ‘‘  Mining  for  the  Stone  and 
Preparation  of  the  Paste.” 

“ In  tbe  manufacture  of  porcelain  the  body  is  formed  of  molded 
earth.  This  earth  is  prepared  from  stone  which  must  be  mined  and 
pui’ified  for  the  purpose.  The  stone  is  found  in  the  province  of 
Kiangnan,  wltliin  tlie  prefecture  Hui-chou  Fu,  at  Ch’i-men-hsien, 
which  is  two  hundred  li  distant  from  the'  porcelain  manufactory. 
The  two  mountains  called  P’ing-li  and  K’u-k’ou,  in  this  district, 
both  produce  the  white  stone.  It  is  obtained  by  mining,  and  when 
broken  exhibits  black  veins  branching  like  the  deer’s-horn  seaweed. 
The  natives  take  advantage  of  the  mountain  torrents  to  erect  wheels 
provided  with  crushers.  Having  been  finely  pulverized,  it  is  then 
purified  by  washing  and  levigation,  and  made  up  in  the  form  of 
bricks,  which  are  called  pai-tiui  or  ‘ white  bricks  ’ (petmitse).  When 
the  color  is  uniform,  and  the  texture  perfectly  fine,  it  is  used  for  the 
making  of  the  round  pieces  and  vases  of  eggshell  and  of  pure  white 
porcelain,  and  of  similar  objects  decorated  in  blue. 

“ Besides  this  there  are  several  other  kinds  of  earth  called  Kao- 
ling,  Yu-hung,  and  Ch’ien-t’an,  after  their  different  places  of  pro- 
duction, which  are  all  situated  in  the  province  of  Kiangsi,  within 
the  bounds  of  the  prefecture  Jao-chou  Fu.  They  are  dug  out  and 
prepared  in  the  same  way  as  the  and  can  only  be  used  for 

mixing  with  this  last,  or  in  the  making  of  coarser  and  thicker 
ware. 

“The  picture  shows  the  different  processes  of  mining,  of  pound- 
ing, and  of  washing,  which  are  comprised  in  the  heading,  ‘ Mining 
for  the  stone  and  preparation  of  the  paste,’  and  it  is  not  necessary 
to  describe  them  more  fully.” 

Porcelain  consists  essentially  of  two  elements — viz.,  the 
white  clay,  or  haolin,  the  iinctnoiis  and  infusible  element, 
which  gives  plasticity  to  the  paste,  and  the  feldspathic 
stone,  ox  petuntse^  which  is  fusible  at  a high  temperature, 
and  gives  transparency  to  the  porcelain.  The  feldspathic 
stone  from  Ch’i-men-hsien,  alluded  to  above,  has  been 
chemically  analyzed  by  Ebelmen,  who  describes  it  as  a 
white  rock  of  slightl}-  grayish  tinge,  occurring  in  large 


424 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


fragments,  covered  with  oxide  of  manganese  in  dendrites, 
and  having  some  crystals  of  quartz  imbedded  in  the  mass. 
It  fused  completely  into  a white  enamel  under  the  blow- 
pipe. Applied  by  immersion  upon  a piece  of  Sevres 
porcelain,  and  fired  in  the  large  furnace,  it  produced  a 
very  fine  glaze. 

With  regard  to  the  other  materials  used  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  paste  of  Chinese  porcelain,  which  varies  very 
widely  in  composition,  their  name  is  legion.  Nearer 
sources  of  the  feldspathic  rock  have  been  discovered  in 
Yli-kan-hsien,  and  at  a place  called  Hsiao-li,  not  far  south 
.of  Fou-liang-hsien,  specimens  of  which  have  also  been 
analyzed.  Another  kind  of  compact  tough  rock,  which  is 
pounded  in  larger  mills,  yields  a yellow  material  called 
liuang-tun^  which  is  used  for  coarser  ware,  but  is  said  to 
be  required  for  the  proper  development  of  the  colors  of 
certain  glazes. 


Illustration  No,  2 : Washing  and  Purification  of 

THE  Paste.” 

“ In  porcelain-making  the  first  requisite  is  that  of  washing  and 
purifying  the  materials  of  the  paste,  so  as  to  make  it  of  fine  homo- 
geneous texture.  The  presence  of  stars  (i.  e.,  crystals  of  mica)  or 
of  fragments  of  stone  would  cause  flaws  in  the  porcelain,  foreign 
bodies  or  loose  paste  would  lead  to  cracks. 

“Tlie  method  of  purifying  the  paste  is  to  mix  the  matei'ials  with 
water  in  large  earthenware  jars,  and  to  stir  the  mixture  with 
wooden  prongs,  so  that  it  remains  suspended  in  tlie  water  while  the 
impurities  sink  to  the  bottom.  The  paste  is  then  passed  through  a 
fine  horse-hair  sieve,  and  next  strained  through  a bag  made  of 
a double  layer  of  silk.  It  is  then  poured  into  a series  of  earthen- 
ware jars,  from  which  the  water  is  run  off,  and  the  paste  is  left  to 
become  solidified.  A wooden  box  with  no  bottom  having  been 
placed  upon  a pile  composed  of  several  tiers  of  new  bricks,  a large 
cloth  of  fine  cotton  is  spread  inside,  and  the  solidified  paste  is 
poured  in,  wrapped  round  with  the  cloth  and  pressed  with  more 


ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  MANUFACTURE  OF  PORCELAIN.  425 


bricks,  which  absorb  all  the  water.  The  prepared  paste,  freed  from 
the  superfluous  water,  is  then  thrown  on  to  large  stone  slabs  and 
worked  with  iron  spades  until  it  has  become  perfectly  compact  and 
ductile,  and  fit  for  the  manufacture  of  porcelain. 

“All  the  dilferent  kinds  of  paste  are  prepared  in  the  same  way, 
the  various  materials  having  been  mixed  in  definite  proportions 
according  to  their  different  properties.  The  picture  contains  in 
detail  the  various  utensils  and  the  different  processes  of  work  com- 
prised in  this  department  of  preparation  of  the  paste.” 


Pere  d’Eiitrecolles  in  his  letters  gives  a more  detailed 
account  of  the  washing  of  the  materials  of  the  paste  and 
the  proportions  of  the  ingredients.  He  says  that  the 
finest  porcelain  is  made  of  equal  parts  of  kaolin  and 
petuntse  ; that  the  usual  proportion  is  four  parts  of  kaolin 
to  six  of  petuntse ; and  that  the  least  amount  of  kaolin 
that  can  be  used  is  one  part  to  three  parts  of  petuntse. 
The  larger  proportion  of  kaolin  gives  a greater  plasticity 
to  the  paste,  and  enables  it  to  be  more  readily  fashioned 
on  the  wheel ; it  also  gives  strength  to  the  material  when 
fired,  so  that  it  will  withstand  a higher  temperature  with- 
out softening.  For  this  reason  the  Chinese  call  it  ‘Hhe 
bone,”  while  the  feldspar,  the  more  fusible  ingredient, 
which  gives  translucency  to  the  porcelain,  is  ‘Hhe  fiesh.” 
The  hard  porcelain  of  Sevwes  and  of  Germany  contain  a 
greater  proportion  of  kaolin,  and  are  consequently  more 
aluminous  than  any  Chinese  ware.  It  is  found  at  Sevres, 
however,  that  it  was  too  hard  for  the  proper  development, 
from  a decorative  point  of  view,  of  the  colors,  and  in  1880 
]\OI.  Lauth  and  Vogt  began  to  make  a more  siliceous 
porcelain  with  a calcareous  glaze,  attempting  to  imitate 
as  closely  as  possible  Oriental  porcelain.  This  porce- 
lain, which  bears  the  name  at  Sevres  of  porcelaine  nou- 
velle^  can  be  ornamented,  like  that  of  China,  with  glazes 
of  single  colors,  jlamhes^  with  decoi’ations^jinder  the 
glaze  in  colors  of  the  grand  feu^  as  well  as  in  tlie  muffle 


426 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


stove  with  bright  and  limpid  enamels  fixed  in  relief  on 
the  surface  of  the  pieces."^ 

This  new  porcelain  is  composed  of : 


Kaolin  ..... 

. 

. 38  parts. 

Feldspar  ..... 

. 

. 38  “ 

Quartz  ..... 

• 

. 24 

It  is  fired  at  a temperature 

of  about 

1,350°  G;  the 

older  hard  porcelain  at  Sevres  is 

fired  at  1 

,550°;  and  that 

of  China,  according  to  the  recent  researches  of  M.  Vogt, 
at  1,475°. 

The  following  table  gives  the  composition  of  different 
kinds  of  porcelain  : 


Source. 

I Alumina. 

Silica. 

Oxide  of  Iron. 

1 

Potash. 

Soda. 

►3 

Magnesia.  j 

Authority. 

Meissen 

35.43 

60.0 

2.26 

1.55 

0.57 

Muller. 

Sevres  . 

34.5 

58.0 

3.0 

4.5 

Salvetat. 

Vienna  (old)  . 

34.2 

59.6 

0.8 

2.0 

1.7 

1.4 

Laurent. 

Sevres,  1880  . 

32.0 

60.75 

0.8 

3.0 

4.5 

Vogt. 

Vienna 

31.6 

61.5 

0.8 

2.2 

1.8 

1.04 

Laurent. 

Bayeux 

30.0 

61.6 

1.56 

3.26 

3.56 

Salvetat. 

Berlin  , 

28.0 

66.6 

0.7 

3.4 

0.3 

0.6 

A.  Laurent, 

Fogey  (Berry) 

28.0 

66.2 

0.7 

5.1 

6.1 

Salvetat. 

Limoges  . 

24.0 

70.2 

0.7 

4.3 

6. 1 

Salvetat. 

Sevres,  pate  nou- 
'celle  . 

22.6 

70.83 

2.32 

2.09 

1.1 

0.46 

Vogt. 

Paris  . 

22.0 

71.2 

6.S 

4.5 

0.8 

Laurent. 

China  . 

22.2 

70.0 

1.3 

3.6 

2V7 

0.8 

Salvetat. 

Bohemia  . 

21.3 

74.78 

2.48 

0.58 

0.64 

Muller. 

.Japan  . 
China  . 

20.55 

70.77 

3.99 

3.16 

0.83 

6.18 

Vogt. 

20.7 

70.5 

6.S 

3.9 

0.5 

0.1 

Salvetat. 

China  . 

19.3 

73.3 

2.0 

2.5 

2.3 

0.6 

Salvetat. 

Nymphenburg 

18.4 

72.8 

2.5 

1 

0.65 

1.84 

3.3 

6.3 

Vielguth. 

* La  Porcelaine,  par  Georges  Vogt. 


ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  MANUFACTURE  OF  PORCELAIN.  427 


Illustration  No.  3 : Burning  the  Ashes  and 

PREPARING  THE  GlAZE.” 

“ All  kinds  of  porcelain  require  glaze,  and  the  composition  used 
for  glazing  can  not  be  prepared  without  ashes.  The  ashes  for  the 
glaze  come  from  Lo-p’ing-hsien,  which  is  one  hundred  and  forty  li 
to  the  south  of  Ching-te-chen.  They  are  made  by  burning  a gray- 
colored  limestone  with  ferns  piled  in  alternate  layers;  the  residue, 
after  it  has  been  washed  thoroughly  with  water,  forms  the  ashes 
for  the  glaze.  The  finest  kind  of  petuntse  made  into  a paste  with 
water  is  added  to  the  liquid  glaze  ashes,  and  mixed  to  form  a kind 
of  puree^  the  proportions  being  varied  according  to  the  class  of 
porcelain.  Within  the  large  jar,  in  which  the  mixture  is  made,  is 
placed  a little  iron  pot,  through  the  two  handles  of  which  a curved 
stick  is  passed,  to  make  a ladle  for  measuring  the  ingredients.  This 
is  called  2,p'en.  For  example,  ten  measures  of  petuntse  paste  and 
one  measure  of  ashes  form  the  glaze  for  the  highest  class  of  porce- 
lain. Seven  or  eight  ladles  of  paste  and  two  or  three  ladies  of  ashes 
form  the  glaze  for  the  middle  class.  If  the  paste  and  ashes  are 
mixed  in  equal  proportions,  or  if  the  ashes  are  more  than  the  paste, 
the  glaze  is  only  fit  for  coarse  ware. 

‘‘  In  the  picture  the  little  iron  pot  which  is  seen  floating  inside 
the  large  jar  is  the  or  ‘ measure.’  ” 


Specimens  of  rock  from  Lo-p’iiig-hsieii  were  sent  to 
France  by  Pere  Ly,  tlie  Cliinese  Lazarist  priest,  and 
examined  by  M.  Salvetat,  who  describes  it  as  a compact 
limestone  lightly  colored  by  pyrites  disseminated  thimigh- 
out  the  mass.  The  ashes  left  after  repeated  combustion 
of  this  rock  witli  ferns  are  composed  mainly  of  lime,  the 
action  of  whicli  is  to  increase  the  fusibility  of  the  petuntse, 
the  vitrifiable  feldspathic  rock  whicli  gives  its  peculiar 
properties  to  the  glaze.  This  rock  is  the  same  that  is 
used  in  the  composition  of  the  porcelain  body  ; only  the 
best  pieces  are  picked  out  for  the  glaze,  those  of  uniform 
greenish  tone,  which  are  covered  with  dendrites  in  the 
form  of  arbor-vitae  leaves.  The  Chinese  call  this  Yulvo, 


428 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


glaze  fruit” — i.  e.,  essence  of  the  glaze.  A specimen 
analyzed  by  Salve  tat  had  tlje  following  composition : 


Water  ........  2.3 

Silica  .........  75.9 

Alumina  ........  14.2 

Oxide  of  iron  .......  0.8 

Lime  .........  0.5 

Oxide  of  manganese  ......  0.3 

Magnesia  ........  a trace 

Potash  ........  2.8 

Soda  .........  3.2 


The  analysis  of  two  actual  glazes  chipped  off  from 
pieces  of  Chinese  porcelain  1 >y  the  same  authority  gave : 


Silica 

. 68.0 

. 64.1 

Alumina 

. 12.0 

. 10.2 

Oxide  of  iron 

. a trace 

. a trace 

Lime  . . . 

. 14.0 

. 21.0 

Potash  and  soda 

6.0 

5.1 

The  glaze  of  Chinese  porcelain  is  always  rich  in  lime. 
It  is  the  lime  that  gives  the  characteristic  tinge  of  green 
or  blue,  but  at  the  same  time  produces  a brilliancy  of 
surface  and  translucent  depth  never  found  in  the  harder 
glazes  which  contain  no  lime.  The  glaze  of  the  nouvelle 
porcelaine  of  Sevres  is  prepared  with  thirty-three  per 
cent  of  chalk. 


llhistration  No.  4 : Manufacture  of  the  Cases 

OR  Seggars.” 

“ The  porcelain  while  being  fired  in  the  furnace  must  be  kept 
perfectly  clean;  a single  spot  of  dirt  makes  a colored  stain.  More- 
over, the  blast  of  air  and  fierce  flames  of  the  furnace  would  injure 
the  delicate  paste.  For  these  reasons  it  is  necessary  to  place  the 
porcelain  inside  the  seggars.  The  clay  used  in  making  these  cases 
comes  from  the  village  of  Li-ch’un,  which  is  on  the  northeast  of 


ILLUSTKATIONS  OF  MANUFACTURE  OF  PORCELAIN.  429 


C^hing-te-clien.  It  is  of  tliree  different  colors — black,  red,  and 
white.  A kind  of  blackish-yellow  sand,  which  is  found  at  Pao- 
shih-shan,  is  mixed  with  the  clay  to  form  the  paste,  so  that  it  may 
be  more  readily  fired.  The  cases  are  fashioned  on  a wheel,  which 
is  similar  to  the  wheel  used  for  porcelain.  The  paste  need  not  be 
finely  levigated.  After  the  cases  have  been  partially  dried  they 
are  roughly  finished  off  with  the  knife,  put  into  the  furnace,  and 
fired  for  the  first  time  empt}^  When  baked  and  ready  for  use, 
they  are  called  by  the  name  of  tu-hsia,  or  ‘ finished  cases.’ 

“ Tlie  workmen  who  manufacture  the  seggars  are  accustomed 
with  the  same  coarse  paste  to  make,  on  the  same  wheel,  a supply  of 
earthenware  bowls  for  the  daily  use  of  the  potters  in  their  native 
hamlets.” 

The  seggars  are  made  of  a common  yellow  ferruginous 
clay,  which  darkens  to  a brick-red  tint  when  fired.  They 
are  in  the  form  of  circidar  trays  about  six  inches  high, 
fitting  one  upon  the  other,  so  as  to  form  the  columns 
seven  feet  in  height,  which  are  ranged  inside  the  large 
furnace.  Intervals  to  allow  free  play  of  the  fiames  are 
left  between  the  piles.  The  lower  cases,  which  are  par- 
tially imbedded  in  the  gravel  floor  of  the  furnace,  are  left 
empty.  The  bottom  of  each  tray  forms  the  cover  of  the 
case  below,  only  the  top  case  having  a cover  of  its  own. 
If  the  jiieces  of  porcelain  ai*e  too  high  for  the  case,  one 
or  more  circulai*  rings  of  the  same  size  as  the  trays  are 
substituted,  by  which  means  the  height  of  the  seggar  can 
be  increased  indefinitely.  In  early  times,  as  we  saw  in 
the  desci’iptions  of  the  Ming  dynasty,  they  had  special 
kilns  for  firing  the  seggars ; now  they  are  fired  empty, 
together  with  the  older  cases  which  are  charged  with 
porcelain  in  the  usual  way,  the  new  ones  being  placed  in 
the  middle  of  the  columns.  A supply  of  flat  disks  {i^on- 
fieaux^  made  of  biscuit  porcelain,  or  of  fire-clay,  is  pro- 
vided as  supports  for  the  pieces  of  porcelain,  which  are 
])revented  from  adhering  to  the  disks  by  dusting  them 
over  with  kaolin. 


430 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


Illustration  No,  5 : “ Preparation  of  the  Molds 
FOR  THE  Round  Ware.” 

“ In  the  manufacture  of  the  round  ware  each  several  piece  has  to 
be  repeated  hundreds  or  tliousands  of  times  : without  molds  it 
would  be  most  difficult  to  make  the  pieces  all  exactly  alike.  The 
molds  must  be  made  in  accordance  with  the  original  design,  but 
the  size  can  not  be  so  precisely  measured;  they  must  be  larger  than 
the  model,  otherwise  the  piece  will  come  out  smaller  than  the  pat- 
tern. The  raw  paste,  which  is  expanded  and  loose  in  texture, 
becomes  during  the  process  of  firing  contracted  and  solidified  to 
about  seven  or  eight  tenths  of  its  original  size,  a result  following 
from  the  natural  laws  of  physics.  The  proper  proportionate  size  of 
the  unbaked  piece  is  fixed  by  the  mold,  and  therefore  the  molders 
use  the  term  ‘prepare’  {hsiu)  instead  of  ‘make’  (tsao).  Each 
piece  must  have  several  molds  prepared,  and  the  size  and  pattern  of 
the  contents  when  taken  out  of  the  kiln  must  be  exactly  alike.  A 
good  practical  knowledge  of  the  length  of  firing  required  and  of 
the  natural  properties  of  the  paste  is  necessary  before  it  is  possible 
to  estimate  the  exact  amount  of  shrinkage,  so  as  to  fashion  the 
molds  of  the  proper  form.  In  the  whole  district  of  Ching-te-chen 
there  are  only  three  or  four  workmen  reputed  clever  at  this  special 
handiwork.” 

The  term  round  ware,”  or  yuan-clti,  is  a general 
term  applied  by  Chinese  potters  to  all  the  different  kinds 
of  porcelain  articles  in  ordinary  use,  such  as  dishes 
bowls  (yva7i\  cu|)s  (cJmng),  and  platters  {tieli).  They 
are  first  thrown  ” on  the  wheel,  the  wheels  being  of  two 
sizes,  managed  by  different  classes  of  workmen.  After 
having  been  fashioned  on  the  wheel,  they  are  given  to 
the  molders  to  be  pressed  in  the  molds  referred  to  above, 
which  are  of  rounded  form  externally,  and  are  composed 
of  two  parts,  the  outside  of  the  })iece  being  molded  in 
the  one,  and  the  interior  by  the  other,  which  is  called 
technically  the  core.”  The  use  of  the  mold  by  Chinese 
potters  can  be  traced  back  to  very  early  times.  The 
K\io  hung  chi^  a technical  work  of  the  Chou  dynasty 


ILLUSTKATIONS  OF  MANUFACTURE  OF  PORCELAIN.  431 


(b.  c.  1122-249),  which  has  been  already  referred  to,  dis- 
tinguishes the  ordinary  potters  (^T'^ao  jen)^  who  worked 
with  the  wheel,  from  the  molders  (Fang  jen^j  who  made 
the  round,  tazza-shaped  sacrificial  dishes  called  tou  and 
the  oblong  bowls  for  meat  offerings  called  huei.  The 
Lun  Heng^  a critical  book  of  the  Han  dynasty  by  Wang 
Ch’ung,  who  lived  a.  d.  19-90,  refers  to  the  molds  used 
by  potters  of  that  time  under  the  name  of  huei-lien: 
The  potters  make  molds  of  earth  which  fix  the  size  of 
the  pieces  so  that  they  can  not  be  enlarged  or  diminished 
afterward ; correct  estimates  of  the  sizes  I’equired  must 
be  made  beforehand,  as  they  are  changed  during  baking.” 


llliistration  No.  6:  ‘^Fashioning  the  Hound  Ware  on 

THE  Wheel.” 


“ Tliere  are  several  different  processes  of  work  in  tlie  manufac- 
ture of  this  round  ware.  The  square,  polygonal,  and  ribbed  pieces, 
and  those  with  projecting  corners,  have  to  be  carved,  engraved, 
molded,  and  finished  with  the  polishing  knife,  all  of  which  are 
different  branches  of  work.  The  plain  round  pieces  are  turned  on 
the  wheel,  being  distributed  according  to  their  size  between  two 
classes  of  workmen.  The  first  take  the  large  pieces  and  fashion  the 
round  dishes  the  bowls  (vHin),  the  cups  [chung).,  and  the 

saucer-plates  {tleh),  from  one  up  to  two  or  three  feet  in  diameter; 
the  second  make  on  the  wheel  the  same  kind  of  ]>ieces  which 
measure  less  than  a foot  across.  The  wheel  consists  of  a disk  of 
wood  mounted  below  upon  a perpendicular  axle,  so  as  to  revolve 
continuously  for  a long  time,  during  which  the  piece  must  be  prop- 
erly turned,  without  becoming  too  thick,  too  thin,  fiattened,  or 
otherwise  misshapen.  There  is  a carpenter  at  hand  to  repair  it 
when  necessaiy. 

“ Beside  the  wheel  is  an  attendant  workman,  who  kneads  the 
paste  to  a proper  coTisistence  and  puts  it  on  the  table.  The  potter 
sits  upon  the  border  of  the  framewoi’k  and  turns  the  wheel  with  a 
bamboo  staff.  While  the  wheel  is  spinning  round  he  works  the 
paste  with  both  hands;  it  follows  the  hands,  lengtliening  or  shorten- 


432 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


ing,  contracting  or  widening,  in  a succession  of  shapes.  It  is  in 
this  way  that  the  round  ware  is  fashioned  so  that  it  varies  not  a 
liair’s  breadth  in  size.” 

The  potter’s  wheel  is  one  of  the  most  ancient  instru- 
ments of  human  industry,  and  the  date  of  its  invention 
is  lost  in  the  mists  of  time.  The  simplest  form  is  that 
described  above,  which  is  kept  in  motion  by  the  feet  of 
the  workman  as  he  fashions  the  piece  of  porcelain  with, 
his  hands.  Just  as  simple  a form  is  still  in  use  at  many 
manufactories — at  Sevres,  for  example.  In  most  large 
factories,  however,  the  wheel  is  of  more  elaborate  con- 
struction, and  it  is  kept  in  motion  by  some  mechanical 
means,  so  that  the  potter  is  relieved  of  a portion  of  the  . 
work.  Even  in  China,  as  we  see  in  pictures,  an  assistant 
is  often  there,  rotating  the  wheel  with  a rope  passed 
round  it,  the  ends  of  which  he  holds  in  his  hand,  or 
balancing  himself  by  a rope  attached  to  the  ceiling  while 
he  turns  the  wheel  with  his  foot.  This  is  the  throwing 
wheel  ” by  which  the  soft  white  clay  is  fashioned,  with 
the  half  of  the  lingers  only,  into  a shape  roughly  approxi- 
mating that  desired ; it  is  on  the  polishing  wheel,  or 
jigger,”  tliat  it  is  finally  turned  ” to  the  exact  shape  of 
the  model  or  design. 

When  the  thrower  has  a piece  to  fashion  on  the 
wiieel,  he  first  places  on  the  top  a fiat  disk,  which  he 
puts  in  the  middle  and  moistens  with  water,  and  then 
upon  this  disk  he  places  the  quantity  of  paste  necessary 
to  form  the  piece,  dips  his  hand  into  diluted  paste  or 
slip,”  and  puts  the  apparatus  in  motion  with  his  feet ; 
then,  pressing  between  liis  hands  the  shapeless  lump  of 
paste,  he  raises  it,  lowers  it,  makes  it  into  a kind  of  large 
lentil,  and  pierces  the  lenticular  mass  with  his  two 
thumbs ; he  lifts  it  up  once  more  while  squeezing  the 
lump  between  his  thumb  and  fingers  into  the  shape 


ILLUSTKATIONS  OF  MANUFACTUKE  OF  PORCELAIN.  438 

desired.  He  develops  it  gradually,  keeping  it  moist  all 
the  time  with  slip,  and  brings  it  by  degrees  to  a form 
which  approaches,  more  or  less,  that  of  the  perfect  piece. 
The  smaller  objects  are  shaped  between  the  thumb  and 
index  finger,  either  of  one  hand  or  of  both  hands. 
Larger  pieces  are  made  by  being  pressed  between  the 
hand  and  wrist  or  with  the  help  of  a pad  or  sponge. 
The  workman  in  this  case  usually  stands,  and  the  size  of 
the  pieces  that  he  can  make  is  limited  by  the  length  of 
his  arms.  If  this  limit  has  to  be  exceeded,  he  must 
build  up  the  borders  of  the  cylinder,  previously  thrown 
on  the  wheel,  with  bits  of  paste  stuck  on  with  slip. 
The  pieces  with  no  mouths  and  those  with  very  narrow 
necks  are  thrown  in  two  halves,  which  are  cemented 
together  with  slip. 

The  precautions  to  be  taken  to  secure  a good  result, 
according  to  Brongniart,  are : 1.  The  paste  must  not  be 
too  soft;  it  will  be  easier  to  throw,  but  at  the  risk  of 
some  defect.  2.  The  workman  must  have  a sure  hand 
and  not  press  unequally  on  any  part  of  the  piece  that  he 
is  lifting  into  shape.  3.  And  specially,  it  is  important 
that  he  maintain  a perfect  accord  between  the  speed  of 
rotation  of  his  wheel  and  the  rate  of  ascent  of  his  hands, 
so  as  to  describe  a spiral,  cylindrical,  or  conical,  in  which 
the  steps  are  the  smallest  possible.  The  more  plastic 
and  kaolin ic  the  paste  the  more  difficult  it  is  to  throw  it 
successfully — not  that  this  j)aste  is  harder  to  throw  than 
a short  paste,  but  because  any  inequalities  of  molding 
and  pi’essure  are  so  much  more  apparent  in  this  than  in 
a thinner  paste.  The  principal  defect  of  a bad  throw  is 
‘‘  screwing  ” (^vissage).  This  defect  consists  of  grooves, 
more  or  less  apparent  after  firing,  which  start  from  tlie 
base  and  rise  in  spirals  like  tlie  thread  of  a screw. 
Tliese  grooves  are  due  to  inecpialities  of  the  pressure 
exerted  while  the  piece  is  in  tlie  hands  of  the  workman. 


434 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


If  the  paste  be  less  plastic,  less  supple,  the  pieces  to  be 
turned  subsequently  must  be  so  much  the  thicker ; gen- 
erally speaking,  the  thickness  of  pieces  of  hard  porcelain 
as  they  come  from  the  throwing  wheel  is  so  great  that 
one  can  hardly  at  first  sight  recognize  the  form  that  will 
be  ultimately  evol\^ed  on  the  jigger,  the  turning  wheel 
proper. 

Illustration  No,  7:  ^^Manufacture  of  Vases 

(Cho  ch^iy 

‘‘ Tlie  vases  and  sacrificial  vessels,  called  lei,  tsun,  and 

are  comprised  in  this  general  name  of  cho  chH.  The  plain  round 
vases  are  fasliioned  upon  the  potter’s  wheel,  in  the  same  manner  as 
the  ordinary  round  ware;  they  are  then  dried  in  the  open  air  and 
turned  on  the  polishing  wheel  to  be  finished  witli  the  knife.  After 
the  vase  has  been  thus  shaped  it  is  washed  with  a large  goat’s-liair 
brush  dipped  in  water,  till  the  surface  is  perfectly  bright  and  spot- 
lessly clean.  After  this  the  glaze  is  blown  on,  it  is  fired  in  the  kiln, 
and  comes  out  a piece  of  white  porcelain.  If  painted  in  cobalt  on 
the  paste  and  then  covered  with  glaze,  it  is  a piece  decorated  in 
blue. 

“ In  making  the  carved  polygonal,  ribbed,  and  fluted  vases,  the 
paste,  wrapped  in  cotton  clotli,  is  pressed  with  flat  boards  into  thin 
slabs,  which  are  cut  with  a knife  into  sections.  The  pieces  are 
joined  together  by  a cement  [harhotine  or  slip)  made  of  some  of  the 
original  paste  with  water.  There  is  another  kind  of  vase  which  is 
made  by  tlie  process  of  molding,  and  which  is  finished  after  it  is 
taken  from  the  mold  in  the  same  way.  The  carved  polygonal 
vases  and  the  carved  molded  vases  have  to  be  filled  in  and  washed 
clean  with  the  brush  in  tlie  same  way  as  the  round  vases  turned 
upon  the  wheel. 

“ All  the  varied  forms  of  vases  may  be  engraved  with  the  style, 
or  embossed  in  relief,  or  carved  in  openwork  designs,  for  which 
purposes,  when  sufficiently  dried,  they  are  given  to  artificers  spe- 
cially devoted  to  these  sevei’al  branches  of  work.” 

The  character  cho^  which  means  properly  carved 
jade,”  is  applied  in  Chinese  ceramics  to  vases  generally. 


ILLUSTKATIONS  OF  MANUFACTURE  OF  PORCELAIN.  435 


which  are  called  cho  cV%  in  contradistinction  to  the 
yuan  cli’%  or  round  pieces,”  which  include  the  bowls, 
cups,  plates,  etc.,  intended  for  ordinary  use.  The  pHng 
was  01‘igiually  a bottle-shaped  vase,  in  which  the  mouth 
was  less  in  diameter  than  the  body,  but  the  term  is  now 
applied  to  all  kinds  of  ornamental  vases ; the  lei  are 
sacrificial  vases  with  scrolled  grounds ; the  tmn  are  the 
vases  with  flaring  mouths  that  we  call  beaker-shaped, 
and  the  yi  the  modern  incense  urns ; the  former  are 
modeled  after  ancient  bronze  wine- vessels,  the  latter 
after  the  bronze  bowls  used  in  olden  times  for  sacrificial 
offerings  of  food  and  corn. 

The  round  {yuaii)  vases  are  turned  upon  the  wheel, 
the  square  (^fang)  vases  are  made  of  sections  of  paste, 
pressed  or  molded  in  various  ways,  and  cemented 
together  by  slip.  The  author  of  the  Shih  lou  han  elm,  a 
miscellany  published  in  1591,  says:  In  the  manufacture 

of  porcelain  it  is  the  square  pieces  that  are  the  most 
difficult.  They  are  so  difficult  because  when  taken  out 
of  the  kiln  they  are  so  often  misshapen  or  cracked  and 
rarely  free  from  some  defect.  During  their  making  the 
coi-ners  have  to  be  evenly  carved,  the  fluted  parts  have 
to  be  scooped  out  with  the  knife,  and  the  lines  of  junc- 
tion of  the  sections  have  to  be  closely  cemented ; in 
some  unseen  corner  there  may  be  a want  of  cohesion,  or 
some  slight  irregularity,  either  above  or  below,  in  front 
or  behind,  to  the  right  or  left.  Hence  the  common  say- 
ing that  the  square  is  difficult.  The  round  vases  are 
made  at  one  operation,  and  follow  the  movements  of  the 
hands,  while  the  wheel  does  more  than  half  the  man’s 
work ; not  like  the  square  and  ilbbed  vases,  which 
depend  wholly  upon  the  manual  skill  of  the  artisan.” 

The  different  branches  of  work  alluded  to  above  are 
more  fully  described  in  the  letters  of  Pere  d’Entrecolles, 
translated  in  Chapter  XL 


436 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


Illustration  No.  8:  ‘‘Collection  of  the  Material 
FOR  THE  Blue  Color.” 

“All  kinds  of  porcelain,  whether  round  ware  or  vases,  that  have 
to  be  decorated  in  blue,  whether  modeled  after  that  of  the  reigns  of 
Hsuan-te,  Cli’eng-hua^  Chia-ching,  or  require  this  blue 

color  for  the  painting  of  their  decoration.  The  deep  blue  mono- 
chrome glaze,  gros  hleu^  also  requires  this  blue  for  its  preparation. 
The  material  comes  from  the  province  of  Chekiang,  where  it  is 
found  in  several  mountains  within  the  prefectures  Shao-hsing  Fu 
and  Chin-hua  Fu.  The  collectors  who  go  into  the  hills  to  dig  for  it 
wash  away  the  earth  which  adheres  to  it  in  the  water  of  the  moun- 
tain streams.  The  mineral  is  dark  brown  in  color.  The  large 
round  pieces  furnish  the  best  blue  and  are  called  ‘best  rounds,’ 
distinguished  in  addition  by  the  name  of  the  place  of  production. 
It  is  brought  by  merchants  to  the  porcelain  manufactory,  and  is 
buried  by  them  under  the  floor  of  the  furnace,  roasted  for  three 
days,  and  washed  after  it  is  taken  out,  before  it  is  finally  offered 
for  sale,  ready  for  use.  The  material  is  also  found  in  different 
mountains  in  the  provinces  of  Kiangsi  and  Kuangtung,  but  the 
color  produced  by  these  kinds  is  comparatively  pale  and  thin,  and 
it  is  unable  to  support  the  fire,  so  that  they  can  be  used  only  in 
painting  coarse  ware  for  sale  in  the  market. 

“The  picture  exhibits  only  the  collection  of  the  material:  the 
processes  of  preparation  and  of  roasting  are  not  shown.” 

Blue  is  the  leading  decorative  color  on  porcelain,  as 
the  learned  author  of  the  T''ao  sliuo  observes.  In  the 
Chin  dynasty  (265-419)  blue  porcelain  was  called 
tzii,  resembling  in  color  the  pale  blue  shade  (^pHao)  of 
certain  silks.  In  the  T^ang  dynasty  (618-906)  it  was 
called  the  blue  color  of  distant  hills ; in  the  Chou 
dynasty  (951-960)  the  blue  of  the  sky  after  rain  ; under 
the  Wu  Yueh  tlie  prohibited  color,  because  it  was 
reserved  for  the  sovereign ; afterward,  under  the  Swng 
dynasty  (960-1279),  although  other  colors  were  also 
used,  the  Ju-choii  porcelain  was  baked  with  a pale  blue 
glaze ; the  finest  imperial  porcelain  of  the  time  was 


ILLUSTEATIONS  OF  MANUFACTURE  OF  PORCELAIN.  437 


starch-blue  (^fenchHng)^  and  the  crackled  Ko  yao  and  the 
ordinary  Liing-chHian  porcelain  of  the  time  were  also  of 
bluish  shade. 

Abundant  specimens  of  the  Chinese  minei'al  have 
reached  Europe.  Ebelmen,  in  his  book  so  often  (Quoted 
(vol.  i,  page  385),  says  that  he  had  specimens  of  the 
mineral  as  it  comes  from  the  mine,  of  the  same  after  it 
had  been  roasted  in  closely  luted  porcelain  crucibles 
placed  under  the  floor  of  the  furnace,  and  of  the  powder 
produced  by  grinding  the  roasted  material  in  mortars. 
The  raw  mineral  had  the  form  of  irregular  concretions 
hollow  in  the  interior,  of  a deep  brown  color  with  a 
slight  shade  of  green,  giving  a brownish  powder  which 
stained  the  fingers.  Heated  in  a closed  tube  it  gave  off 
twenty  per  cent  of  water,  and  after  prolonged  calcination 
acquired  a more  pronounced  greenish  shade.  It  proved 
to  be  a complex  mineral  of  cobaltiferous  manganese  in 
the  form  of  oxides,  which  did  not,  however,  constitute  all 
the  mass  of  the  fragments,  being  associated  with  a vari- 
able quantity,  up  to  nearly  half  the  weight,  of  silicate  of 
alumina. 


The  analysis  of  two 

specimens 

gave  the 

following 

result : 

Raw 

Roasted 

mineral. 

mineral. 

Loss  in  the  fire  (water  and  oxygen) 

. 20.00 

4.00 

Silica  (insoluble  residue) 

. 37.46 

27.00 

Oxide  of  copper 

0.44 

2.00 

Alumina 

4.75^ 

Oxide  of  manganese 
Oxide  of  cobalt 

. 27.50  1, 

5.50  1 
1.65-^ 

65.00 

Oxide  of  iron  . 

Lime 

0.60 

1.00 

Magnesia 

. a trace 

a trace 

Arsenious  acid 

. a trace 

1.00 

Oxide  of  nickel,  sulphur 

. a trace 

97.90 


100.00 


438 


OKIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


The  complex  structure  of  the  mineral  explains  the 
minute  precautions  taken  by  the  Chinese  in  selecting  the 
best  pieces,  and  also  the  infinite  variety  in  the  shades  of 
blue  obtained  after  fii*ing.  The  larger  the  proportion  of 
cobalt  the  purer  the  blue ; a blackish  or  grayish  tint  is 
said  to  be  due  to  an  excess  of  nickel  or  iron,  a purplish 
to  an  excess  of  manganese.  The  vigor  of  the  color  is 
due,  however,  as  much  to  the  limpid  purity  of  the  white 
glaze  which  it  has  to  penetrate,  being  painted,  as  it 
always  is,  on  the  raw  body  of  the  porcelain.  Penciled 
sur  biscuit  upon  Sevres  porcelain,  glazed,  and  fired  au 
grand  feu,  the  thinner  strokes  came  out  blue,  but  the 
deeper  parts  were  sensibly  grayish.  Its  fugitive  nature 
caused  the  loss  of  much  of  the  color,  as  it  was  fired  at  a 
temperature  so  much  higher  than  that  of  the  Chinese 
furnace. 

Illustration  No.  9 : ‘‘  Selection  of  the  Blue  Material.’^ 

“ The  blue  material,  after  it  has  been  roasted,  must  be  specially 
selected,  and  there  is  a particular  class  of  workmen  whose  dut}^  it 
is  to  attend  to  this.  The  superior  kind  selected  is  that  which  is 
dark  green  in  color,  of  rich  translucent  tint  and  brilliant  aspect. 
This  is  used  in  the  imitation  of  antiques,  for  the  monochrone  blue 
glaze,  and  for  fine  porcelain  painted  in  blue.  When  of  the  same 
dark-green  color,  but  wanting  somewhat  in  richness  and  luster,  it  is 
used  for  the  decoration  of  the  coarser  porcelain  made  for  sale. 
The  remainder,  that  has  neither  luster  nor  color,  is  picked  out  and 
thrown  away. 

“ When  the  material  has  been  selected  it  is  ready  for  use.  The 
rnetho<l  employed  is  to  paint  with  it  upon  the  piece  that  has  not 
been  fired,  to  invest  the  piece  afterward  with  glaze,  and  then  to 
fire  it  in  the  furnace,  from  which  it  comes  out  with  the  color 
uniformly  transformed  into  a brilliant  blue.  If  it  has  not  been 
invested  with  glaze  the  color  will  be  black.  Should  the  piece  be 
overfired,  the  blue  of  the  painted  decoration  will  ‘run’  into  the 
white  ground  of  the  piece. 

“There  is  one  kind  of  blue,  commonly  called  ‘onion  sprouts,’ 


ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  MANUFACTURE  OF  PORCELAIN.  439 


which  makes  very  clearly  defined  strokes  which  do  not  change  in 
the  furnace,  and  this  must  be  selected  for  fine  painting. 

“ The  picture  shows  baskets  filled  with  boxes  of  the  color,  with 
an  ordinaiy  background  ; there  is  no  actual  reference  in  it  to 
the  selection  of  the  color.” 

The  cobaltiferous  manganese  mineral,  which  is  col- 
lected from  the  hills,  where  it  occurs  either  on  the  sur- 
face of  the  ground  or  at  the  depth  of  a few  feet,  is  of 
very  uncertain  composition.  One  portion  of  the  same 
concretionary  piece  may  be  rich  in  cobalt,  while  another 
is  quite  inert,  consisting  of  silicate  of  alumina  with  per- 
haps a few  crystals  of  quartz.  The  pieces  are  generally 
about  the  size  of  the  thumb  and  flattened  in  shape,  and 
are  known  commonly  by  the  name  of  shili-tzu  cliing — i.  e., 
‘‘  stone-blue,”  or  “ mineral-blue.”  But  the  material  figures 
in  books  under  a multitude  of  synonyms.  In  the  Sung 
dynasty*  it  was  imported  from  western  Asia  under  the 
name  of  Wit  niing  yi — i.  e.,  ‘‘  nameless  rarity  ” — and 
there  are  several  specimens  of  the  Chinese  mineral  under 
this  name  in  the  Musee  d^Histoire  Naturelle  at  Paris, 
which  were  examined  by  Brongniart.  Other  names  are 
T\io  cliHng^  “ ceramic  blue  ” ; Ta  clCing^  gros  bleu  ” ; 
Fo-fou  dCing,  Buddha’s-head  blue”;  Pao-sliih-lan, 
“ sapphire-blue,”  and  a number  of  other  names,  with  the 
place  of  production  prefixed ; the  only  difficulty  of 
Avhich  is  the  way  they  are  contracted — die  liao^  literally 
‘‘  die  material,”  being  the  form  usually  found  in  Chinese 
books  for  dieMang  di’ing  liao^  or  ^Ojlue  material  of 
Chekiang,”  the  pi’ovince  from  which  the  best  is  obtained. 
A name  which  puzzled  me  for  a long  time  was  Hun-sliui 
didrig^  “ turbid-water  blue,”  till  I found  that  it  referred 
to  the  puree  prepared  by  mixing  a little  of  the  first-class 
blue  with  water  that  had  been  employed  for  painting  the 

* Cf.  Chinese  Porcelain  before  the  Present  Dynasty,  by  S,  W.  Busliell, 
(page  52). 


440 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


ground  of  a piece  with  the  decoration  reserved  in  white, 
like  the  celebrated  ‘‘  hawthorn  ginger-pots,”  with  their 
brilliant  mottled  grounds  of  pulsating  blue,  of  which  one 
is  so  beautifully  illustrated  in  Plate  II. 

The  same  mineral  is  employed  in  the  preparation  of 
the  black  glazes,  for  which  purpose  it  need  not  be  so 
good — that  is  to  say,  so  rich  in  cobalt,  according  to  the 
Chinese.  Sometimes  the  decoration  of  what  was  intended 
to  be  a blue  and  white  piece  will  come  out  of  the  kiln 
perfectly  black,  because  the  glaze  was  laid  on  too  thin. 

Illustration  No,  10:  ^‘Moldino  the  Porcelain  and 
Grinding  the  Color.” 

‘‘  After  tlie  large  and  small  round  pieces  have  been  shaped  on 
the  wheel,  and  have  been  sufficiently  dried  in  the  air,  they  are  put 
into  the  molds  which  have  been  previously  prepared,  and  are 
pressed  gently  with  the  hands,  until  the  paste  becomes  of  regular 
form  and  uniform  thickness.  The  piece  is  then  taken  out  and 
dried  in  a shady  place  till  it  is  ready  to  be  shaped  with  the  polish- 
ing knives.  The  damp  paste  must  not  be  exposed  to  the  sun,  as 
the  heat  would  crack  it. 

“ With  regard  to  the  preparation  of  the  color  for  the  artists,  it 
must  be  ground  perfectly  fine  in  a mortar;  if  coarse,  spots  of  bad 
color  will  appear.  Ten  ounces  of  the  material  are  put  into  each 
mortar,  and  it  is  ground  by  a special  class  of  workmen  for  a whole 
month  before  it  is  fit  to  be  used.  The  mortars  used  for  grinding 
it  are  placed  upon  low  benches,  and  at  the  sides  of  the  benches  are 
two  upright  wooden  poles  supporting  cross-pieces  of  wood,  which 
are  pierced  to  hold  the  handles  of  the  pestles.  The  men,  seated 
upon  the  benches,  take  hold  of  the  pestles  and  keep  them  revolving. 
Their  monthly  wage  is  only  three-tenths  of  an  ounce  of  silver. 
Some  of  them  grind  two  mortars,  working  with  both  hands.  Those 
who  work  till  midnight  are  paid  double  wages.  Aged  men  and 
young  children,  as  well  as  the  lame  and  sick,  get  a living  by  this 
work.” 

The  color  referred  to  above  is  still  the  cobalt-blue,  the 
predominating  color  of  old  Chinese  porcelain.  The 


ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  MANUFACTURE  OF  PORCELAIN.  441 


Chinese  owe  their  success  in  the  ceramic  art  in  great 
measure  to  their  careful  and  methodical  preparation  of 
the  materials.  Imagine  the  patience  of  a man  sitting  on 
a bench,  as  described  here,  for  a whole  month,  with  a 
pestle  in  each  hand,  grinding  the  same  color  all  the  time, 
and  satisfied  with  monthly  wages  of  less  than  half  a dol- 
lar ; with  the  addition,  however,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  of  an 
allowance  of  food  ! The  editor  of  the  official  records  of 
the  imperial  manufactory  says  that  two  of  the  chief  cri- 
teria of  success  are  perfect  dryness  and  fineness  of  all  the 
materials  : The  furnace  must  be  dry,  the  porcelain  must 

be  dry,  and  the  fuel  must  be  dry  ; then  there  will  be  lit- 
tle breakage,  loss  of  shape,  or  dullness  of  coloi*.  The 
clay  must  be  fine,  the  color  must  be  fine,  and  the  work 
of  the  artist  must  be  fine  ; then  the  defects  of  coarse, 
rough  finish,  of  spoiled  coloring,  and  of  stains  will  be 
avoided.” 

Oxide  of  cobalt  is  one  of  the  most  ancient  and  widely 
knoAvn  of  the  coloring  matters  used  in  the  decoration  of 
all  kinds  of  pottery.  As  M.  Deck  says  in  La  Faience 
(loc.  cit.^  page  185)  : The  beautiful  blue  color  of  the 

oxide  of  cobalt  is  persistent  at  the  highest  temperature  of 
the  porcelain  furnace ; its  coloring  power  is  so  strong 
that  the  least  trace  is  enough  to  color  the  vitreous  flux. 
It  has  an  immense  vogue,  and  is  the  color  most  fre- 
quently used  in  ceramic  decoration,  both  in  ancient  and 
modern  times.  It  has  the  s^reat  advantasre  of  accommo- 
dating  itself  to  all  fires,  from  the  most  violent  to  the 
most  feeble.  It  combines  and  harmonizes  with  every 
kind  of  medium  { fondant)^  and  can  be  applied  to  all 
sorts  of  ceramic  bodies,  and  its  blue  color  is  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  and  the  most  solid  in  our  palette.  The 
Egyptians  and  Assyrians  employed  it  from  the  highest 
anti(piity ; the  Persians,  Chinese,  and  Japanese  have 
executed  charniiiig  decorations  with  nothing  but  this 


442 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


blue  ; it  is  perhaps  the  most  suitable  color  to  be  employed 
alone  in  decoration.” 


Illustration  No.  11 : “ Painting  the  Round 
Ware  in  Blue.” 

‘‘  The  different  kinds  of  rountl  ware  painted  in  blue  are  each 
numbered  by  the  hundred  and  thousand,  and  if  the  painted  decora- 
tion upon  every  piece  be  not  exactly  alike,  the  set  will  be  irregular 
and  spoiled.  For  this  reason  the  men  who  sketch  the  outlines 
learn  sketching,  but  not  paintini:  ; those  who  paint  study  only 
painting,  not  sketching  ; by  this  means  their  hands  acquire  skill  in 
their  own  particular  branch  of  work,  and  their  minds  are  not  dis- 
tracted. In  order  to  secure  a certain  uniformity  in  their  work,  the 
sketchers  and  painters,  althougli  kept  distinct,  occupy  the  same 
house. 

“As  to  the  other  branches  of  work — embossing,  engraving,  and 
caiwing  in  openwork — they  are  treated  in  the  same  way,  and  each 
is  intrusted  to  its  own  special  workmen.  The  branch  of  decorating 
in  underglaze  red,  although  really  distinct,  is  allied  to  that  of  paint- 
ing. With  regard  to  the  rings  round  the  borders  of  the  pieces  and 
the  encircling  blue  bands,  these  are  executed  by  the  workmen  who 
finish  the  pieces  on  the  polishing  wheel  ; while  the  marks  on  the 
foot  underneath,  and  the  written  inscriptions,  are  the  work  of  the 
writers  who  attach  the  seals. 

“ For  painting  flowers  and  birds,  fishes  and  water-plants,  and 
living  objects  generally,  the  study  of  Nature  is  the  first  requisite  \ 
in  the  imitation  of  Ming  dynasty  porcelain  and  of  ancient  pieces, 
the  sight  of  many  specimens  brings  skill.  The  art  of  painting  in 
blue  differs  widely  from  that  of  decoration  in  enamel  colors.” 

In  this  rapid  sketch  of  the  art  of  painting  in  under- 
glaze cobalt-blue  most  of  the  different  processes  of 
decoration  displayed  in  collections  of  Chinese  blue  and 
white  porcelain  are  touched  upon.  The  blue  is  painted 
upon  the  white  body  of  the  porcelain  before  it  is  glazed 
by  immersion  or  otherwise,  and  the  encircling  rings  which 
define  the  borders  of  bowls  and  tlie  shoulders  of  vases 
are  easily  penciled  by  a light  touch  of  the  brush  as  the 


ILLUSTKATIONS  OF  MANUFACTURE  OF  PORCELAIN.  443 


object  revolves  on  the  jigger;  by  no  other  method  could 
they  be  executed  with  sucli  perfect  regularity.  A single 
line  of  blue  of  this  kind  round  the  rim  is  the  sole  decora- 
tion of  some  of  the  translucently  white  eggshell  wine- 
cups  of  the  reign  of  Wan-li,  which  are  among  the  lightest 
and  most  delicate  objects  ever  produced  in  porcelain. 
The  work  of  the  writer,  who  outlines  the  seals  and  other 
marks  and  writes  the  labels  and  verses  that  accompany 
the  pictures,  is  quite  as  important  as  that  of  the  artist, 
in  the  estimation  of  the  Chinese,  who  are  great  connois- 
seurs of  caligraphy,  and  distinguish  at  first  sight,  from 
that  one  criterion,  a piece  of  imperial  manufacture  (huan 
yad)  from  the  production  of  a private  kiln  (ssu  yad). 

Painted  decoration  in  copper-red  under  the  glaze  prop- 
erly finds  its  place  here.  The  technique  is  the  same,  and 
the  pieces,  after  they  have  been  glazed,  are  fired  in  the 
same  furnace  as  the  blue  and  white.  For  an  illustration, 
see  Fig.  229.  It  may,  of  course,  be  used  in  combination 
with  the  blue  in  the  decoration  of  the  same  vase,  or  with 
other  colors  of  the  grand  feu  ^ such  as  celadon,  or  coffee- 
brown. 


Illustration  No.  12 : Fashioning  and  Painting 

OF  Vases.” 

“ Tlie  different  forms  of  vases  and  sacrificial  vessels  comprised 
in  tlie  general  term  of  cho  chH  include  the  square,  the  round,  the 
ribbed,  and  those  Avith  prominent  angles  ; there  are  various  styles 
of  decoration  executed  by  painting  in  colors  and  carving  in  open- 
work. In  copies  from  antiquit}''  artistic  models  must  be  followed  ; 
in  novelty  of  invention  there  is  a deep  spring  to  draw  from.  In 
the  decoration  of  porcelain  correct  canons  of  art  should  be  fol- 
lowed ; the  design  should  be  taken  from  the  patterns  of  old 
brocades  and  embroidery,  the  colors  from  a garden  as  seen  in 
springtime  from  a pavilion.  There  is  an  abundance  of  specimens 
of  the  Kuan,  Ko,  Ju,  Ting,  and  Chun  (wares  of  the  Sung  dynasty) 


444 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


at  liand  to  be  copied  ; and  water,  fire,  wood,  metal,  and  earth  (the 
five  elements  of  physics)  supply  an  inexhaustible  fund  of  materials 
for  new  combinations  of  supernatural  beauty.  Natural  objects  are 
modeled,  to  be  fashioned  in  molds,  and  painted  in  appropriate 
colors  ; the  materials  of  the  potter’s  art  are  derived  from  forests 
and  streams,  and  ornamental  themes  are  supplied  by  the  same 
natural  sources.  The  sacrificial  wine-vessels,  tsim  and  lei,  are  of 
equal  importance  ; the  censers,  shaped  like  the  ancient  bronzes,  yi 
and  ting,  emit  flames  of  brilliant  color.  In  addition  to  the  ancient 
earthenware  drums  {lea  fou),  many  kinds  of  musical  pipes  are  now 
made,  and  the  artistic  skill  of  the  color-brush  perpetuates  on  por^ 
celain  clever  works  of  genius.” 

In  this  paragraph  T’ang  Ying,  instead  of  describing 
the  illustration,  gives  a disquisition  upon  his  view  of  the 
correct  canons  of  art,  as  applied  to  the  decoration  of 
porcelain,  expressed  in  high-flown  antithetical  couplets^ 
which  are  not  so  easy  to  render  intelligibly  in  plain 
prose.  Julien  suppresses  them  altogether  as  devoid  of 
interest  from  the  point  of  view  of  history  and  of  fabrica- 
tion,” but  they  give  us  some  insight  into  the  ideas  of  a 
Chinese  artist  and  the  motives  of  his  decorative  work. 
Antiquity  is  always  the  flrst  desideratum ; the  forms  of 
the  objects  are  taken  from  productions  of  the  old  ceramic 
factories  of  the  Sung  dynasty,  which  were  themselves 
derived  from  more  ancient  bronzes  ; and  the  decorative 
designs  are  often  derived  from  the  patterns  woven  in 
China  from  the  most  ancient  times  in  brocades  or  worked 
by  the  needle  in  silk  embroideries.  The  prevalence  of 
colored  grounds,  of  medallions,  and  of  all  the  varieties 
of  diaper,  in  the  decoration  of  Chinese  porcelain,  is  traced 
back  to  the  occurrence  of  similar  patterns  in  these  bro- 
caded and  embroidered  silks.'^ 

* The  names  of  more  than  twenty  of  these  brocade  patterns  that  were  copied! 
in  Ming  porcelain  were  enumerated  in  Chapter  VII. 


ILLUSTKATIONS  OF  MANUFACTURE  OF  PORCELAIN.  445 


Illustration  Xo.  13 : Dipping  into  the  Glaze  and 

Blowing  on  the  Glaze.” 

“ All  tlie  different  kinds  of  round  ware  and  vases,  including  the 
pieces  decorated  in  blue,  as  well  as  the  copies  of  Kuan,  Ko,  and  Ju 
porcelain,  must  have  the  glaze  applied  before  they  are  fired.  The 
ancient  method  of  putting  on  the  glaze  was  to  apply  it  to  the  sur- 
face of  the  vase,  whether  square,  tall,  fluted,  or  ribbed,  with  a 
goat’s-hair  brush  filled  with  the  liquid  glaze,  but  it  was  difficult  to 
distribute  it  evenly  in  this  Avay.  The  round  ware,  both  large  and 
small,  and  the  plain  round  vases  and  sacrificial  vessels  used  all  to 
be  dipped  into  the  large  jar  which  held  the  glaze,  but  they  failed 
by  being  either  too  thickly  or  too  thinly  covered,  and,  besides, 
so  many  Avere  broken  that  it  was  difficult  to  produce  perfect 
specimens. 

“ In  the  present  day  the  small  round  pieces  are  still  dipped  into 
the  large  jar  of  glaze  liquid,  but  the  vases  and  sacrificial  vessels  and 
the  larger  round  pieces  are  glazed  by  the  souffle  process.  A bam- 
boo tube  one  inch  in  diameter  and  some  seven  inches  long  has  one 
of  its  ends  bound  round  Avith  a fine  gauze,  which  is  dipped  repeat- 
edly into  the  glaze  and  blown  through  from  the  other  end.  The 
number  of  times  that  this  process  has  to  be  repeated  depends  partly 
on  the  size  of  the  piece,  partly  on  the  nature  of  the  glaze,  varying 
from  three  or  four  times  up  to  seventeen  or  eighteen.  These  are 
the  tAvo  distinct  methods  of  glazing  : by  immersion  and  by 

insufflation.” 

The  glaze  contains  a notable  proportion  of  lime,  which 
aids  in  the  liquefaction  of  the  feldspathic  base,  and  gives 
the  slight  greenish  tinge  to  the  ground,  which  is  one  of 
the  characteristics  of  Chinese  porcelain.  It  is  applied  in 
China  iq)on  the  raw  body  of  the  piece,  which  has  been 
previously  dried  in  the  open  air.  In  other  countries  the 
nnglazed  ware  undergoes  a preliminary  baking  to  bring 
it  to  the  condition  called  degourdi^  so  that  even  the 
largest  pieces  may  be  strengthened  sufficiently  to  enable 
them  to  be  dipped  in  the  water  holding  the  materials  of 
the  glaze  in  suspension.  The  porous  clay  absorbs  the 


446 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


water,  and  tliere  is  deposited  on  the  surface  a uniform 
layer  of  the  vitrifiable  materials  suspended  in  it.  Large 
vases  live  feet  in  height  are  glazed  in  this  way  at  Sevres, 
being  placed  in  open  wooden  cages  and  lowered  by 
means  of  pulleys  ; they  are  immersed  for  thirty  or  forty 
seconds,  according  to  the  greater  or  less  strength  of  the 
preliminary  baking,  and  are  then  allowed  to  drain,  after 
which  any  difference  of  thickness  is  corrected  as  much  as 
possible  by  hand. 

The  French  consul,  M.  Scherzer,  fully  describes  the 
Chinese  method  of  glazing  by  sprinkling : Haviug 

brought  the  finely  pulverized  materials  to  the  consistence 
of  a liquid  houilUe  by  mixing  them  with  pure  water,  the 
workman  takes  a tube  of  bamboo  which  he  covers  at 
one  end  with  fine  gauze  and  dips  it  into  the  glaze,  which 
he  projects  upon  the  vase  by  blowing  through  the 
opposite  end.  The  number  of  layers  that  the  workman 
sprinkles  in  this  way  depends  upon  the  nature  of  the 
glaze.  For  the  white,  three  layers  are  applied  succes- 
sively by  blowing,  while  the  fourth  and  last  layer  is 
given  Avith  a very  soft  brush.  For  the  coloi-ed  glazes 
the  operation  is  more  complicated  and  comprises  nine 
successive  layers  ; the  first  three  are  applied  by  blowing 
the  glaze  upon  the  piece  properly  dried,  sufficient  time 
being  left  between  each  to  acquire  its  original  dry  con- 
dition. The  fourth  layer  is  painted  on  with  a very  soft 
brush.  The  fifth,  sixth,  and  seventh  layers  are  given  by 
blowing.  Finally,  the  eighth  and  ninth  are  applied 
with  the  brush.” 

M.  Vogt  says  that  the  qualities  required  for  a perfect 
glaze  are  so  numerous  that  its  preparation  is  unques- 
tionably one  of  the  most  delicate  operations  of  the 
ceramic  art.  A good  glaze  ought,  during  firing,  to  spread 
uniformly  over  the  piece  that  is  being  enameled,  without 
forming  either  of  the  defects  of  “ shrinkage  ” or  ‘‘  bub- 


ILLUSTEATIONS  OF  MANUFACTURE  OF  PORCELAIN.  447 


bling.”  Its  fusibility  ought  to  be  adapted  to  the  degree 
of  temperature  required  for  the  firing  of  the  paste.  If 
too  fusible,  it  will  penetrate  the  paste,  and  the  glazing 
will  be  dull  and  dry ; if  too  hard  to  melt,  it  will  be 
covered  all  over  with  little  holes,  which  give  to  the 
porcelain  the  peculiar  appearance  that  is  called  technically 
cociue  cVoeuf,  There  must,  besides,  be  a perfect  agree- 
ment in  the  coefficient  of  dilatation  between  the  paste 
and  the  glaze.  If  not,  as  the  porcelain  cools  the  glaze 
will  break,  and  its  surface  will  be  soon  furrowed  by  a 
network  of  lines.  This  crackled  condition,  which  is 
called  technically  tressailhire^  is  due  solely  to  a physical 
cause ; it  is  the  result  of  a difference  of  dilatation 
between  the  paste  and  the  glaze,  as  the  piece  is  returning 
to  the  surrounding  temperature.  The  crackles  are  started 
when  the  glaze,  as  it  is  cooling,  contracts  more  than  the 
paste ; being  fixed  to  the  paste,  it  must  necessarily  crack, 
and  the  space  between  the  lips  of  the  furrows  indicates 
the  difference  of  contractibility.  In  the  inverse  case — 
that  is  to  say,  when  the  paste  contracts  more  than  the 
glaze — the  glaze  maybe  detached  in  splinters  and  ‘‘scale 
off  ” ; a piece  with  this  defect  is  irretiievably  lost.  It  is 
not  so  with  the  defect  called  tressaillure.  A perfect 
master  of  paste  and  glazes  can  produce  at  will  fissures  in 
the  glaze,  forming  more  or  less  close  networks,  composed 
of  lines  joining  together  with  no  long  straight  lines 
between  ; in  this  case  a defect  is  converted  into  a good 
quality,  and  we  have  the  craqvele  or  truite.  The  Chinese 
make  such  good  use  of  this  quality  as  to  be  able  to 
produce  on  the  same  piece  ci’ackled  zones  of  different 
dimensions  in  the  midst  of  uncrackled  glazes. 

The  conditions  that  change  the  coefficient  of  dilatation 
in  porcelain  are  not  well  ascertained  ; it  is  known,  how- 
ever, that  alkalies  increase  it  in  the  glaze,  and  that  silica 
inci’eases  it  in  the  paste.  A paste  rich  in  alumina. 


448 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


invested  with  a non-calcareous  glaze,  always  tends  to 
become  crackled,  according  to  M.  Vogt.  This  is  con-* 
firmed  by  Chinese  accounts.  The  Ting  Yao,  the  so-called 
soft  porcelain  ” of  collectors,  which  is  so  apt  to  become 
crackled,  is  characterized  by  a highly  kaolinic  paste,  and 
the  glaze  is  prepared  without  lime.  The  milk  of  lime, 
which  is  an  important  ingredient  of  the  ordinary  Chinese 
glaze,  is  replaced  in  the  crackled  glazes  by  puree  com- 
posed principally  of  steatite  previously  ground  to  a fine 
powder.  Any  of  the  ordinary  colored  glazes  may  be 
crackled  by  adding  this  last  to  their  ordinary  ingredients. 
Some  glazes  are  always  crackled,  without  requiring  the 
addition  of  anything  to  their  ordinary  ingredients,  like 
the  turquoise  and  aubergine  purple,  single  colors  of  the 
demi-g  rand  feu  ^ w^hich  are  both  of  truite  texture ; the 
turquoise  glaze  is  rich  in  alkali,  being  prepared  with  a 
niter  fiux,  and  the  aubergine  glaze  is  combined  with  a 
minimum  amount  of  lead. 

Many  of  the  curious  ceramic  terms  met  with  in  old 
Chinese  books  are  due  to  alterations  of  the  glaze  during 
firing,  such  as  ‘‘palm-eye”  spots,  the  effect  of  bubbles, 
“ crab’s-claw  ” and  “ chicken’s-claw  ” veining  in  the  sub- 
stance of  the  unctuous  glaze,  and  “ orange-peel  ” texture 
of  its  undulatory  surface.  These  partake  really  of  the 
nature  of  small  flaws,  a recent  Chinese  writer  remarks, 
and  are  only  particularly  noticed  as  criteria  of  genuine 
productions  of  an  early  time,  when  the  porcelain  was  not 
so  perfectly  glazed  as  it  is  in  the  present  day. 


Ilhistration  Ah.  14:  ^‘Turning  the  Unbaked  Ware 
AND  Scooping  out  the  Foot.” 

“ The  size  of  the  round  piece  has  been  fixed  in  the  mold,  but  the 
smooth  polisli  of  the  surface  depends  on  the  polislier,  whose  province 
is  another  branch  of  work,  that  of  ‘ turning.’  He  uses  in  his  work 


ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  MANUFACTURE  OF  PORCELAIN.  449 


the  polishing  wheel,  which  in  form  is  like  the  ordinary  potter’s 
wheel,  only  it  has  projecting  upward  in  the  middle  a wooden 
mandrel,  the  size  of  which  varies,  being  proportioned  to  that  of  the 
porcelain  which  is  about  to  be  turned.  The  top  of  this  mandrel, 
which  is  rounded,  is  wrapped  in  raw  silk  to  protect  the  interior  of 
tlie  piece  from  injury.  The  piece  about  to  be  turned  is  put  upon 
the  mandrel,  the  wheel  is  spun  round,  and  it  is  pared  with  the  knife 
till  both  the  inside  and  outside  are  given  the  same  perfectly  smooth 
polish.  The  coarser  or  finer  finish  of  the  form  depends  upon  the 
inferior  or  superior  handiwork  of  the  polisher,  whose  work  is  con- 
sequently of  great  importance. 

“ With  regard  to  the  next  process,  that  of  scooping  out  the  foot, 
it  is  necessary,  because  each  piece,  when  first  fashioned  upon  the 
potter’s  wheel,  has  a paste  handle  left  under  the  foot  two  or  three 
inches  long,  by  which  it  is  held  while  it  is  being  painted  and  the 
glaze  blown  on.  It  is  only  after  the  glazing  and  the  painting  of 
the  decoration  are  finished  that  this  handle  is  removed  by  the 
polisher,  who  at  the  same  time  scoops  out  the  foot,  after  which 
the  mark  is  written  underneath. 

“ In  the  picture  the  workmen  are  seen  occupied  in  the  two 
processes  of  polishing  the  surface  and  scooping  out  the  foot.” 

To  prepare  the  porcelain  for  the  polishing  wheel  or 

Jigger,”  it  has  to  be  dried  sufficiently  to  enable  it  to  be 
shaved  with  the  knife  without  being  reduced  to  powder. 
The  tools  used  by  the  Chinese  workmen  are  of  the 
simplest  kind — thin  iron  plaques  of  rectangular  or  curved 
outline.  The  piece  is  mounted  upon  the  mandrel,  so 
that  its  axis  is  a prolongation  of  the  axle-tree  of  the 
apparatus,  and  it  is  shaved  down  to  the  required  thick- 
ness while  the  wheel  is  revolving.  Encircling  bands  or 
fillets  that  have  to  be  executed  in  relief,  and  rings  defin- 
ing the  shoulder  or  borders  of  the  vase,  are  carved  at 
the  same  time  with  a neatness  and  regularity  that  no 
other  process  could  attain. 

The  removal  of  the  shapeless  lump  of  clay  which  has 
Vieen  left  projecting  underneath  the  foot  is  one  of  the 
last  operations  in  the  fabrication  of  the  piece ; the  mark 
is  penciled  in  blue,  the  glaze  is  ap)plied  over  it,  and  the 


450 


OEIEOTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


piece  is  ready  for  the  furnace.  The  rim  round  the  edge 
of  the  foot  is  left  uncovered  with  glaze,  and  exhibits  the 
peculiar  character  of  the  paste  to  the  eye  of  a connoisseur. 
In  older  specimens  no  glaze  is  applied  to  the  foot,  and  a 
portion  even  of  the  outside  of  the  bowl  or  cup  is  left 
unglazed,  the  glaze  running  down  in  thick,  unctuous 
masses  so  as  only  partially  to  cover  the  surface,  stopping 
short  in  a wavy  line  of  thick  drops.  During  the  Ming 
dynasty  there  were  some  characteristic  differences  in  the 
feet  of  bowls  which  may  be  noted  in  this  connection. 
The  shallow  spreading  eggshell  bowls  of  the  reign  of 
Yung~lo  have  a sandlike  rim  and  smoothly  glazed  bottom ; 
the  altar-cups  of  the  reign  of  Hsilan-te  have  a conical 
projection  in  the  middle  with  a threadlike  rim  at  the 
edge  ; the  shallow  cups  painted  with  fish,  of  the  reign 
of  Qliia-ching^  have  a circularly  rimmed  base  with  a 
loafiike  prominence  inside  the  bowl.  In  the  present 
dynasty,  too,  the  foot  of  the  vase  is  often  examined  as 
an  aid  to  the  determination  of  its  date,  the  presence  or 
absence  of  glaze,  its  plain  or  crackled  texture,  and  its 
particular  shade  of  color  affording  a valuable  criterion 
for  that  purpose  in  different  cases. 


Illustration  No,  15:  Puttiivo  the  Finished  Ware 

INTO  THE  Kiln.” 

“ The  kiln  is  long  and  round,  and  resembles  in  shape  a tall 
water-jar  (^jneng)  turned  over  on  its  side.  It  measures  a little  over 
ten  feet  in  height  and  breadth,  about  twice  as  much  in  depth. 
It  is  covered  with  a large,  tiled  building  which  is  called  the  ‘kiln- 
shed.’  The  chimney,  whicli  is  tubular,  rises  to  a height  of  over 
twenty  feet  behind,  outside  the  kiln-shed. 

“ The  porcelain,  when  finished,  is  packed  in  the  seggars  and 
sent  out  to  the  furnace  men.  When  these  men  put  it  in  the  kiln 
they  arrange  the  seggars  in  piles,  one  above  the  other,  in  separate 
rows,  so  as  to  leave  an  interspace  between  the  rows  for  the  free 


ILLUSTKATIONS  OF  MANUFACTURE  OF  PORCELAIN.  451 


passage  of  the  flames.  The  fire  is  distinguished  as  front,  middle, 
and  back;  the  front  of  the  fire  is  fierce,  tlie  middle  moderate,  the 
hack  feeble.  The  different  kinds  of  porcelain  are  placed  in  the 
furnace  according  to  the  hard  or  soft  quality  of  the  glaze  with 
which  they  are  coated.  After  the  kiln  has  been  fully  charged  the 
fire  is  lighted,  and  the  entrance  is  then  bricked  up,  leaving  only 
a square  hole,  through  which  billets  of  pine  wood  are  thrown  in 
without  intermission.  When  the  seggars  inside  the  furnace  have 
attained  a silvery  red  color  (white  heat)  the  firing  is  stopped,  and 
after  the  lapse  of  another  twenty-four  hours  the  kiln  is  opened.” 

The  form  of  the  furnace  has  already  been  fully  de- 
scribed, and  the  changes  in  its  dimensions  from  ancient 
to  modern  times  have  been  alluded  to.  It  has  gradually 
become  larger  in  size,  till  in  the  present  day,  according 
to  M.  Scherzer,  although  the  breadth  is  about  the  same 
as  that  described  above,  being  three  and  a half  meters, 
the  height  and  length  are  increased  by  about  one-half 
to  five  meters  and  ten  meters  respectively.  The  way  in 
which  the  Chinese  take  advantage  of  the  irregularity 
of  the  form  and  of  tlie  varied  force  of  the  fire  in  different 
parts  of  the  furnace  has  also  been  described.  During 
the  Ming  dynasty  there  were  different  kinds  of  furnaces 
in  the  imperial  manufactory — furnaces  for  the  clay 
seggars,  for  the  large  garden  fishbowls,  for  the  blue  and 
Avhite  porcelain,  and  for  the  colored  glazes,  etc.  In  the 
present  day  there  are  none,  with  the  sole  exception  of 
the  muffle  stoves  for  the  second  firing  of  the  porcelain 
painted  in  enamel  colors.  Everything  is  sent  out  to  be 
fired  in  tlie  private  kilns,  called  Pao  ClPing  Yao,  be- 
cause they  guarantee  the  success  of  each  firing.  There 
are  two  classes  of  kilns  at  Ching-te-chen.  In  the  first 
kind  the  fuel  is  pine  wood  ; all  the  imperial  porcelain  is 
sent  to  these.  In  the  second  kind,  which  are  intended 
for  the  firing  of  the  commoner  and  coarser  porcelain,  the 
fuel  is  ordinary  brushwood,  whicli  is  bi’ought  in  by  men 
from  the  neighboring  hills. 


452 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


Illustration  Ko,  16  ^ Opening  the  Kiln  when  the 
Porcelain  has  been  Fired.” 

“ The  perfection  of  the  porcelain  depends  upon  the  firing,  which, 
reckoning  from  the  time  of  putting  in  to  that  of  taking  out,  usually 
occupies  three  days.  On  the  fourth  day,  early  in  the  morning,  the 
furnace  is  opened,  but  the  seggars  inside,  which  contain  the  porcelain, 
are  still  of  a dull-red  color,  and  it  is  impossible  to  enter  yet.  After 
a time  the  workmen  who  open  the  kiln,  with  their  hands  protected 
by  gloves  of  ten  or  more  folds  of  cotton  soaked  in  cold  water, 
and  with  damp  cloths  wrapped  around  their  heads,  shoulders,  and 
backs,  are  able  to  go  in  to  take  out  the  porcelain. 

‘‘  After  the  porcelain  has  all  been  removed  and  while  the  furnace 
is  still  hot  the  new  charge  of  ware  is  arranged  in  its  place.  In  this 
way  the  new  porcelain,  which  is  still  damp,  is  more  gradually 
dried,  and  is  rendered  less  liable  to  be  broken  into  pieces  or  cracked 
by  tlie  fire. 

‘‘  The  men  in  the  picture  who  are  leaning  on  the  table  wrapped 
in  cloths  are  those  that  take  the  porcelain  out  of  the  kiln;  the 
other  men  who  are  carrying  loads  of  firewood  are  waiting  to  fire 
the  next  charge;  the  actual  process  of  carrying  out  the  contents  of 
the  furnace  is  not  clearly  indicated.” 

During  each  firing  the  gentle  fire  ” or  petit  feu  is 
kept  up  for  about  twenty-four  hours,  to  heat  the  porce- 
lain gradually,  until  the  interior  is  brought  from  a dull 
red  to  a cherry  red.  Having  attained  this  stage,  the 
period  of  the  “ fierce  fire  ” or  grand  feii  begins,  dui'ing 
which  pine  billets  are  thrown  in  as  fast  as  possible  till 
the  furnace  is  quite  full,  and  it  is  kept  full  till  the  neces- 
sary white  heat  has  been  attained,  and  this  is  continued 
during  the  third  stage.  This  is  the  general  course  of  the 
fire,  but  its  effect  varies  in  different  parts  of  the  furnace 
according  to  the  oxidizing  or  reducing  nature  of  the 
flames.  If  air  predominates  in  the  products  of  combus- 
tion, the  flame  will  be  oxidizing  \ if,  on  the  contrary, 
un burned  gases  are  circulating  in  excess,  the  flame  will 
reducing.  The  fireman  judges  by  inspection:  if  the 


ILLUSTEATIONS  OF  MANUFACTURE  OF  PORCELAIN.  453 


flames  are  perfectly  clear,  he  considers  them  to  be  oxi- 
dizing; if  they  are  thick  and  loaded  with  heavy 
volumes  of  smoke,  he  concludes  they  are  reducing. 
A clever  fireman  is  able  at  will  to  make  his  furnace 
pass  from  one  to  another  of  these  conditions,  and  ought 
even  to  know  how  to  keep  the  flames  neutral,  neither 
oxidizing  nor  reducing,  which  will  give  the  maximum 
temperature  without  exerting  any  chemical  influence 
upon  the  porcelain  that  is  being  baked. 

All  hard  porcelain  is  composed  essentially  of  kaolin, 
feldspar,  and  quartz.  To  give  to  this  mixture  the  trans- 
parency and  vitrification  which  characterize  porcelain, 
it  is  necessary  to  reach  during  the  firing  at  least  the 
temperature  required  to  fuse  the  feldspai*.  Feldspar 
fuses  at  about  1300^  C.,  and  this  is  the  minimum  point 
at  which  a porcelain  rich  in  feldspar  can  be  successfully 
fired.  For  a highly  kaolinic  porcelain  it  is  necessary 
to  push  the  heat  up  to  1500°,  or  even  to  1550°.  Sub- 
mitted to  these  high  temperatures,  the  elements  of  the 
porcelain  change  their  nature;  the  feldspar  in  fusion 
attacks  the  quartz  and  the  kaolin  to  form  new  com- 
binations. 


Illustration  No.  17:  Round  AVare  and  Vases 

Decorated  in  Foreign  Style.” 

“ Both  round  ware  and  vases  of  wliite  porcelain  are  painted  in 
enamel  colors  in  a style  imitated  from  Western  foreigners,  which  is 
consequentl  y called  ITarg  ts'ai,  or  ‘ Foreign  Coloring.’  Clever  artists 
of  proved  skill  are  selected  to  paint  the  decoration.  The  different 
materials  of  the  colors  having  been  pi'eviously  finely  ground  and 
properl}^  combined,  the  artist  first  paints  with  them  upon  a slab  of 
white  porcelain,  which  is  fired  to  test  the  properties  of  the  colors 
and  the  length  of  firing  they  require.  ITe  is  gradually  promoted 
from  coarse  work  to  fine,  and  acquires  skill  by  constant  practice; 
a good  e}’e,  attentive  mind,  and  exact  hand  being  required  to 
attain  excellence. 


454 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


“ The  colors  which  are  employed  are  the  same  as  those  used  for 
cloisonne  enameling  upon  copper  [Fa-lcmg),  They  are  mixed  with 
three  different  kinds  of  medium,  the  first  being  turpentine,  the 
second  liquid  glue,  the  third  pure  water.  Turpentine  is  best 
adapted  for  free  coloring;  glue  is  more  suitable  for  thin  washes, 
water  for  retouching  the  colors  in  relief.  While  it  is  being  painted 
the  piece  is  either  supported  upon  a table  or  held  in  the  hand,  or 
laid  upon  the  ground,  according  to  its  size,  and  it  is  placed  in  the 
position  most  convenient  for  the  ready  use  of  the  brush.” 

The  art  of  cloisonne  enameling  upon  copper  was  intro- 
duced into  China  from  the  West.  It  was  one  of  the 
early  industrial  arts  of  Byzantium,  and  is  fully  described 
in  the  writings  of  the  monk  Theophilus,  who  lived 
in  the  eleventh  century  a.  d.  It  was  from  Byzantium 
that  it  must  have  come  to  China,  as  is  clearly  proved 
by  the  Chinese  name  for  the  art,  Fa-lan^  or  Fa-langj 
which  is  a corruption  of  Fo-lang  or  Fo-lin^  the  name 
of  Byzantium  in  the  Chinese  historical  annals.  As  ex- 
plained by  the  author  of  the  Fao  SKuo^  the  syllable 
lin  is  pronounced  lang  in  the  dialect  of  Canton,  and  he 
accounts  in  this  way  for  the  change  of  Fo-lin  to  Fo-lang, 
Fo-lang  CKien^  or  Fo-lang  inlaid  work,”  is  given  by 
him  as  the  correct  form  of  the  full  name ; but  the 
Chinese  shirk  trisyllabic  locutions  as  too  complicated, 
so  the  third  syllable  was  first  dropped ; the  others 
became  gradually  corrupted  to  Fa-lan^  in  which  the 

* The  name  of  Fo-lin  or  Fu-Un  has  given  rise  to  much  discussion.  It  first 
occurs  in  the  annals  of  the  Sui  dynasty  (581-621)  as  the  name  of  a country 
situated  4,500  li  to  the  northwest  of  Persia.  It  often  occurs  subsequently, 
applied  to  the  Greek  Empire  as  the  successor  of  the  Roman  Empire  {Ta  UiHn), 
and  as  rivals  of  the  rising  Arabs  ( T'a-Shih).  The  initial  was  originally  hard  in 
Chinese,  and  the  name  is  generally  supposed  to  be  derived  from  Trb'KLv,  just  as 
the  Turkish  name  of  Constantinople  (Stamboul,  or  Istambul)  seems  to  be  a 
corruption  of  ets  ttjv  TrbXiv.  llie  Greeks  were  proud  of  the  title  of  “citizens" 
of  their  great  city.  Some  derive  the  name  from  “ Frank,”  but  the  Chinese 
could  hardly  have  heard  of  the  Franks  so  early  as  the  sixth  century.  Dr. 
Hirth’s  valuable  paper  on  China  and  the  Roman  Orient  may  be  referred  to  for 
a fuller  discussion  of  the  question,  without  adopting,  however,  his  proposed 
identification  of  Fa-lin  with  Bethlehem. 


ILLUSTKATIONS  OF  MANUFACTURE  OF  PORCELAIN.  455 


second  character  means  ‘‘  blue,”  and  all  trace  of  the 
original  derivation  is  lost.  Another  common  name  for 
the  art,  which  is  cultivated  in  Peking  in  the  present 
day,  is  Cliing-tai  Lan^  or  Cliing-tai  enamel,  and  the 
mark  of  the  reign  of  Cliing-tai  is  not  infrequently  found 
underneath  ancient  specimens.  The  emperor  of  the 
Ming  dynasty  who  reigned  under  this  title  occupied 
the  throne  in  1450-56,  and  he  is  said  to  have  patronized 
the  art,  and  to  have  had  sets  of  sacrificial  utensils  made 
for  temples.  It  was  in  1453  that  Constantinople  was 
taken  by  the  Turks  under  Mohammed  II,  and  some  of 
the  Greek  workmen  may  possibly  have  come  to  China 
as  fugitives  about  this  time. 

Julien  translates  the  expression  Fo-lang  CKien  Yao, 
Porcelaines  a incrustations  (ornees  (Vemaux)  de  Fo-lang 
(de  France)!'  Although  it  is  a kiln  ware  (gyao)^  it  has 
certainly  nothing  to  do  with  porcelain,  and  there  is  no 
probability  of  its  introduction  into  China  having  been 
due  to  France,  although  it  is  adopted  by  Salvetat,  who 
writes  : This  fact  presents  by  itself  a very  great  impor- 

tance in  the  history  of  the  industrial  progress  of  nations. 
It  is  well  known  that  in  China  enamels  upon  copper  are 
made  in  great  perfection.  It  appears  to  follow  from  this 
passage  that  the  Chinese  only  made  these  enamels  in 
imitation  of  productions  that  Europe — perhaps  France — 
sent  to  them  by  way  of  exchange.” 

The  old  Byzantine  enamels  were  generally  worked 
upon  gold.  In  China  the  usual  excipient  is  copper,  which 
is  gilded  after  the  enamels  have  been  fired  and  polished, 
so  that  the  designs  appear  like  a mosaic  of  colors  inclosed 
in  cloisons^  tlie  outlines  of  which  are  defined  by  a line  of 
gold.  Two  other  processes  of  enameling  are  also  executed 
in  China : the  cluinipleve^  in  which  the  pattern  is  exca- 
vated in  the  solid  copper  vase,  to  be  filled  in  with  the 
enamel  colors  ; and  the  transparent  (d  jour)  enameling, 


456 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


in  which  the  colors  are  inserted  in  open  cloisons,  having 
no  background  ; both  these  methods  were  employed  pre- 
viously in  Byzantium,  and  may  be  seen  also  in  old  Russian 
ecclesiastical  work.  There  is  yet  a fourth  process  of 
enameling  on  copper  in  China,  where  the  colors  are 
painted  on  without  any  previous  preparation  of  the 
excipient ; this  is  chiefly  carried  on  in  the  province  of 
Canton,  where  the  art  is  said  to  have  been  introduced 
from  the  country  of  Ku-li — i.  e.,  Calicut,  in  India;  the 
productions  are  commonly  known  under  the  name  of 
Yang  or  “foreign  porcelain.”  The  author  of  the 
Wen  fang  ssu  ISao  says  of  this:  “ One  often  sees  incense- 
urns  and  flower-vases,  winecups  and  saucers,  bowls  and 
dishes,  wine-ewers  and  boxes,  painted  in  very  brilliant 
colors  ; but,  although  vulgarly  called  porcelain,  they  have 
nothing  of  the  pure  translucency  of  the  true  material,  and 
are  fit  only  for  the  service  and  ornament  of  the  ladies’ 
apartments — not  for  the  chaste  decoration  of  the  library 
of  a scholar  or  mandarin.” 

The  enamel  colors  in  the  present  day  are  manufactured 
in  the  glass-works  in  the  province  of  Shantung,  and  sent 
thence  to  every  part  of  China  to  be  employed  in  all  kinds 
of  enameling  upon  metal,  and  in  the  glazing  of  common 
earthenware  and  faience,  as  well  as  in  the  decoration  of 
porcelain.  They  are  composed  of  a vitreous  flux,  colored 
by  a small  percentage  only  of  metallic  oxide,  which  is 
generally  kept  in  solution  in  the  state  of  silicate.  The 
coloring  materials  are  oxide  of  copper  for  the  greens  and 
bluish  greens;  gold  for  the  reds;  oxide  of  cobalt  for  the 
blues  ; oxide  of  antimony  for  the  yellows  ; arsenious  acid 
for  the  whites ; peroxide  of  iron  is  used  for  coral-red 
and  other  shades  of  this  color,  and  impure  oxide  of  man- 
ganese gives  the  blacks.  The  last  two  materials  which 
give  the  colors  directly  are  only  mixed  with  the  flux,  not 
dissolved.  These  form  the  colors  of  the  muffle  stove,  by 


ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  MANUFACTURE  OF  PORCELAIN.  457 

the  fire  of  which  they  are  incorporated  in  the  softened 
white  glaze.  It  is  impossible  to  employ  them  in  the 
decoration  of  European  porcelain,  the  hard  glaze  of  which 
contains  no  lime,  and  when  the  Chinese  enamel  colors 
were  tested  at  Sevres  they  scaled  off  in  the  stove.  They 
have  all  been  thoroughly  examined  in  Europe  and  chemi- 
cally analyzed. 


Illmtration  No.  18 : Open  and  Closed  Muffle 

Stoves.” 

White  paste  porcelain  that  lias  been  previously  fired  in  the  fur- 
nace is  first  decorated  by  the  artist  with  painting  in  colors.  When 
it  has  been  painted  in  colors  it  must  be  again  fired  to  fix  the  colors. 
For  this  purpose  two  kinds  of  muffle  stoves  are  used,  one  kind  being 
open,  the  other  closed. 

“ The  open  stove  is  used  for  the  smaller  pieces.  This  stove  is 
similar  to  that  used  for  cloisonne  enamels  on  copper,  and  it  has  a 
door  opening  outward.  When  the  charcoal  fire  has  been  lighted 
inside,  the  porcelain  is  placed  upon  an  iron  wheel,  which  is  sup- 
ported upon  an  iron  fork,  by  which  the  porcelain  is  passed  into  the 
stove,  and  the  fireman  holds  in  his  other  hand  an  iron  hook,  so  that 
he  may  be  able  to  turn  the  wheel  around  in  the  fire  to  equalize  the 
action  of  the  heat.  When  the  colors  appear  clear  and  bright  the 
firing  is  reckoned  to  have  been  sufficient. 

“ For  large  pieces  the  closed  stove  is  employed.  This  stove  is 
three  feet  high  and  nearly  two  feet  and  three-quarters  in  diameter. 
It  is  surrounded  by  a double  wall  to  hold  the  charcoal  fire,  the  wall 
being  perforated  below  for  the  entrance  of  air.  The  porcelain  is 
introduced  into  the  interior  of  the  stove,  while  the  man  holds 
a circular  shield  to  protect  himself  from  the  heat  of  the  fire.  The 
top  of  the  stove  is  then  closed  by  a fiat  cover  of  yellow  clay  and 
closely  luted.  The  firing  takes  a period  of  about  twent3^-four 
hours. 

“ The  process  of  firing  the  monochrome  yellow,  green,  and  pur- 
plish brown  porcelains  is  the  same  as  the  above.” 

The  open  muffle  stove  is  no  longer  used  in  China.  The 
author  of  the  Cliing-te-chen  T^ao  lu  says  (chapter  iv,  folio 


458 


OKIENTAL  CEEAMIC  ART. 


5) : ‘‘  Porcelain  painted  in  colors  at  Ching-te-chen  was 
formerly  not  so  highly  valued,  until  the  beginning  of  the 
reign  of  ChHen-lung^  when  both  the  mandarins  and  the 
common  people  thronged  to  buy  it,  so  that  the  supply  had 
to  be  day  by  day  increased.  The  manufactories  are  com- 
monly  called  ^ red  shops,’  but  the  owners  style  themselves 
^ stove-men.’  They  do  not,  however,  use  open  and  closed 
muffle  furnaces  made  in  the  ancient  style,  but  only  build 
up  a cylinder  of  bricks  on  the  ground  like  the  mouth  of 
a ^vell,  a little  over  three  feet  high  and  between  two  and 
three  feet  broad,  leaving  holes  underneath  for  the  draught. 
Tlie  decorated  porcelain  is  put  inside,  a cover  is  fixed 
over  the  fire,  and  that  is  all.  It  is  called  a muffle  stove 
(shao  and  there  are  fixed  rules  for  the  time  of  firing. 
If  you  ask  them  what  the  open  and  close  stoves  are,  they 
will  generally  answer  that  they  do  not  know.” 

There  is  a good  representation  of  this  modern  sJiao  lu  in 
Julien  {La  Porcelaine  Cliinoise^  Plate  XIV),  which  is 
copied  from  the  book  just  quoted.  The  open  stove  which 
accompanies  it  is  taken  from  some  older  Chinese  book. 
Tliere  are  good  illustrations  of  the  open  and  closed 
muffle  stoves  of  the  forms  described  above  in  the  Atlas 
accompanying  Brongniai*t’s  classical  work  {Les  Arts 
Ch^anuqiies,  Plate  XLIV ) taken  from  a Chinese  book  of 
the  Ming  dynasty. 


Illustration  No.  19:  “Wrapping  in  Straw  and 
Packing  in  Cases.” 

“ After  tlie  porcelain  lias  been  taken  out  of  the  furnace  it  is- 
arranged  into  four  sepai’ate  classes,  which  are  known  by  the  names 
of  ‘first-class  color,’  ‘second-class  color,’  ‘third-class  color,’  and 
‘inferior  ware,’  and  the  price  is  fixed  accordingly  at  a high  or  low 
rate.  The  porcelain  of  ‘ third-class  color’  and  the  ‘ inferior  ware  ’ 
are  kept  back  for  local  sale.  The  round  ware  of  ‘ first-class  color  ^ 
and  the  vases  and  sacrificial  vessels  of  the  ‘ first  and  second  class  ’ ai'e 


ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  MANUFACTURE  OF  PORCELAIN.  459 


all  wrapped  up  in  paper  and  packed  in  round  cases,  there  being 
packers  whose  duty  it  is  to  attend  only  to  this  work.  With  regard 
to  the  round  ware  of  ‘ second-class  color,’  the  dishes  and  bowls  are 
tied  together  in  bundles,  each  composed  of  ten  pieces,  which  are 
wrapped  round  with  straw  and  packed  in  round  cases,  for  conveni- 
ence of  carriage  to  distant  parts. 

‘‘  The  coarser  porcelain  intended  for  ordinary  use,  which  is  dis- 
tributed throughout  the  dilferent  provinces,  is  not  packed  in  cases 
with  straw,  but  only  tied  up  in  bundles  with  reeds  and  matting. 
From  thirty  or  forty  pieces  up  to  sixty  make  a ‘ load  ’ sufficient  for 
a man  to  carry  at  each  end  of  his  yoke.  The  ‘ loads  ’ are  packed 
inside  with  reeds  and  matting  and  bound  round  outside  with  strips 
of  bamboo,  ready  to  be  conveyed  either  by  water  or  by  land  as  may 
be  more  convenient. 

‘‘  The  workmen  who  do  the  packing  are  generally  known  by  the 
name  of  ‘ mat-men.’  ” 

The  above  description  refers  especially  to  the  produc- 
tions of  the  imperial  manufactory,  only  the  best  pieces  of 
which  are  picked  out  to  be  sent  to  Peking,  while  the  rest 
are  sold  locally.  A regular  supply  is  sent  to  the  palace 
twice  every  year,  an  additional  amount  being  requisitioned 
on  any  extraordinary  occasion,  such  as  an  imperial  wed- 
ding; the  lists  are  generally  published  at  the  time  in  the 
Citing  Pao^  the  official  ^‘Peking  Gazette.”  According  to 
T’ang  Yino;  in  his  Records  of  the  Porcelain  Manufac- 
tory,”  quoted  in  the  Annals  of  the  Province  of  ICiangsi  : 

After  the  porcelain  made  in  the  imperial  manufactory 
has  been  finished,  every  year  at  the  two  seasons  of 
autumn  and  winter,  a number  of  broad  flat-liottomed 
boats  and  a gang  of  porters  are  hired  to  convey  to  the 
capital  the  six  hundred  and  more  casks  packed  with  round 
pieces  and  vases.  The  annual  supply  required  for  the 
palace  of  round  ware  of  the  highest  class,  including 
round  dislies,  bowls,  cups  and  saucer-plates,  ranging  from 
between  one  and  two  inches  up  to  two  and  three  feet  in 
diameter,  amounts  to  between  16,000  and  17,000  pieces, 
in  addition  to  6,000  or  7,000  pieces  selected  fi*om  the  best 


460 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


of  the  second  class.  These  are  all  packed  together  in 
casks  and  conveyed  to  Peking,  to  be  ready  for  imperial 
presents,  and  for  the  emperor’s  own  use.  The  vases  of  all 
kinds  intended  for  ornamental  and  sacrificial  use  of  the 
highest  class,  including  ovoid  vases  with  tall,  narrow 
necks,  sacrificial  vases  with  scrolled  designs,  beaker- 
shaped vases  and  urns  for  burning  incense,  etc.,  ranging 
from  three  and  four  inches  up  to  three  and  four  feet  in 
height,  require  a yearly  supply  of  over  2,000  pieces,  with- 
out reckoning  the  2,000  or  3,000  vases  selected  from  the 
best  of  the  second  class.  These  also  are  all  packed 
together  in  casks  and  conveyed  at  the  same  time  to 
Peking.” 

In  addition  to  the  firing  of  the  imperial  porcelain,  the 
kilns  at  Ching-te-chen,  whicli  are  numbered  by  the  thou- 
sand, practically  supply  the  whole  of  the  Chinese 
Empire,  as  well  as  the  porcelain  required  for  export  to 
foreign  countries.  Boats  laden  Avith  it  are  no  uncommon 
sight  in  the  inland  waterways  of  China,  and  I have  even 
seen  a line  of  large  wheelbarrows  under  full  sail,  pushed 
and  supported  on  both  sides  by  running  men  and  drawn 
in  front  by  donkeys,  speeding  along  the  highAvays 

“ Of  Sericaria,  wliere  Chineses  drive 
With  wind  and  sail  their  cany  waggons  light.” 

Paradise  Lost,  iii,  437. 

Illustration  No,  20:  Worshiping  the  Goh  and 

OFFERING  Sacrifice.” 

“ Ching-te-chen,  situated  witliin  the  jurisdiction  of  Fou-liang 
Hsien,  is  only  some  ten  or  more  li  in  circuit,  environed  by  moun- 
tains and  rivers,  so  as  to  form,  as  it  were,  an  island,  yet  on  account 
of  its  porcelain  production  merchants  throng  to  it  from  all  quarters. 
The  private  kilns,  between  two  and  three  hundred  in  number, 
exhibit  a constant  succession  of  flames  and  smoke  the  whole  year 
round,  and  give  employment  to  not  less  than  several  hundreds  of 


ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  MANUFACTURE  OF  PORCELAIN.  461 


thousands  of  workmen  and  assistants.  The  porcelain  industry 
gives  subsistence  to  an  immense  number  of  people  whose  life  hangs 
on  the  success  or  failure  of  the  furnace  fires,  and  they  are  all 
devout  in  worship  and  sacrifice. 

“ Their  god,  named  T’ung,  was  once  himself  a potter,  a native  of 
the  place.  Formerly,  during  the  Ming  d^masty,  when  they  were 
making  the  large  dragon  fish-bowls,  they  failed  in  the  firing  j^ear 
after  year,  although  the  eunuchs  in  charge  inflicted  the  most  severe 
punishments,  and  the  potters  were  in  bitter  trouble.  Then  it  was 
that  one  of  them,  throwing  away  his  life  for  the  rest,  leaped  into 
the  midst  of  the  furnace,  whereupon  the  dragon  bowls  came  out 
perfect.  His  fellow-workmen,  pitying  him  and  marveling,  built  a 
temple  within  the  precincts  of  the  imperial  manufactory,  and  wor- 
shiped him  there  under  the  title  of  ‘ Genius  of  Fire  and  Blast.’ 
Down  to  the  present  day  the  fame  of  the  miracle  is  cherished,  and 
the  potters  continue  to  worship  him,  not  a day  passing  without 
reverential  sacrificial  offerings.  Theatrical  shows  are  also  instituted 
in  his  honor,  during  wliich  crowds  of  people  fill  the  temple  grounds. 
He  is  worshiped  here  as  the  tutelary  gods  of  agriculture  and  land 
are  in  other  parts  of  the  empire.” 

The  Chinese  are  devoted  to  ancestral  worship,  in  the 
ceremonies  connected  with  which  sacrifice  is  offered  to 
the  manes  or  spirits  of  the  deceased.  Many  of  their 
deities  are  canonized  mortals  who  have  lived  among 
them  in  historical  times.  No  schoolboy  must  enter  a 
public  school  without  paying  reverence  to  the  picture  of 
the  sacred  sage,  Confucius,  who  lived  b.  c.  551-479;  and 
every  soldier  worships  the  image  of  Kuan  Ti,  the  God 
of  War,  who  lived  on  earth  as  Kuan  Yii,  and  was 
beheaded  a.  d.  219,  after  a life  of  martial  prowess.  The 
potter,  T’ung,  the  vicarious  sacrifice  of  whose  life  is 
sketched  above,  was  not,  however,  the  first  deity  of  the 
craft.  His  predecessor  was  named  Chao,  according  to 
the  Cliing-te-chen  T\io  hi  (book  xiii,  folio  10),  which 
says  tliat  it  was  in  the  reign  of  Ilunej-lisi^  who  lived  a.  d. 
1425,  that  the  assistant  director  of  the  porcelain  manu- 
factory, Chang  Shan,  was  the  first  to  worship  the  patron 


462 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


god  of  the  potters,  and  built  a temple  within  the  walls 
of  the  manufactory.  The  deity,  whose  surname  was 
Chao,  his  name  K’ai,  and  his  literary  appellation  Shu- 
peng,  is  said  to  have  been  in  charge  of  the  work  during 
the  Chin  dynasty  (265-419),  to  have  acquired  a wide 
reputation  for  the  choice  productions  inspired  by  his 
genius,  and  to  have  risen  afterward  to  the  rank  of 
prince.  It  was  in  this  dynasty  that  the  famous  azure- 
blue  glaze  first  came  into  vogue,  and  we  should  like  to 
know  more  of  the  history  of  the  director  Chao,  if  he  be 
not  altogether  a legendary  character.  His  temple  has 
long  been  in  ruins,  and  his  cult  is  now  supplanted  by 
that  of  another  patron  god.  The  present  temple  was 
rebuilt  in  the  reign  of  Yiing-cheng  by  Nien  Hsi-yao,  as 
commemorated  by  a stone  tablet,  erected  by  him  in  front 
of  the  main  hall,  which  is  still  standing.  T’ang  Ying,  in 
the  next  reign,  discovered  a large  fish-bowl,  decorated 
with  dragons,  of  the  reign  of  Wan-li,  the  bottom  of 
which  had  fallen  out  in  the  kiln,  and  had  it  installed  in 
the  temple  courtyard  as  a specimen  of  the  poi’celain 
composed  of  the  blood  and  bones  of  the  deity.” 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


MODERN  PERIOD  (1796-1895). IMPERIAL  LIST  OF  THE 

YEAR  1864. 

During  tlie  long  reign  of  CKien-lung,  wliicli  came 
to  an  end  in  1795,  there  was  a gradual  degenera- 
tion in  the  artistic  qualities  of  the  porcelain  produced  at 
the  imperial  manufactoiy,  and  this  is  i*ellected  in  a still 
more  marked  degree  in  the  ceramic  products  of  the 
private  kilns  of  Ching-te-clien.  The  decoration  lost  by 
degrees  much  of  its  vigor  and  freedom  of  execution,  and 
the  colors  gradually  failed  in  the  de|)th,  purity,  and 
brilliancy  of  tone  which  distinguished  the  older  period. 
These  defects  are  not  compensated  by  a certain  improve- 
ment in  technical  manipulation  and  a studied  finish  of 
design,  which  are  mechanical  rather  than  artistic.  A 
century  has  passed  since  the  death  of  CKien-lung^  and 
there  has  been  hardly  any  check  to  this  steady  progress 
of  degeneration  in  any  of  the  live  reigns  of  his  successors. 
These  reigns  may  be  conveniently  grouped  together  to 
form  the  modeiTi  period  of  the  ceramic  art  in  China, 
which  will  consequently  compiise  about  a century, 
dating  back  from  to-day.  They  are  barely  represented 
in  collections,  unless  perhaps  by  an  occasional  imitation, 
which  has  been  so  perfectly  reproduced  as  to  deceive  the 
unwary  collector.  Still,  some  knowledge  of  the  porce- 
lain of  the  time  is  necessary,  if  only  to  enable  one  to 
distill  squish  such  modern  countei’feits  from  the  real 
antiquities  that  they  are  intended  to  represent.  A 
glance  at  the  designs  and  processes  of  decoration  in  use 

463 


464 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


at  the  present  time  is  necessary,  moreover,  to  help  us  to 
understand  the  descriptions  in  the  older  books,  when  we 
have  not  the  actual  pieces  before  us.  Chinese  art,  more 
perhaps  than  any  other,  is  essentially  reproductive  and 
imitative,  and  most  of  the  modern  designs  can  be  traced 
back  to  early  periods.  The  artists  seem  to  have  no 
inventive  faculty,  and  yet  it  is  astonishing  to  notice 
how  rarely  they  adopt  anything  from  abroad  in  recent 
times. 

The  imperial  porcelain  of  the  reign  of  Chia-chJing 
(1796-1820)  can  hardly  be  distinguished,  except  by  the 
mark,  from  that  of  CKien-lung,  It  is  highly  appreciated 
by  the  Chinese  connoisseurs  on  account  of  its  finished 
technique  and  the  perfect  regularity  of  its  decorative 
designs.  The  figure  scenes  are  carefully  painted,  and 
the  scrolled  borders  and  lambrequins  are  finely  and 
neatly  penciled.  There  is  a class  of  vases,  characteristic 
of  this  reign,  which  are  entirely  covered  with  elaborate 
scrolls  of  diverse  pattern  in  underglaze  blue,  enhanced 
by  a richly  gilded  background,  and  which  are  highly 
decorative  ; but  this  highly  ornate  style  of  decoration 
seems  more  fitting  for  enameling  on  metal  than  on  a 
fragile  material  like  porcelain.  The  mark  on  the 
imperial  porcelain  of  this  reign  is  usually  attached  in  the 
form  of  a seal,  impressed  in  the  paste ; the  foot,  as  well 
as  the  interior  of  tlie  vase,  is  often  glazed  with  the  same 
pale-green  enamel  that  was  noticed  in  the  official  produc- 
tions of  the  preceding  reign. 

The  perfect  finish  of  the  monochromes  of  the  time  is 
beautifully  shown  in  the  finely  crackled  turquoise  vase 
that  has  been  illustrated  in  Fig.  8,  which  is  delicately 
etched  under  the  soft-toned  glaze  with  dragons  and  bats 
enveloped  in  scrolled  clouds,  and  is  marked  underneath 
with  the  seal,  also  etched  in  the  paste,  of  Ta  CKing 
Clila  chb  ing  nien  chiJi — i.  e.,  ‘‘  Made  in  the  reign  of 


465 


MODERN  PERIOD  (1796-1895). 

Cliia-chbing  of  the  great  dicing  [dynasty].”  Of  the 
other  single  colors  the  imperial  yellow  and  the  coral-red 
are  among  the  most  successful,  although  not  equal  to  the 
finest  productions  of  the  CliHen-limg  period. 

The  bowl  illustrated  in  Fig.  294  is  an  example  of  the 
more  complicated  decoration  of  the  period.  It  is  orna- 
mented with  fioral  emblems  of  longevity  in  a threefold 
series,  consisting  of  blossoming  prunus-trees,  sprays  of 
bamboo,  and  fir-trees  with  Polyporus  fungus  (ling-cliili)^ 
which  are  painted  in  enamel  colors  inside  and  outside 
the  bowl  in  identical  designs,  and  have  the  foliage  and 
flowers  pierced  in  parts  and  filled  in  with  glaze  so  as  to  be 
transparent.  The  decoration  is  completed  by  a medallion 
containing  melons  painted  in  the  bottom  of  the  bowl. 
The  seal,  penciled  in  blue  under  the  foot,  is  Ta  Cluing 
Cilia  cKing nien  chill — ‘‘Made  in  the  reign  of  Cliia-cliHngy 
of  the  great  CKing  [dynasty].” 

This  emperor,  like  his  accomplished  father,  Chien-lung^ 
was  fond  of  poetry.  I have  in  my  possession  some  pieces 
of  a tea  service  made  for  him,  which  are  decorated  in  soft 
enamel  colors  with  bands  of  floral  scrolls,  relieved  by  a 
bright  enameled  ground,  and  defined  by  lines  of  gilding. 
These  are  inscribed  with  an  ode  of  his  own  composition, 
celebrating  the  virtues  of  tea,  the  rhyming  verse  being 
signed  Cliia-cli'ing  in  two  small  panels  of  round  and 
square  outline,  attached  at  the  end  of  each  inscription 
and  penciled  in  vermilion.  The  full  seal  mark  of  the 
]‘eign  is  also  penciled  underneath  in  red,  within  an  oblong 
white  panel  reserved  in  the  bright  yellow  enamel  which 
covers  the  rest  of  the  ground.  The  accompanying  super- 
scription is  taken  from  the  interior  of  one  of  the  little 
fluted  dishes  of  this  set ; and  it  is  followed  by  an  attempt 
at  a literal  version  of  the  simple  verse,  which  consists  of 
four  stanzas  of  ten  characters,  each  stanza  ending  with 
the  same  rhyme : 


466 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


“ Finest  tribute  tea  of  the  first  picking 
And  a briglit  full  moon  prompt  a line  of  verse. 

A livel^y  fire  glows  in  the  bamboo  stove, 

The  water  is  boiling  in  the  stone  griddle, 

Small  bubbles  rise  like  eyes  of  fish  or  crab. 

Of  rare  Ch’i-ch’iang  tea,  rolled  in  tiny  balls. 

One  cup  is  enough  to  lighten  the  heart. 

And  dissipate  the  early  winter  chill.” 

“ Written  by  the  emperor  in  the  middle  decade  of  the  ‘ little  spring  ’ month 
(i.  e.,  the  first  month  of  winter,  the  tenth  month),  of  the  cyclical  year  ting-ssu 
(1797)  of  the  reign  of  Gliia-chHng.  (Signed)  Chia-ch’ing.” 


The  Empei‘or  Tao-huang^  who  succeeded  his  father, 
(Jliia-chHng^  reigned  for  thirty  years,  from  1821  to  1850. 
Some  illustrations  of  the  porcelain  of  his  time  have  been 
already  given.  The  finest  work  was  lavished  at  this  time 
on  articles  intended  for  ordinary  use,  such  as  soup-basins, 
rice-bowls,  teacups  with  covers,  and  miuiatui'e  wine-cups, 
and  the  seal  mark  of  Tao-huang  is  usually  well  repre- 
sented in  collections  of  such  things.  One  of  the  most 
attractive  of  the  styles  is  a plain  decoration  reserved  in 
white  on  a soft  coral-red  ground,  which  defines  the  out- 
line of  sprays  of  bamboo,  or  other  simple  floral  designs 
in  a charming  way.  An  idea  of  this  may  be  gained 
from  the  fiaimed  bowl  in  Fio;.  63 ; the  floral  decoration 
in  this,  outlined  in  red,  has  the  blossoms  of  the  China 
rose  slightly  touched  with  pale  green.  The  incinerated 
iron  oxide  in  these  cases  is  very  finely  pulverized  and 
intimately  mixed  witli  the  enameler’s  plumbo-alkaline 
flux,  and  it  acquires  a brilliancy  of  tone  which  is  not 
attainable  by  the  ordinary  method  of  painting  it  on  com- 
bined by  means  of  glue  with  a white-lead  flux.  This 
enameled  red  ground,  which  dates  from  the  Ymig-cheng 
period,  is  the  ‘‘jujube-red”  of  Chinese  ceramic  art.  The 
“ medallion  liowls  ” of  this  period  are  perhaps  the  most 
general  favorites,  and  in  London,  at  Christie’s  auction- 


MODERN  PERIOD  (1796-1895.) 


467 


rooms,  where  they  are  wont  to  figure  under  the  name  of 
Peking  basins,”  they  are  seldom  sold  for  less  than  ten 
guineas  a pair.  The  name  is  as  misleading  as  that  of 
Nanking  blue  and  white,”  as  porcelain  was  never  made 
at  either  Peking  or  Nanking.  The  bowds  are  found  at 
Peking  to-day,  because  they  were  sent  there  from 
Cldng-te-chen  at  the  time  they  were  made  for  the 
service  of  the  emperor.  They  are  ordinary  rice-bowls 
in  shape,  as  may  be  seen  from  a glance  at  the  typical 
specimen  illustrated  in  Fig.  73.  This  has  an  etched 
crimson  ground  brocaded  with  conventional  flowers,  and 
the  medallions  which  are  reserved  in  the  rouge-d^or 
ground  contain  sprays  of  flowers  and  fruit,  while  the 
interior  is  painted  in  underglaze  cobalt-blue  with  a 
basket  of  flowers  encircled  by  floral  sprays.  In  a second 
set  of  similar  bowls  the  medallions  are  filled  with  land- 
scapes of  lake  and  mountain  scenery,  representing  the 
four  seasons.  In  a third  series,  decorated  with  the  same 
crimson  ground,  the  medallions  display  the  varied  para- 
phernalia of  the  liberal  arts  known  as  the  po  oi* 
‘‘  hundred  antiques.” 

In  addition  to  the  crimson  (^rouge-d^ or')  ground,  the 
medallion  bowls  ” display  etched  grounds  of  four  other 
colors,  viz.,  pink  (i^ose  d^or),  which  is  derived  also  from 
gold ; lavender,  a manganese  color  of  a charming  tint 
approaching  the  shade  commonly  known  as  French 
gray ; lemon-yellow,  and  blue ; this  last  is  the  least 
successful  of  the  colors,  although  the  rarest,  being  some- 
what of  greenish  tone.  The  reserved  medallions  usually 
contain  sprays  of  primus,  magnolia,  chrysanthemum,  and 
lotus,  mingled  with  the  sacred  longevity  fungus  and 
bunches  of  scarlet  nandina  berries.  The  yellow  bowls 
include,  in  addition,  another  seines  with  four  medallions 
filled  with  miniature  landscapes  of  hill  scenery  dotted 
witli  temples  and  pagodas,  and  a third  set  with  three 


468 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


medallions  containing  outdoor  scenes  with  rams,  emblems 
of  the  universal  revivifying  power  of  spring,  according  to 
the  punning  motive,  San  yang  Vai  tai,  in  which  Yang 
means  spring”  as  well  as  ^^ram.”  The  blue  medallion 
bowls  have  the  etched  ground  overlaid  with  colored 
clouds,  and  the  four  medallions  painted  with  mytho- 
logical subjects  corresponding  to  the  picture  in  the 
interior,  which  is  painted  in  shaded  blue.  This  is  a 
circular  medallion  containing  a picture  of  a male  and 
female  stellar  divinity  in  the  midst  of  clouds,  with  their 
constellations  above  their  heads  and  a flock  of  birds  flying 
around  their  feet.  The  picture  suggests  a joyous  meet- 
ing of  lovers, /m  meaning  ^^joy”  as  well  as  ^‘magpie,” 
the  “ joyous  bird  ” of  the  Chinese.  The  stellar  divinities 
in  the  picture  are  the  cowherd  Ch’ien  Niu,”  riding  upon 
a buffalo,  identified  with  a constellation  comprising  por- 
tions of  Capricornus  and  Sagittarius,  and  “ Chih  Nii,” 
the  Spinning  Damsel,  a Lyrse.  An  ancient  legend 
related  by  Huai  Nan  Tzti,  who  died  b.  c.  122,  promul- 
gates the  romantic  idea  that  the  two  are  separated  all 
the  year  round  except  on  the  seventh  night  of  the  seventh 
moon,  when  Magpies  fill  up  the  Milky  Way  to  enable 
the  Spinning  Damsel  to  cross  over.  A legion  of  poetical 
allusions  have  sprung  from  this  passage  picturing  the 
separated  lovers  gazing  at  each  other  from  afar  or 
celebrating  their  joyful  reunion.'^'"  Of  the  four  medal- 
lions on  the  exterior  of  the  bowls,  two  opposite  ones 
contain  separate  pictures  of  the  same  cowherd  and 
spinster;  the  other  two  are  filled  with  outdoor  scenes, 
in  one  of  which  the  Spinning  Damsel  is  seen  walking 
under  a tree  with  maiden  attendants,  in  the  other  in 
amorous  dalliance  with  her  lover  in  a garden  pavilion. 

Some  of  the  most  beautiful  bowls  and  plates  of  this 
time,  as  well  as  richly  decorated  vases,  have  the  mark 
* Mayer’s  Chinese  Reader's  Manual,  pp.  97,  98. 


MODEKN  PERIOD  (1796-1895.) 


469 


of  Shen-te-fang — Hall  for  the  Cultivation  of  Virtue 
inscribed  underneath.  It  has  already  been  explained 
that  this  was  the  designation  given  by  the  emperor  to 
one  of  the  halls  of  his  palace.  That  the  mark  really 
belongs  to  this  reign  has  been  doubted,  but  it  is  proved 
by  a small  bowl  with  everted  brim  in  the  Hippisley 
Collection  (No.  367  in  the  catalogue),  which  is  decorated 
with  a spray  of  white  plum  and  longevity  fungus,  beauti- 
fully painted,  accompanied  by  a poem  from  the  pen  of 
the  Emperor  Tao-huang^  and  bearing  his  seal  attached. 
The  seal  is  in  the  form  of  a little  oval  panel  with  the 
two  characters,  placed  vertically,  reserved  in  white  upon 
a vermilion  ground.  Nothing  is  sacred  to  the  fraudulent 
imitator  in  China,  and  this  hall-mark  is  often  forged,  so 
that  it  is  found,  as  Sir  A.  W.  Franks  remarks  (loo.  cit,^ 
page  213),  on  specimens  of  different  kinds  and  very 
varied  quality.” 

Some  of  the  white  unglazed  porcelain  made  at  this 
time,  reminding  one  of  the  Parian  ware  of  European 
potteides,  is  finely  modeled  and  of  finished  technique.  It 
is  seen  especially  in  articles  intended  for  the  writer’s 
table,  such  as  cylindrical  brush-pots,  seals,  boxes  for  seal 
vermilion,  and  the  like. 

The  Emperor  Hsien-feng  succeeded  to  the  imperial 
throne  in  1851.  During  his  reign  the  south  of  China 
was  ravaged  by  the  Long-haired  Rebels  ” (the  lai- 
pings)^  who  started  from  the  provinces  of  Kuangtung  and 
Kuangsi,  reached  the  province  of  Kiangsi  in  his  thii’d 
year,  and  Avere  not  finally  expelled  till  the  spring  of  the 
third  year  of  the  reign  of  his  successor,  T\ing-cliih 
(1864).  Ching-te-chen  was  besieged  and  taken  by  the 
rebels,  the  imperial  potteries  Avere  burned  to  the  ground, 
and  the  Avorkmen  either  massacred  or  driven  away. 
Imperial  porcelain  of  this  period  is  consequently  rare,  as 
it  could  only  have  been  produced  and  forwarded  to 


470 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


Peking  during  the  early  part  of  the  reign.  It  resembles 
in  character  the  production  of  Tao-kuang,  and  is  inscribed 
generally  with  the  six-character  mark  of  the  reign^ 
penciled  underneath  in  red  in  the  ordinary  script. 
Among  the  pieces  I have  seen  that  are  worthy  of  special 
notice  are  vases  of  good  form  decorated  with  nine  five- 
clawed  dragons,  painted  in  soft  enamel  colors,  on  a white 
background  which  is  etched  in  the  paste  with  scrolled 
waves ; and  a dinner  service  of  bowls,  cups,  and  saucer- 
shaped dishes,  painted  in  colors  with  processional  figures 
of  the  eighteen  Lohan,  or  Arhats  of  early  Buddhist 
history. 

In  the  thii’d  year  of  the  reign  of  the  young  Emperor 
T' ling-chill  (1864),  after  the  expulsion  of  the  rebels  from 
the  province  of  Kiangsi  by  Li  Hung-chang,  who  was 
appointed  acting  viceroy  in  that  year,  while  Tseng  Kuo- 
fau,  the  celebrated  viceroy,  took  command  of  the  imperial 
army  in  the  field,  the  imperial  manufactory  at  Ching-te- 
chen  was  rebuilt.  A shoi*t  account  of  the  seventy-two 
buildings  which  were  erected  more  or  less  on  the  old 
foundations  by  the  new  director,  Ts’ai  Chin-ch’ing,  who 
was  appointed  at  this  time,  has  already  been  given  in 
Chapter  IX.  Some  idea  will  be  gained  of  the  porcelain 
manufactured  by  a discussion  of  the  olficial  list  of  the 
articles  which  were  requisitioned  in  this  year  for  the  use 
of  the  emiieror.  This  is  extracted  from  the  Annals  of 
the  Province  of  Kiangsi  (Chiang  hsi  Thing  cliih,  book 
xciii,  folio  13-16),  where  it  comes  immediately  after  the 
ofiicial  list  of  the  reign  of  Yung-clieng^  the  analysis  of 
which  has  been  given  already  in  Chapter  XIII.  The  new 
list  is  dated  the  third  year  (1864)  of  the  reign  of  Yung- 
cliili.  It  is  comprised  under  two  headings,  of  which  the 
first  is  devoted  to  the  vases  and  larger  pieces  {cho  chh^ 
the  second  to  tlie  I’ound  ware  {yuan  chi). 


MODERN  PERIOD  (1796-1895). 


471 


‘‘A.  Vases  to  be  sent  to  Peking  for  the 

Emperor,  M Wi  ^)- 

“ 1.  Quadrangular  vases  with  apricot-shaped  medallions 
and  two  tubular  handles  enameled  with  the  Chiin  glaze. 

The  modern  Gliiln  Yu  is  so  called  because  the  colors 
of  the  glaze  are  intended  to  resemble  that  of  the  ancient 
Chiin-chou  porcelain  of  the  Sung  dynasty.  It  is  the 
sonffie  glaze  with  a greenish-blue  flecking  and  dappling 
on  a reddish  ground,  the  red  being  subordinate  to  the 
blue,  which  has  been  appropriately  named  Robin’s  Egg  ” 
by  American  collectors.  The  form  described  here  is  that 
of  the  brilliant  flainhe  quadrangular  vase  illustrated  in 
Plate  XLVI,  which  has  an  apricot-shaped  medallion 
worked  in  slight  relief  in  the  paste  under  the  glaze,  in 
front  and  behind,  and  two  wide  tubular  handles  at  the 
sides. 

2.  Quadrangular  vases  Avith  apricot-shaped  medallions 
and  tAvo  tubular  handles  invested  Avith  Ko  Yao  glaze. 

(H  f[ti  ra  ^ X M St  M)-' 

The  shape  is  exactly  the  same  as  that  just  described, 
and  it  occurs  not  infrequently  from  the  reign  of  CYien- 
lung  downward,  in  the  stone-colored  crackle  traversed  by 
a network  of  reddish  lines,  Avhich  is  knoAvn  as  Ko  Yu, 
Ko  means  elder  brother,”  and  the  name  dates  from 
early  in  the  Sung  dynasty,  Avhen  tAvo  brothers  named 
Chang  are  related  to  have  made  celadon  ware  at  Lung- 
ch’iian.  The  productions  of  the  elder  brother,  Avhich 
Avere  distinguished  by  having  a crackled  glaze,  Avere 
called  Ko  Yao^  and  the  name,  as  applied  to  crackled 
porcelain  genei-ally,  has  survived  to  the  present  day.  It 
is  given  especially  to  the  ordinary  stone-gray  crackle 
which  is  seen  in  eveiy  Chinese  collection.  The  crackling 


472 


OKIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


is  produced  by  combining  with  the  materials  of  the  glaze 
a natural  stone  called  Lan-t'ien  shili  from  its  place  of 
production,  which  appears  to  be  a kind  of  compound 
magnesia  silicate  allied  to  steatite,  and  which  takes  the 
place  of  the  lime  that  gives  solubility  to  the  ordinary 
glaze. 

3.  Quadrangular  vases  with  the  pa  hua  symbols 
enameled  with  the  Ko  Yao  glaze.  mifA 

ih  «).” 

These  are  tall  oblong  vases  of  square  section  with  the 
eight  trigrams  of  ancient  Chinese  mystic  lore  worked  in 
relief  underneath  the  crackled  stone-gray  glaze.  The 
eight  symbols  usually  stand  out  in  relief  on  each  of  the 
sides,  but  sometimes,  as  in  the  vase  of  this  kind  illustrated 
in  Plate  XXIII,  there  are  two  displayed  on  each  side, 
separated  by  the  dual  yin-yang  symbol  in  the  middle. 
Vases  of  this  form  and  design  stand  upon  Taoist  altars 
holding  the  slips  of  bamboo  used  in  divination ; the  vase 
is  shaken,  and  the  stated  number  of  slips  are  selected  at 
each  operation  to  deteiTiiine  the  prognostic,  which  is 
worked  out  by  the  presiding  seer  with  the  aid  of  his 
divination  books,  while  the  worshiper  is  burning  incense 
before  the  sacred  shrine. 

“ 4.  Vases  in  the  form  of  ancient  wine-vessels  of  Jade 
enameled  copper-red.  ^ 3£  ^ S)*” 

Yil  Im  chhin  is  the  common  name  of  a vase  with  bulg- 
ing  pyriform  body  poised  upon  a circularly  rimmed  foot, 
contracting  gradually  upward  with  a narrow  neck  and 
expanding  sharply  at  the  orifice  to  make  a wider  hori- 
zontal lip.  The  name  comes  from  the  modeling  of  the 
form  on  the  lines  of  the  cfraceful  wine- vessels  that  used  to 
be  carved  out  of  Jade,  although  these  last  were  generally 
ewers  furnished  with  a curved  spout,  an  open  flowing 
handle,  and  a knobbed  cover,  while  the  porcelain  type  is 
an  ornamental  flower-vase.  The  term  cM-hung  used  here 


MODERN  PERIOD  (1796-1895). 


473 


answers  to  the  bright  ruby-red  derived  from  copper,  which 
is  the  most  successful  of  the  modern  single  colors,  and 
occasionally  will  almost  rival  the  celebrated  sang-de-beeuf 
of  the  K^ang-lisi  period  in  the  brilliancy  of  its  flashing 
tones.  The  character  chi  employed  above  is  an  unau- 
thorized form,  that  one  would  hardly  expect  to  find  in  an 
oflScial  list ; it  means  the  color  of  the  sky  after  rain,  and 
can  consequently  be  combined  properly  only  with  cliHng^ 
“blue,”  to  form  chi-cKing^  as  in  No.  42,  below,  and 
another  character  with  the  same  sound,  meaning  “sac- 
rificial,” ought  to  be  substituted,  chi-liung^  or  “ sacrificial 
red,”  being  the  traditional  name  of  the  ruby-red  cups 
which  were  made  in  the  reign  of  Hsuan4e  for  the  ritual 
worship  of  the  emperor  on  the  Altar  of  the  Sun. 

“5.  Vases  in  the  form  of  ancient  wine-vessels  of  jade 
with  threads  worked  in  relief  decorated  in  blue.  w 

IS  i ^ 

I have  not  seen  an  example  of  this  kind,  but  am  told 
that  the  vases  have  encircling  rings  w^orked  in  the  paste 
in  the  form  of  ropes,  so  as  to  divide  them  into  sections  for 
decoration  in  blue  and  white. 

“6.  Vases  of  the  Yu  liu  cKu7i,  or  carved  jade  type, 
decorated  in  blue  with  garden  scenes  inclosed  by  railings. 

These  vases,  the  form  of  which  has  been  already 
described,  have  an  open-rail  fence  drawn  round  the  lower 
part  of  the  bulging  body,  inside  which  rise  clumps  of 
graceful  bamboos,  shrubs  of  nandina  with  bunches  of 
berries  and  flowering  ti*ees  of  all  kinds,  with  an  occa- 
sional rockery  in  the  intervals.  The  design  dates  from 
the  reign  of  CJhien-lung. 

“ 7.  Vases  in  the  foi*m  of  paper-beaters,  with  the  fai- 
chi  symbol,  invested  with  imperial  glaze  decorated  in 
colors.  M W fftl  ± @ m MS).” 

The  chih-cl4ui  ]ding^  or  “ paper-beater  vase,”  has  a 


474 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


cylindrical  body  rounding  in  above  to  a straight  upright 
neck,  of  about  the  same  length  as  that  of  the  body  of  the 
vase.  If  the  body  is  more  bulging  and  the  upright  neck 
proportionally  narrowei*,  as  in  the  powder-blue  vase  which 
is  illustrated  in  Plate  XCIII,  we  have  the  Yu-cli’ui  PHng^ 
or  oil-beater  vase,”  the  sha[ie  being -that  of  the  mallet 
commonly  used  in  China  for  crushing  seed  to  extract  the 
oil.  The  Sai-clii  symbol  referred  to  is  the  creative  monad 
disk  dividing  into  the  dual  yin  yang^  “ darkness  and 
light,”  which  is  displayed  in  Plate  XXIII. 

‘‘  8.  Quadrangular  vases,  with  the  elephant  symbol  of 
great  peace  enameled  sky-blue.  W W ^ 

The  rebus  T\ii  pHng  yu  Itsiang  (fifth  to  eighth  charac- 
ters above),  an  augury  of  great  peace,”  was  referred  to 
in  Chapter  V,  in  the  descri[)tion  of  an  ancient  pallet  of 
Sung  porcelain  etched  with  the  figure  of  an  elephant. 
The  vases  referred  to  above  have  two  handles  molded  in 
the  form  of  elephants’  heads,  implying  the  same  happy 
augury.  The  modern  single  color  called  fien-cKing,  or 
sky-blue,”  is  deidved  from  cobalt  mixed  with  the  feld- 
spathic  glaze  of  the  high  hre ; it  is  of  somewhat  darker 
tone  than  the  clair  de  lune  of  older  times,  which  was  pro- 
duced by  the  combination  of  the  same  ingredients  with  a 
purer  and  more  translucent  glaze. 


Pound  Ware  to  be  sent  to  Peking  for  the 

ejipekok.  (:^  hi  I^)-” 

9.  Medium-sized  bowls  decorated  in  brown  with 
dragons.  f| 

These  are  the  bowls  with  five-clawed  imperial  dragons 
of  maroon  tint ; the  decoration  was  painted  on  with  the 
cop[)er-red  color  svr  le  cru^  and  the  piece  was  subse- 


MODERN  PERIOD  (1796-1895). 


475 


quently  glazed  and  fired  in  the  large  furnace,  so  that 
the  technique  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  blue  and 
white. 

10.  Medium-sized  bowls  enameled  in  copper-red. 

m n ^)” 

Chi-lmmg  is  the  ruby-red  monochrome  derived  from 
copper  silicate  referred  to  under  No.  4 of  this  list. 

‘^11.  Large  bowls  painted  in  blue  with  the  Indian 

lotus.  (W  ® si  ^)  ” 

The  Western  or  Indian  lotus  {Hsi  Fan  lien)  is  the 
most  common  motive  of  the  conventional  floral  scrolls 
with  which  Chinese  porcelain  is  so  often  decorated. 

‘‘  12.  Five-inch  dishes  painted  in  blue  with  the  Western 
lotus.  ^ M)-” 

The  dishes  and  plates  of  a Chinese  service  are  all 
round,  and  what  we  should  call  saucer-shaped.  In  this" 
list  those  of  half  a foot  in  diameter  and  upward  are  called 
round  dishes  those  of  less  size  are  called  tielij 
which  we  may  conveniently  render  as  ‘Splatters.” 

‘‘13.  Medium-sized  bowls  painted  in  blue  with  the 
eight  mystic  trigrams  and  storks  in  the  midst  of  clouds. 

The  bowls  are  decorated  outside  with  eight  flying 
storks  enveloped  in  scrolled  clouds.  The  stork  is  the 
aerial  courser  of  the  Taoist  immortals,  and  it  is  often 
represented  carrying  in  its  beak  bamboo  slips  of  fate 
inscribed  with  the  pa  hua  symbols. 

“ 14.  AVine-cups  decorated  in  enamel  colors  with  nar- 
cissus-flowers.  (E  ^ 7K  iUl  ^ 

The  wine  is  served  hot  at  the  Chinese  banquet,  poured 
into  tiny  bo^vl-shaped  cups  of  porcelain.  The  Narcissus 
tazetta^  wliich  has  ^vhite  flowers  with  yellow  cups  in  the 
center,  is  a favorite  floral  decoration  on  porcelain  ; it  is 
tlie  slmi  lisien  liua^  “ the  water-faiiy  flower,”  of  the 
Chinese. 


476  • 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


“ 15.  Wine-cups  with  expanding  rim  painted  in  red 
with  dragons.  IT  f | H5;  P M ^)  ” 

This  is  the  design  most  frequently  seen  on  these  little 
cups.  The  dragons,  of  the  imperial  hve-clawed  type, 
are  painted  in  coral-red  over  the  white  glaze ; the  porce- 
lain, having  been  previously  glazed  and  fired  in  the  large 
furnace,  is  decorated  with  the  iron-red  color,  and  fired  a 
second  time  in  the  muffle  stove.  The  bowl  illustrated  in 
Plate  LX VII  may  be  referred  to  as  a beautiful  example 
of  this  kind  of  decoration. 

16.  Round  dishes  a foot  in  diameter  decorated  in  blue 

with  a pair  of  dragons.  («  « II  as  X s).” 

^‘17.  Soup-bowls  with  dragons  incised  in  the  paste 
under  a dark  imperial  yellow  glaze,  ^ ^ 

a ffl).” 

The  soup-bowl  {fang  wwa)  is  smaller  and  shallower 
than  the  ordinary  rice-bowl  {fan  wan).  The  first  charac- 
ter used  here  means  literally  pretty  ” or  bright  it  is 
substituted  for  another  of  the  same  sound  meaning 
watered,”  which  is  technically  given  to  several  single- 
colored glazes  applied  with  a brush.  An  lung  means 
concealed  dragons,”  but  an  has  a special  technical  mean- 
ing in  ceramic  art,  and  an  hua  is  the  expression  always 
used  for  decorations  etched  with  a style  in  the  paste, 
which  are  brought  out  more  strongly  by  holding  the 
piece  up  to  the  light. 

18.  Medium-sized  bowls  of  barrel-shaped  form  with 
dragons  incised  in  the  paste  under  a bright  yellow  glaze. 

m » Bt  fl  it  ^ t ^)”  ''  ^ 

19.  ‘‘Teacups  enameled  bright  yellow.  ^ ^ 

SSI  ” 

SXLt- 

The  teacup  {clf  a-cliung)  referred  to  here  is  taller  and 
more  iipriglit  in  form  than  the  clfa-wan,  and  differs  in 
never  being  furnished  with  a cover,  but  the  names  are 
often  used  indiscriminately  ; neither  has  a handle  at  the 


477 


310DERN  PERIOD  (1796-1895). 


side  like  our  teacups.  When  a teapot  is  not  used,  the 
tea-leaves  are  infused  in  cups  with  covers,  which  are 
called  hai-ivan,  Icai  meaning  “ cover.”  When  the  tea  is 
drunk,  the  cover  is  manipulated  so  as  to  leave  only  a 
narrow  chink  at  the  rim  of  the  cup,  to  keep  the  tea- 
leaves  inside. 

20.  Medium-sized  bowls  with  dragons  incised  in  the 
paste  under  a bright  yellow  glaze.  ^ fi  ^ 

^‘21.  Medium-sized  bowls  of  ringlike  outline  painted  in 
blue  with  designs  of  the  three  fruits.  ^ ^ 

The  three  fruits  which  are  usually  represented  are 
the  peach,  pomegranate,  and  Buddha’s-hand  citron,  em- 
blems of  the  three  abundances  (san  to)  of  years,  sons, 
and  promotions. 

22.  Soup-bowls  with  expanding  rims  with  dragons 
incised  in  the  paste  under  a bright  yellow  glaze. 

‘^23.  Bound  dishes  six  inches  in  diameter  painted  in 
blue  with  a pair  of  dragons.  ^ 

“ 24.  Bound  dishes  a foot  across  painted  in  blue  with  a 
decoration  of  spiral  scrolls  inclosing  longevity  characters 

(W  « g a « -iS  X »” 

‘‘25.  Teacups  (^CKaWaii)  painted  in  blue  with  sprays 
of  the  Olea  fragrcms  flower.  ® ^ ^ ^).” 

The  Mu-lisi  is  a dwarf  variety  of  Olea  frag  vans  with 
reddish  flowers,  which  are  even  more  sweet-scented  than 
those  of  the  ordinary  white  variety;  it  is  but  rarely 
employed  for  the  decoration  of  porcelain. 

“ 26.  Medium-sized  bowls  decorated  in  enamel  colors 
with  sprays  of  precious  lotus.  ^ ^ ^ ^ ^).” 

The  precious  lotus  (^pao  lien)  is  one  of  the  varieties  of 
the  Nelurnhiurn  speciosum  held  sacred  by  the  Buddhists, 
wlio  liken  the  precious  jewel  of  their  faith  to  the  limpid 


478 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


drops  of  pure  water  that  collect  upon  its  broad  peltate 
leaves. 

27.  Teacups  decorated  with  white  bamboo  upon  a 

ground  painted  red.  H ^ 0 ^ 

This  charming  design,  with  the  graceful  leafy  sprays 
of  the  bamboo  reserved  in  white  and  relieved  by  a soft 
coral-red  background,  was  adopted  in  the  imperial  manu- 
factory in  the  CKien-lmig  period,  the  seal  of  which  is 
found  penciled  in  blue  underneath  bowls  of  almost  egg- 
shell thinness  and  purest  color.  The  red  is  produced 
from  iron  peroxide  prepared  by  the  incineration  of  the 
green  sulphate.  The  more  modern  bowls  are  thicker, 
and  the  red  tends  to  become  of  a brick-dust  hue. 

28.  Six-inch  saucer-dishes  painted  in  blue  with  the 

^ three  friends  ’ and  figure  scenes.  ^ A,  ^ 

The  three  friends  ” (san  yu)  in  ordinary  Chinese  par- 
lance are  the  evergreen  pine,  the  bamboo,  and  the  winter- 
flowering plum,  which  keep  green  in  cold  times  of  adver- 
sity. In  the  decoration  of  porcelain  they  are  usually 
grouped  in  a landscape  scene  with  the  figures  of  hermits 
or  aged  pilgrims.  But  there  is  another  group  of  thi'ee 
friends”  in  the  persons  of  Confucius,  Buddha,  and  Lao 
Tzu,  who  are  often  depicted  examining  scrolls  of  ancient 
lore,  or  engaged  in  distilling  the  elixir  vitw. 

29.  Tea-dishes  {CKa  P^an)  painted  in  blue  with  a 

pair  of  dragons.  M f I ^ M)-” 

There  are  no  porcelain  saucers  in  Chinese  tea-sets,  their 
place  being  taken  by  boat-shaped  saucers  of  metal,  lac- 
quer, or  some  other  material.  The  tea-dishes  referred  to 
here  are  little  trays  with  upilght  borders  of  oblong,  four- 
lobed,  or  fluted  outline,  like  the  one  that  was  described 
under  the  reign  of  Chia-cli’ing^  with  the  imperial  verse 
inscribed  upon  it. 

“ 30.  Six-inch  saucer-shaped  dishes  decorated  with 


MODERN  PERIOD  (1796-1895). 


479 


green  di-agons  on  a ground  with  scrolled  waves  incised  in 
the  paste  and  painted  in  colors.  7jC 

^‘31.  Round  dishes  a foot  in  diameter,  painted  in  blue 
with  archaic  phoenixes.  ^ i|L  '/fS  X M)-” 

The  Ic'ueifeng  is  the  peculiar  conventional  phoenix  of 
ancient  bronzes  in  which  the  body  degenerates  into  orna- 
mental scrolls. 

32.  Round  dishes  nine-tenths  of  a foot  across,  with  a 
blue  ground  inclosing  dragons  and  clouds  painted  in  yel- 
low.  ®.” 

This  is  a very  ancient  style  of  decoration,  which  we 
noticed  in  the  description  of  the  imperial  porcelain  of  the 
reign  of  Cliia-ching  (1522-66).  The  piece  is  first  treated 
like  an  ordinary  blue  and  white  specimen,  which  is  to 
have  the  decoivation  reserved  in  white  upon  a mottled 
blue  ground,  the  white  parts  being  subsequently  enam- 
eled yellow,  and  the  dish  being  refired  to  fix  the  color. 

‘‘  33.  Medium-sized  bowls  decorated  with  phoenix 
medallions  painted  in  ruby-red  underneath  a pure  white 
ground.  (:^  e f[&  R ^ It  B E 

The  red  of  the  grand feu^  which  is  derived  from  cop- 
per, has  had  the  name  of  g>ao  shao  hung,  literally  ruby- 
fired  red,”  since  the  time  of  Hsilan-te  (1426-35),  when  it 
was  first  used  in  the  decoration  of  porcelain,  and  there  is  a 
widespread  conviction  in  China  that  the  color  is  actually 
produced  by  rubies  pulverized  and  combined  with  the 
materials  of  the  glaze.  In  the  present  day  amethystine 
quartz  (tzu  ying  shih)  is  used  in  the  preparation  of  the 
color,  but  this  can  act  only  in  modifying  its  solubility  and 
penetrative  power,  because,  like  the  ruby,  amethyst  be- 
comes colorless  in  the  intense  heat  of  the  furnace.  The 
expression  tHen  pai  yu,  which  is  used  here  to  distinguish 
the  class  from  that  painted  in  red  under  a celadon  ground, 
like  Xo.  39  in  this  list,  has  also  given  I’ise  to  much  misap- 


480 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


prehension  both  in  China  and  elsewhere.  The  character 
tien^  filled  in,”  is  substituted  for  an  older  one  of  the 
same  sound  meaning  pure  ” or  “ sweet,”  and  the  expres- 
sion can  hardly  mean  white  glaze  to  be  filled  in  with 
colors,”  although  Du  Sartel,  in  La  Porcelaine  de 
Chine ^ gives  it  so  on  Julien’s  authority,  and  makes 
it  the  heading  of  a whole  class,  which,  as  a . critic 
justly  observes,  threatens  to  remain  without  a member 
to  represent  it. 

34.  Teacups  painted  with  yellow  dragons  and  clouds 


m 


m 


relieved  by  a blue  ground. 

35.  Six-inch  saucer-shaped  dishes  of  copper-red. 

36.  Medium-sized  bowls  of  copper-red.  II 

37.  Seven-inch  saucer-shaped  dishes  of  copper-red. 

ms.-t'i «).” 

38.  Soup-bowls  of  depressed  barrel-shaped  form  enam- 

eled  brown.  ^ f ffl  ^ ^ 

This  glaze,  called  tzu  chin^  or  “burnished  gold”  {or 
hruni^^  by  the  Chinese,  is  derived  by  them  from  a native 
ferruginous  mineral  called  tzu  chin  shih,  which  is  com- 
bined with  the  glaze  in  the  way  so  fully  described  in 
Pere  d’Entrecolles’s  Letters. 

“ 39.  Medium-sized  bowds  painted  with  phoenix  medal- 
lions in  red  under  a celadon  glaze. 

w m 11 


Tmig-cK ing  is  the  Chinese  name  of  the  soft  sea-green 
shade  which  we  call  celadon.  In  modern  books  it  is 
often  written,  as  it  is  here,  with  “ winter  ” as  the  first 
character,  as  if  it  were  “ evergreen  ” ; originally  it  appears 
to  have  been  written  with  a character  of  the  same  sound 
{tung)  meaning  “ east,”  the  tint  being  that  of  the  porce- 
lain produced  during  the  Smig  dynasty  at  the  eastern 


MODEEN  PEEIOD  (1796-1895). 


481 


capital,  the  modern  K’ai-feng-fu,  in  the  province  of 
Honan.  The  combination  of  the  decoration  in  under- 
glaze copper-red  of  the  grand  feu  with  the  celadon  glaze 
has  been  already  noticed  in  the  description  of  the  porce- 
lain of  the  reign  of  Yung-clieng, 

40.  Seven-inch  round  dishes  decorated  in  the  five 
enamel  colors  with  spiral  scrolls  and  words  of  happy 

augury.  ^ M ^ tU  M. M)  ” 

The  spiral-scroll  design  is  likened  by  the  Chinese  to 
silkworm  coils  ” ; forms  of  it  occur  on  the  most  archaic 
bronzes.  A fitting  felicitous  inscription,  which  is  often 
displayed  on  modern  imperial  porcelain,  is  Wan  shou  tvu 
cliiang^  A myriad  ages  never  ending  ! ” Several  other 
formulae  were  found  in  the  lists  of  the  Ming  dynasty 
given  in  Chapter  VII. 

“41.  Teacups  {CKa  cliung^  decorated  in  the  five  enamel 
colors  with  mandarin  ducks  and  lotus  flowers. 

W ^ ^ ^)” 


The  beautiful  waterfowl  called  Anas  galericidata  is 
commonly  known  as  the  “ mandarin  duck.”  They  exhibit, 
when  paired,  a remarkable  attachment  to  each  other,  and 
have  thus  become  emblems  of  connubial  love  and  fidelity 
in  a higher  sphere.  This  decoration  is  often  met  with, 
and  it  has  already  been  described  in  the  ceramic  art  of 
the  Ming  dynasty. 

“42.  Teacups  (fJlCa  Wan)  enameled  deep  blue. 


The  character  chi  is  defined  in  dictionaries  as  the  color 
of  the  clear  sky  after  rain,  and  chi  cKing  in  ceramic  par- 
lance is  the  deep  blue  monochrome  tint  derived  from 
cobalt,  which  in  its  deepest  shade,  approaching  that  of 
indigo,  becomes  the  ta  cluing  of  the  Chinese,  the  gros 
hleu  of  Sevres.  It  may  be  either  blown  on  to  form  the 
“powder-blue”  glaze,  or  painted  on  with  the  brush  in 
the  ordinary  way. 


482 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


43.  Teacups  {CKa  Wan)  decorated  in  colors  with  the 
eight  precious  emblems.  ^ ^ ^ 

The  Pa  Pao  referred  to  here  are  the  eight  precious 
emblems  of  the  Taoist  cult,  the  several  attributes  of  the 
eight  genii,  or  immortals,  Avhich  are  displayed  on  the 
large  pilgrim  bottle  in  Fig.  50. 

“ 44.  Large  bowls  decorated  with  the  Pa  Hsien  painted 
in  blue,  and  sea-waves  penciled  in  red. 

W IE  A * ffl.” 

The  eight  Taoist  immortals  crossing  the  sea  in  proces- 
sion is  a favorite  subject  of  decoration  for  the  sides  of  a 
bowl,  each  one  holding  in  his  hands  his  distinguishing 
attribute.  A large  bowl  of  the  old  famille  verte  is  illus- 
trated by  the  inimitable  pencil  of  Jules  Jacquemart  in 
Plate  IX  of  Histoire  de  la  Porcelains,  although  the 
author,  in  his  desciiption  of  the  bowl,  ingeniously  discov- 
ered an  emperor  and  empress  accompanied  by  a band  of 
musicians  in  the  procession  of  figures. 

45.  Medium-sized  bowls  decorated  inside  in  blue  and 
white,  and  outside  in  colors  with  lotus-flowers.  in  w 

46.  Bowls  decorated  with  the  eight  symbols  of  happy 

augury.  (A  ^ ^)” 

The  Pa  Chi-hsiang,  the  well-known  set  of  eight  Bud- 
dhist symbols  that  are  so  often  found  on  porcelain,  were 
figured  and  described  in  Chapter  IV. 

“ 47.  Bowls  of  peach-yellow  porcelain  decorated  in 

green.  (|t  ^ ^ ^ 

•These  are  said  to  be  invested  with  a monochrome 
ground  of  the  shade  referred  to,  variegated  with  green 
mottled  clouds,  which  are  overlaid  in  the  style  of  some 
of  the  composite  glazes. 

48.  Bound  dishes  five  inches  in  diameter  with  purple 
and  green  dragons  on  a monochrome  yellow  ground. 


MODEEN  PERIOD  (1796-1895). 


48S 


This  is  a very  favorite  pattern  in  the  imperial  palace 
to-day.  It  comes  under  the  heading  of  the  “three-col- 
ored decoration  of  the  muffle  stove.”  The  outlines  of 
the  designs  are  incised  in  the  paste  and  filled  in  with 
manganese-purple  and  copper-green  glazes,  so  as  to  be 
displayed  on  the  enameled  yellow  background.  The 
bottom  is  also  coated  yellow,  and  the  mark  underneath  is 
penciled  in  green. 

“ 49.  Three-inch  platters  {Tieh^  with  purple  and  green 
dragons  on  a monochrome  yellow  ground.  ^ 

M ^ H 

“ 50.  Soup-bowls  of  the  fourth  size  enameled  bright 
yellow. 

“ 51.  Round  dishes  five  inches  in  diameter,  decorated 
with  phoenixes  and  clouds.  iH  jE.  ^).” 

“ 52.  Medium-sized  bowls  decorated  in  the  five  colors, 
with  dragons  and  phoenixes  in  the  midst  of  flowers, 

^ tl  E IE 

“ 53.  Four-inch  platters  with  purple  aiul  green  dragons 


J 


on  a monochrome  yellow  ground. 

“ 54.  Round  dishes  nine-tenths  of  a foot  in  diameter, 
decorated  in  colors  with  the  eight  Buddhist  symbols  of 
happy  augury  in  the  midst  of  a floral  ground. 


^ IE  ^ M). 


“ 55.  Large  bowls  decorated  in  colors,  with  phcenixes 
of  archaic  design  flying  through  flowers.  ^ iH  ^ 


There  is  a certain  amount  of  repetition  in  this  some- 
what lengthy  catalogue,  but  it  is  hoped  that  it  may  be  a 
useful  contribution  to  the  terminology  of  the  ceramic  art, 
and  it  is  with  this  view  that  the  Chinese  characters  in  the 
original  have  been  inserted  under  each  heading.  Actual 
specimens  of  the  articles  described  are  not  I’are  in  collec- 
tions, and  it  is  always  safest  to  go  back  from  the  known 


484 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


to  the  unknown,  and  it  is  more  especially  so  in  China, 
where  nothing  modern  is  acceptable  unless  it  be  modeled 
after  the  antique.  Chinese  decorative  art  in  its  present 
phase  is  highly  conventionalized.  It  has  never  been  dis- 
tinguished for  originality,  and  some  of  its  most  promi- 
nent motives,  like  the  dragons  and  phoenixes  that  occur 
so  frequently  in  the  lists,  have  been  adopted  from  India 
through  Buddhist  channels,  and  may  be  traced  back  to 
the  nagas  and  garudas  of  Indian  mythology. 

Another  aspect  of  modern  porcelain  manufacture  is  the 
direct  and  studied  reproduction  of  older  pieces.  The 
correct  date  is  certainly  inscribed  upon  the  porcelain  of 
the  imperial  factory,  but  it  is  rarely,  if  ever,  found  upon 
the  productions  of  the  private  kilns.  The  most  ambi- 
tious efforts  of  the  private  potters  are  carefully  copied 
from  ancient  pieces,  and  the  original  marks,  as  well  as 
every  detail  of  the  ornamental  designs,  are  exactly  repro- 
duced. For  the  rest,  the  general  rule  is  that  the  com- 
moner the  ware  the  more  ancient  the  mark ; and  a visit 
to  any  ordinary  crockery  shop  in  China  will  show  that 
nearly  every  blue  and  white  cup  on  the  shelves  is  marked 
Hsiian-te,  and  that  most  of  the  colored  ware  is  inscribed 
CK eng-hua^  although  everything  in  the  shop  is  avowedly 
modern,  and  the  pieces  have  not  the  slightest  preten- 
sions even  in  style  to  such  an  early  date  as  the  Ming 
dynasty. 

Some  of  the  colorable  imitations  of  celadons  and  other 
single  colors  come  from  Japan,  but  Japanese  porcelain 
rings  with  a different  note  when  tested,  being  made  of 
other  materials  than  that  of  China.  The  Chinese  are  in 
these  latter  days  also  coming  to  the  front  in  the  fabrica- 
tion of  fraudulent  counterfeits,  and  have  lately  exported 
blue  and  white  vases  decorated  with  figure  scenes,  as  well 
as  others  with  a mottled-blue  ground  overspread  with 
prays  a nd  blossoms  of  prunus  reserved  in  white,  and  the 


MODERN  PERIOD  (1796-1895). 


485 


new  pieces  are  occasionally  brilliantly  executed  in  this 
K^ang-Tisi  style  in  a way  to  deceive  the  unwary.  The 
modern  copies  of  the  vases  of  the  same  period,  decorated 
in  enamel  colors,  are  much  less  successful,  and  may  be 
readily  distinguished  by  the  want  of  luster  in  the  colors, 
especially  in  the  greens. 

For  the  single  colors  the  greatest  pains  are  lavished  by 
the  imitator  upon  the  rarest  and  most  expensive,  as  giving 
the  most  remunerative  result.  The  vase  shown  in  Fig. 
297  is  an  example  of  a new  specimen  of  satig-de-boeuf 
glaze  of  remarkably  rich  and  brilliant  color.  It  rivals  a 
genuine  old  Lang  Yao  vase  in  its  varied  play  of  crimson 
shades,  albeit  the  crackled  glaze  wants  something  in 
depth  of  tint.  The  technique,  however,  is  less  perfect ; 
the  thick,  grayish,  minutely  crackled  glaze  wdth  which 
the  interior  is  coated  is  deeply  fissured  in  places,  and  the 
foot  of  the  vase  has  had  to  be  ground  on  the  wheel  to 
remove  drops  of  glaze  that  have  run  ” down  during  the 
firing.  It  is  impossible  to  remove  all  traces  of  such 
di’ops,  which  usually  occur  in  modern  pieces  of  the  kind — 
never  on  the  old,  when  the  glaze,  which  is  uniformly  dis- 
tributed throughout,  always  terminates  below  in  a 
straight  line  of  mathematical  regularity,  and  the  foot  of 
the  vase  exhibits  no  marks  of  the  polishing  wheel.  The 
glaze  in  the  new  pieces  is  much  more  fluesceut,  so  that 
the  color  tends  to  run  down,  and  the  upper  rim  of  the 
vase  is  often  left  perfectly  white.  I may  perhaps  be 
excused  a personal  reminiscence  to  express  my  meaning  : 
On  a visit  to  a curio-shop  in  Peking  one  day  this  year,  I 
was  shown  a small  sang-de-boeuf  vase,  the  lower  part  of 
which  displayed  the  richest  color,  but  the  upper  two 
inches  of  the  neck  were  a glassy  wdiite,  and  I remarked 
that,  were  it  not  for  the  neck,  it  might  well  pass  for  an 
old  piece.  A month  later  I was  invited  to  see  a collec- 
tion that  a traveler  ^vas  making,  and  in  the  most  promi- 


486 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


nent  position  was  exhibited  the  same  little  vase,  neatly 
mounted  in  a case,  lined  with  pale  blue  silk,  to  throw 
out  its  color.  Two  inches  of  the  neck  had  been  sawn  off, 
and  the  place  had  been  so  carefully  rounded  and  polished 
that  no  suspicion  of  the  fact  had  occurred  to  the  pur- 
chaser,  who  fondly  imagined  that  he  possessed  a genuine 
antique  of  the  first  water.  I must  confess  that  I did  not 
expose  the  ingenious  fraud  of  the  heathen  Chinee  ” at 
the  time,  but  am  driven  to  do  penance  now  pai^ticeps 
criminis. 

For  cutting  porcelain  the  Jade-carver’s  wheel  is  the 
means  commonly  employed.  The  apparatus,  which  is 
worked  by  a treadle,  is  fitted  with  flat  disks  of  soft  iron 
of  different  sizes.  The  disk  selected,  when  it  has  been 
fitted  for  use,  is  kept  moistened  at  the  edge  with  a paste 
made  of  garnet  or  ruby  powder  mixed  with  water.  It  is 
astonishing  to  see  how  readily  a large  porcelain  vase  can 
be  cut  horizontally  in  two,  or  the  rim  of  a chipped  piece 
trimmed  perfectly  even,  by  a simple  machine  like  this. 
Many  a neat  ovoid  vase  has  been  carved  in  this  way  out 
of  the  lowei*  part  of  a broken  beaker ; and,  by  the  same 
means,  oilginally  oblong  tiles,  intended  to  be  inlaid  in 
Avoodwork,  are  often  found  to  have  been  bisected  longi- 
tudinally, so  that  the  two  faces  may  be  framed  and 
mounted  separately  as  companion  pictures. 

The  imperial  porcelain  of  the  present  reign  of  Kuang- 
hsil  continues  to  be  decorated  in  the  same  lines,  and  it 
does  not  call  for  any  special  notice.  There  has  been 
some  attempt  at  a revival  of  the  ceramic  art  under  the 
patronage  of  the  enq)ress  dowager,  Avho  has  ruled 
China  during  two  long  minorities.  In  addition  to  her 
other  accomplishments,  she  is  a pi*ofessed  artist  and 
calligraphist,  and  a picture  from  her  pencil  with  her 
autograph  signature  is  often  seen  occupying  the  place 
of  honor  among  the  birthday  gifts  of  a high  mandarin. 


MODERN  PERIOD  (1796-1895). 


487 


The  special  seals  attached  to  the  porcelain  made  for  her 
palace  have  been  already  given  in  Chapter  IV. 

Quite  recently  Ching-te-chen  has  been  devastated 
by  floods  brought  down  by  the  mountain  torrents,  and 
a sad  account  of  ruin  and  desolation  is  related  by 
Rev.  Virgil  C.  Hart,  D.  D.,  one  of  the  latest  missionary 
visitors  to  the  place.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  better  times 
are  in  store  for  China,  and  for  the  porcelain  industry, 
which  was  once  one  of  her  chief  glories.  As  M.  Gran- 
didier  says,  in  concluding  his  work  {La  Ceramique 
Chinoise^  page  224):  ‘‘The  modern  period,  up  to  the 
present  day  at  least,  is  little  worthy  of  our  attention ; 
the  art  is  dormant,  and  holds  itself  aloof,  disowned, 
abandoned,  dishonored.  Cheapness  attracts  the  buyer. 
The  fatal  consequence  is  a common  product ; quality 
is  incessantly  sacrificed  to  quantity.  The  hour  of 
decadence  struct  a hundred  years  back,  and  there  is 
no  sign  by  which  to  foresee  any  serious  renaissance 
near  at  hand.” 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


THE  FORMS  OF  PORCELAIN  OBJECTS  AND  THEIR  IISES 

IN  CHINA. 

This  is  a wide  subject,  on  which  there  is  oppor- 
tunity here  for  only  a few  desultory  remarks.  An 
extensive  collection  of  Chinese  porcelain  exhibits  a long 
series  of  objects  of  multitudinous  shapes  and  sizes, 
removed  from  their  original  habitat,  and  far  from  their 
usual  surroundings,  so  that  the  proper  use  of  some  of 
the  things  can  hardly  be  guessed  by  the  uninitiated. 
Images  of  Buddhist  and  Taoist  divinities,  torn  from 
their  temple  shrines,  are  grouped  with  profane  figures, 
and  sacred  ritual  vessels,  intended  for  ancestral  offerings 
of  food  and  wine,  are  mingled  promiscuously  with 
common  utensils  of  daily  life.  A seated  representa- 
tion, for  instance,  of  Maitreya,  the  Buddhist  Messiah, 
Avith  rosary  in  hand,  whose  smiling  features  and  luxuri- 
ant figure  have  earned  for  him  in  France  the  traditional 
title  of  the  Pousa  or  god  of  content  and  sensuality,  is 
placed  close  to  the  reclining  figure  of  Li  T’ai-po,  the 
celebrated  poet,  who  has  fallen,  overcome  with  wine, 
and  is  embracing  his  capacious  wine-jar,  designed  to 
hold  water  for  the  ink-pallet  of  a modern  emulator  of 
his  genius.  An  ecclesiastical  vase  from  a Buddhist 
altar,  like  the  one  of  a pair,  illustrated  in  Plate  XX, . 
should  be  distinguished  from  an  ornamental  flower- vase 
or  a perfume-sprinkler;  and  a sacred  libation-cup,  or 
a cup  designed  for  use  during  the  manlage  ceremony, 
from  an  ordinary  wine-cup.  Sweet-smelling  flowers  are 
highly  appreciated  by  the  Chinese,  and  we  see  per- 

488 


THE  FOEMS  OF  POECELAm  OBJECTS. 


489 


f orated  baskets  of  porcelain  in  whick  they  are  sus- 
pended before  Buddhist  altars,  pierced  cylinders  and 
boxes  for  the  table,  and  openwork  flasks,  fashioned  in 
the  form  of  scent-satchets,  intended  to  be  strung  upon 
a lady’s  girdle,  filled  with  blossoms  of  the  scented 
jasmine  or  of  the  Olea  frag  vans.  So  one  ought  to  be 
able  to  diagnose  the  use  of  an  incense-urn  or  a joss-stick 
holder,  to  recognize  a bowl  for  goldfisli,  a flowerpot,  or 
a dish  for  flowering  bulbs,  an  arrow-receptacle  (cliien 
t''ung)^  or  a brush-cylinder  (^pi  t\mg')^  the  apparatus  for 
a game  of  gobang^  or  a dice-box.  The  dice-box  is  a little 
round  tray  with  a raised  circular  rim,  within  which  fits 
the  dome-shaped  cover  in  which  the  dice  are  shaken ; 
this  is  taken  off  to  show  the  result  of  the  throw. 
Cricket-fighting  is  another  favorite  pastime  with  the 
Chinese,  and  the  curved  hollow  cellules  with  movable 
covers,  in  which  the  tiny  champions  are  brought  to  the 
fray  and  incited  to  combat,  are  sometimes  molded  out  of 
white  biscuit  porcelain,  although  ordinary being 
more  absorbent  of  water,  is  a better  material  for  the 
purpose.  The  cricket  naturally  lives  in  damp  places, 
and,  in  solitary  captivity,  is  kept  in  an  earthenware  jar 
with  a cover  like  an  old-fashioned  tobacco-jar,  the  lid 
of  which  is  excavated  to  hold  water.  The  cricket-bowls 
of  ancient  porcelain  that  we  read  of  are  of  wide,  shallow 
form,  and  are  used  as  the  arena  of  the  fight. 

The  author  of  the  T^ao  SJiuofva  the  first  chapter  of 
his  book,  gives  a brief  sketch  of  the  various  kinds  of 
objects  made  during  the  present  dynasty,  the  outlines 
of  which  may  be  followed  here  with  some  amplification 
by  the  way.  He  begins  with  a list  of  the  sacrificial 
vessels  of  bronze,  dating  from  the  Three  Ancient 
Dynasties,  that  are  now  all  made  in  porcelain,  including 
the  large  vessels  of  varied  form  called  tsun^  the  smaller 
vases  called  from  their  scrolled  designs,  the  tripod 


490 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


or  four-legged  bowls  called  ting^  the  bowls  without  feet 
{yi)  for  offerings  of  corn,  the  wine-jars  and  the 

libation-cups  (cJiileli).  The  forms  of  the  ancient  vessels 
are  not,  however,  always  exactly  copied,  nor  are  the  use& 
necessarily  the  same  in  modern  times.  The  ting  and  yi^ 
for  example,  which  used  to  contain  rice  and  millet,  are 
now  employed  for  burning  incense,  which  was  unknown 
in  ancient  China  before  the  introduction  of  Buddhism ; 
and  the  ancient  vessels  of  bronze,  fashioned  in  the  form 
of  an  elephant  or  of  a rhinoceros,  in  which  the  hollow 
body  contained  the  wine,  are  now  represented  by  the 
same  animals,  molded  of  solid  porcelain,  carrying  on  their 
backs  capacious  vases  with  movable  covers.  The  form& 
of  these  are  figured  in  the  illustrated  ritual  books,  and 
accompanied  by  a minute  description  of  the  different 
designs  and  dimensions. 

Some  idea  of  the  variety  of  the  sacrificial  vessels  may 
be  gathered  from  an  account  of  the  tables  set  out  for  the 
ceremonial  worship  of  the  emperor  at  the  T’ai  Miao,  the 
Ancestral  Temple  in  the  Prohibited  City  at  Peking,  to 
which  he  proceeds  in  state  four  times  every  year,  to  offi- 
ciate as  chief  priest  and  preside  over  a banquet  prepared 
for  the  spirits  of  his  ancestors.  A row  of  six  libation- 
cups  (cJiilehi)  filled  with  wine  is  placed  in  front,  followed 
by  four  tureens  of  yellow  porcelain  containing  soup  and 
broth,  which  include  a pair  of  teng^  tazza-shaped,  with 
solid  stem  and  spreading  foot,  and  a pair  of  hsing  with 
mask  handles  and  thi*ee  scrolled  legs,  all  of  which  are 
provided  with  covers.  In  the  center  are  four  deep 
dishes,  with  spreading  feet  and  shaped  covers,  made  of 
wood,  lacquered  and  gilded,  filled  with  boiled  rice  and 
three  kinds  of  millet,  a pair  oifu  of  oblong  shape,  and  a 
pair  of  oval  hnei.^  These  are  flanked  on  either  side  by 

* One  of  these  dishes,  made  of  yellow  porcelain,  is  figured  by  Grandidier  (Za 
Ch'amique  Chinoise,  Plate  II,  7). 


THE  FORMS  OF  PORCELAIN  OBJECTS. 


491 


twelve  stemmed  bowls  with  covers  containing  all  kinds 
of  cooked  dishes,  sturgeon  and  minced  carp,  deer’s 
sinews,  minced  hare  and  minced  deer,  sweetbread,  pickled 
pork,  etc.,  with  cakes  of  dilferent  sorts,  and  frnit,  includ- 
ing hazelnuts,  water  caltrops,  the  prickly  water-lily 
{Euryale  ferox),  jujubes,  and  chestnuts ; the  twelve 
bowls  on  the  right  being  made  of  closely  woven 

slips  of  bamboo,  lacquered  yellow,  the  twelve  {toil)  on 
the  left  of  carved  wood,  gilded.  Next  come  three  large 
oblong  metal  trays  on  separate  stands  with  the  meat 
offerings  of  a bullock,  a sheep,  and  a pig.  A box  of 
woven  bamboo,  in  front  of  all,  holds  rolls  of  undyed  silk 
stuffs,  which  are  burned  so  that  the  spirits  of  the  deceased 
may  be  clothed  as  well  as  fed. 

The  Wu  Kung^  or  set  of  five  sacrificial  utensils,  which  . 
is  never  absent,  is  displayed  in  the  foreground  on  a sep- 
ai*ate  table,  consisting  of  an  incense  urn  in  the  center, 
with  two  pricket  candlesticks  and  two  side  pieces.  The 
last  are  changed  at  each  season,  a pair  of  rhinoceros  vases 
{lisi  tsun)  being  set  out  in  the  spring,  a pair  of  elephant 
vases  (Jisiang  tsmi)  in  the  summer,  a cup-shaped  pair  of 
vessels  (chu  tsun)  in  the  autumn,  and  a pair  of  plain 
ovoid  vases  with  spreading  lips  (Jiu  ts'uu)  in  the  winter. 

The  ritual  vessels  for  the  Ancestral  Temple  are 
enameled  yellow,  that  being  the  imperial  color.  It  is 
also,  in  accordance  with  notions  upon  color  symbolism, 
which  the  Chinese  share  with  other  ancient  Oriental 
nations,  the  color  of  earth,  so  that  the  porcelain  vessels 
for  the  Altar  of  Earth  in  Peking  are  also  enameled  yel- 
low, as  well  as  those  used  by  the  emperor  in  his  worship 
of  the  patron  god  of  agriculture,  and  by  the  empress  in 
her  worship  of  the  patron  goddess  of  silk,  at  their 
respective  temples.  Blue  is  the  color  of  heaven,  and  its 
temple  is  roofed  with  tiles  of  sapphire  tint,  and  the  ritual 
vessels  used  upon  the  Altar  of  Heaven  have  to  be 


492 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


enameled  blue,  as  well  as  those  used  in  the  Temple  of  tbe 
Land  and  Grain,  where  the  emperor  offers  annual  sacri- 
fices for  a favorable  harvest.  Red  is  the  symbolical  color 
of  the  sun,  and  the  ritual  vessels  of  porcelain  displayed 
upon  its  altar  are  still  invested  with  that  color,  as  they 
used  to  be  in  the  days  of  Hsuan4e^  when  the  famous 
ruby-red,  derived  from  copper,  was  first  introduced  for 
the  altar-cups  to  hold  the  wine  offered  up  by  that  emperor 
in  the  worship  of  the  sun.  White  is  the  color  of  Jupiter^ 
the  Year  Star  of  the  Chinese,  and  is  reserved  for  the 
sacred  vessels  used  upon  its  altar. 

Some  of  the  Buddhist  altar  sets  of  five  pieces  {yim 
hmig)  tliat  have  just  been  i*eferred  to  are  noble  speci- 
mens of  the  ceramic  art.  A similar  set  is  often  seen  on 
Taoist  altars,  like  that  made  by  T’ang  Ying  for  presenta- 
tion to  the  Temple  of  Tungpa,  near  Peking,  of  which  the 
inscription  was  given  in  Chapter  IV. 

The  same  sacrificial  set  of  five  pieces  is  displayed  upon 
the  domestic  altar  of  larger  Chinese  houses,  but  in  smaller 
houses  one  sees  perhaps  only  a single  censer,  like  the 
specimen  of  ivory-white  Fuchien  porcelain,  illustrated  in 
Fig.  302,  which  is  inscribed  underneath  with  the  saci*ed 
svastika  symbol.  In  other  cases  a tazza-shaped  cup  is 
placed  before  the  sacred  shrine,  to  hold  a daily  offering 
of  fresh  fiowers,  flanked  by  a pair  of  lions  mounted  upon 
pedestals,  from  which  spring  little  tubes  to  hold  the 
molded  rods  of  fragrant  sawdust,  which  are  commonly 
called  joss-sticks  ” by  foreigners,  joss  ” being  the 
pigeon-English  corruption  of  the  Poiluguese  Dios.  The 
burning  of  incense  is  an  indispensable  accompaniment  of 
every  act  of  worship.  One  of  these  lions  {shili-tzu)  is 
exhibited  in  Fig.  303,  and  the  tube  which  holds  the  stick 
of  incense  is  seen  in  the  picture  rising  from  the  pedestal 
at  the  back.  The  lion  figures  in  Buddhism  as  a protector 
of  the  faith.  The  tazza-cup  is  called  citing  sliui  wmi,  or 


THE  FOKMS  OF  POKCELAIN  OBJECTS. 


493 


piire-water  bowl  ” ; it  may  be  replaced  by  a plain  white 
bowl  of  ordinary  form,  and  the  beautiful  ‘‘lace-bowls”  of 
the  reign  of  CKien-lmig  are  specially  prized  for  the 
purpose. 

Two  other  Buddhist  vessels  may  be  noticed  here,  the 
alms-bowl  (Chinese  Sanskrit  pdtrci),  and  the  lustration 
vase  (Chinese  tsaop'’ing,  Sanskrit  hundika)^  which  every 
mendicant  monk  carried  in  olden  times.  The  alms-bowl 
is  of  flattened  globular  form  rounding  into  a small  circu- 
lar mouth.  The  lustration  vase,  intended  for  ceremonial 
ablution,  is  of  more  varied  form  ; one  of  them  is  pre- 
sented in  Fig.  304  with  a tall,  curved  spout  springing 
from  the  monstrous  head  of  a dragon,  which  is  richly 
decorated  with  floral  diapers  and  bands  of  conventional 
ornament,  painted  in  colors  of  the  K\mgdisi  period, 
relieved  by  a tzu-clim  ground  of  “ old-gold  ” tint.  The 
older  lustration  vases  are  larger  and  of  plainer  form; 
sometimes  they  are  elaborately  worked  in  the  paste, 
under  a crackled  glaze  of  the  Sung  dynasty,  with  dragons, 
frogs,  fish,  crabs,  and  all  kinds  of  water  plants — antitypes 
of  the  famous  Palissy  Avare,  Avhich  is  ornamented  in  simi- 
lar style. 

There  is  another  incense  apparatus  with  no  religious 
significance,  Avhich  is  provided  as  part  of  the  furniture  of 
every  Chinese  reception-room  or  library  of  any  preten- 
sions. The  emperor  is  always  represented  as  having  one 
on  the  table  before  his  throne,  and  it  is  a necessary  j^art 
of  the  equipment  of  a scholar’s  study.  This  is  the  San 
She,  or  “ Set  of  Three,”  AAdiich  is  so  often  seen  mounted 
on  stands  in  Chinese  collections,  carved  in  jade,  rock- 
crystal,  turquoise,  laj>is  lazuli,  and  other  precious  ma- 
terials, inolded  in  bronze  or  silver,  enameled  in  painted 
or  cloisonne  work  upon  metal,  as  well  as  in  faience 
and  poi*celain.  The  three  pieces  of  this  set  comprise 
an  urn  (l/id)  for  buniing  the  chips  of  sandahvood  or 


494 


OKIENTAL  CEEAMIC  AET. 


other  scented  material  with  the  fumes  of  which  the 
room  is  to  be  impregnated;  a box  (lio)  with  a cover 
to  store  the  fragrant  fuel  ready  for  use;  and  a vase 
to  hold  the  miniature  tongs,  poker,  and  shovel, 
made  usually  of  gilded  copper,  with  which  the  fire 
is  kept  up. 

The  Chinese  literati  are  very  particular  in  selecting 
their  library  apparatus  and  writing-tools,  and  a long 
series  of  scholars  have  published  at  different  times  a small 
library  of  books  on  the  subject.  For  the  writing-table 
there  are  porcelain  pallets  {yeii)  ; rests  for  the  cake  of 
ink  {mo  clmang^ ; water-pots  {shui  cKeng^  of  varied 
form,  with  tiny  ladles  of  gilt  metal  or  coral  inside ; 
water-droppers  {tH-tzii)  of  quaint  designs,  such  as  a tor- 
toise or  a three-legged  toad  distilling  drops  from  its 
mouth,  a lotus-pod,  or  a miniature  wine-ewer ; paper- 
weights {clien  clvili)^  a coil  of  dragons,  a scantily  clad 
urchin  or  gayly  dressed  girl  reclining  upon  a leaf,  or  such 
like^;  hand-rests  {pi  ho)  of  oblong  shape,  with  convex 
surface,  to  support  the  wrist  wdien  writing.  The  pencil - 
brush  {pi)  of  the  writer  or  artist  may  be  mounted  in  a 
porcelain  handle  {pi  huaii)  ; it  has  a bath  {pi  lisi)^  a dish 
in  which  it  may  be  dipped  and  washed,  which  is  often  a 
specimen  of  ancient  celadon,  or  of  some  other  celebrated 
production  of  the  older  dynasties;  ‘Hhere  is,”  according 
to  our  Chinese  authority,  ‘‘  a bed  {pi  chuang)  for  it  to  lie 
down  in,  a rest  {pi  ho)  for  its  support,  the  orthodox  form 
of  which  is  a miniature  range  of  hills,  and  a cylinder  {pi 
tung)  for  it  to  stand  up  in  when  not  in  use.”  The 
ancient  seals  {;yiri)  of  the  Han  dynasty,  which  used  to  be 
carved  in  jade  or  molded  in  copper,  are  now  all  copied 
in  porcelain  ; they  are  of  oblong  form,  surmounted  by 
handles,  fashioned  in  the  form  of  a camel,  a tortoise,  an 
archaic  dragon  or  tiger,  a curved  tile  or  two  interlacing 
rings.  Some  of  these  seals  have  been  dug  up  in  Irish 


THE  FORMS  OF  PORCELAIN  OBJECTS. 


495 


bogs,  supposed  to  be  of  great  antiquity,  and  a volume  has 
been  published  on  the  subject.'^' 

There  are  oblong  plaques  of  porcelain,  covei’ed  with 
written  inscriptions,  or  decorated  with  pictures,  in  blue 
or  white,  or  in  colors,  prepared  to  be  mounted  as  panels 
in  large  leaf  screens,  framed  in  carved  and  lacquered 
wood ; decorated  porcelain  panels  for  inlaying  in  an 
oblong  wooden  pillow,  to  provide  a cool  rest  for  the 
head  in  the  hot  season ; hollow  slabs  of  circular  and 
oblong  shape,  with  pictures  painted  on  both  front  and 
back,  to  be  inserted  in  the  woodwork  of  beds,  a round 
slab  being  placed  at  the  head  of  the  bed  in  the  middle, 
succeeded  by  a series  of  oblong  slabs,  extending  down 
the  sides,  and  triangular  mounts  for  the  legs.  Then 
there  are  porcelain  mounts  for  the  two  ends  of  the 
wooden  rollers  attached  to  scroll  pictures ; porcelain  han- 
dles for  walking-sticks ; sets  of  chessmen  with  boards, 
and  other  games,  including  a pair  of  bowls,  of  the 
traditional  form  of  the  Buddhist  alms-bowl,  for  holding 
the  black  and  white  men  for  the  game  of  ivei-cli'i^  the 

miniature  war  practice  ” of  the  Chinese. 

With  regard  to  vases  adapted  for  the  display  of  cut 
flowers  to  decorate  the  reception-room  or  library,  it 
would  require  a volume  to  describe  all  the  varied  shapes 
and  designs.  Archaic  bronze  forms  alone,  in  which 
China  is  so  rich,  afford  an  inexhaustible  series  of  models, 
as  may  be  seen  by  a glance  at  the  voluminous  illustrated 
books  on  the  subject  such  as  the  Po  hu  and  the  Hsi 
chHng  leu  chien  catalogue  of  the  imperial  collection  of  the 
Emperor  ClCieii-lung^  which  have  already  been  referred 
to.  The  older  ceramic  productions  supply  another  sug- 
gestive source  of  inspiration,  and  according  to  the 
T\w  Shuo,  select  specimens  of  the  Ting-chou,  Ju-chou, 
crackled  Ko  Yao,  and  imperial  porcelains  (Kuan  Yao)  of 

^Notices  of  Chinese  Seals  found  in  Ireland,  by  Edmund  Getty,  Dublin,  1850. 


496 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


the  Sung  dynasty,  as  well  as  porcelain  vases  of  the 
celebrated  reigns  of  Hman-te^  CK eng-hua^  and  Ohia- 
ching^  and  cloisonne  enamels  on  copper,  of  the  reign  of 
Ching-ta%  of  the  Ming  dynasty,  are  sent  down  from  the 
palace,  and  gathered,  besides,  into  the  workshops  at 
Ching-te-chen  from  all  parts  of  the  empire  for  the 
purpose. 

The  same  book  describes  porcelain  vases  generally  as 
ranging  in  size  from  a height  of  two  to  three  inches  up 
to  between  five  and  six  feet.  In  shape  the  liu  are  rounds 
like  the  ancient  earthenware  vessels  of  that  name;  the 
tan  are  round  and  swelling  below  like  the  gall-bladder^ 
from  which  their  name  is  derived;  the  tsun  are  broad 
and  round  in  section,  with  low  body  and  expanding 
mouth,  the  lc>u  of  slender  hornlike  form,  with  vertical 
ridges  on  the  body  and  trumpet-shaped  mouth ; these 
last  two  are  archaic  bronze  forms,  being  varieties  of 
what  we,  for  some  unexplained  reason,  call  beakers. 

There  are  two  special  works  before  us  on  flower-vases^ 
both  of  which  were  published  toward  the  end  of  the 
Ming  dynasty  in  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury. The  first,  entitled  PHng  shih,  “ History  of  Vases,’^ 
is  by  Yuan  Hung-tao,  a famous  scholar  and  high  official 
who  died  in  1624,  and  whose  biography,  together  with 
that  of  his  two  brothers,  ^^The  Three  Yuan,”  as  they  were 
called  by  their  contemporaries,  is  recorded  in  the  Ming 
sldh  (or  Annals).  In  his  desci'iption  of  the  fo]*ms  he 
says ; * 

“Among  tlie  vases  in  private  collections  in  the  province  of 
Kiangnan,  the  finest  are  the  ancient  beakers  (ku)  with  trumpet- 
shaped mouths,  invested  with  a bright  azure-blue  penetrating  into 
the  paste  marked  with  patches  of  vermilion  tint  rising  in  slight 
relief  ; these  may  be  termed  golden  halls  for  flowers.  Next  in 
rank  come  select  specimens  of  the  imperial  potteries  of  the  8ung 
dynasty,  of  the  crackled  Ko  Yao,  of  the  crackled  white  porcelain 


THE  FOKMS  OF  POKCELAIN  OBJECTS. 


497 


of  Hsiang-slian,  near  Ningpo,  and  of  the  ivory-white  Ting-chou 
ware  ; these,  when  slender  and  graceful  in  form  and  of  rich  luster, 
all  make  elegant  cots  for  the  fairy  blossoms.  Yases  for  the  deco- 
ration of  the  scliolar’s  stud}^  ought  not  to  be  large  and  heavy,  and 
any  of  the  porcelain  productions  of  the  above  factories,  such  as  the 
vases  shaped  like  paper-beaters,  those  with  goose-necks,  those 
fashioned  in  the  shape  of  aubergine  fruit,  the  flower  bags  or  baskets 
(hua  na7ig),  the  floAver-beakers  [hua  tsun),  the  receptacles  for 
divining-rods,  and  the  bulrush -shaped — any  of  these  that  are  short 
and  small  are  suitable  for  cliaste  decoration.” 

The  other  book,  called  P Jiua  phi,  is  a treatise  on 
vases  and  the  methods  of  arranging  flowers  in  them,  by 
Chang  Ch’ien-te,  a son  of  the  author  of  the  Cluing  pi 
tsang,  an  antiquarian  work  that  has  ab’eady  been  quoted, 
and  for  Avhich  he  wrote  a preface  dated  1595.  He  says : 

“In  the  art  of  floral  decoration  the  first  requisite  is  the  selection 
of  the  vases.  In  spring  and  winter  they  should  be  of  bronze,  in 
summer  and  autumn  of  porcelain,  on  account  of  the  variations  of 
temperature.  The  larger  ones  are  placed  in  the  reception-hall,  the 
smaller  in  the  library,  on  account  of  exigency  of  space.  Bronze 
and  porcelain  are  preferred  to  gold  and  silver,  as  harmonizing 
better  with  the  simple  tastes  of  a scholar.  Rings  and  pairs  are  to 
be  avoided,  and  special  attention  is  to  be  given  to  rarity  and  beauty. 
The  mouth  of  a vase  should  be  small  and  the  foot  thick,  so  that  it 
may  stand  firmly  and  not  emit  unpleasant  vapor.” 

The  last  paragraph  recalls  a favorite  shape  of  the 
2Iing  dynasty,  slender  below,  enlarging  uj^ward  to  a 
wide,  bulging  shoulder,  and  finally  rounding  into  a small 
narrow  neck;  this  is  the  meiphng  or  ^‘primus  vase”  of 
the  Chinese,  who  consider  the  form  appropriate  for  the 
disjflay  of  blossoming  branches  of  the  mei  hua,  the 
winter  plum  ; in  American  auction  catalogues  it  is  often 
called  a ‘‘gallipot,”  for  some  reason  not  clear  to  the 
uninitiated.  Gourds  are  considered  most  suitable  for  the 
display  of  lotus-flowers,  bulrush-shaped  vases  for  peony- 
blossoms.  The  Chinese  never  arrange  floAvers  in  mixed 


498 


OKIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


bouquets ; a spray  or  two  of  bamboo  may  be  put  with 
orchids,  or  a few  blades  of  reed  or  other  water-plant 
with  lotus-blossoms,  that  is  all.  The  festivals  of  the  four 
seasons  must  be  celebrated  by  a lavish  exhibition  of  their 
floral  emblems,  the  spring  peony,  the  summer  lotus,  the 
autumn  chrysanthemum,  and  the  winter  primus.  Each 
month  of  the  year,  too,  has  its  distinctive  flower,  which 
the  florist  is  expected  to  produce  for  his  patrons  in  due 
rotation,  as  well  as  to  provide  a supply  of  cut  flowers 
for  other  calendar  holidays  and  festive  occasions. 

Next  to  vases  for  cut  flowers  we  come  to  flowerpots 
for  growing  plants,  wdiich  are  always  pierced  in  the 
bottom  with  one  or  more  holes,  and  are  often  provided 
with  saucers.  Some  of  the  smaller  ones,  intended  for 
interior  decoration,  are  finely  modeled  and  elaborately 
painted  in  colors.  The  ancient  Cliiin-chou  flowerpots,  in 
their  brilliant  red  coats  of  richly  varied  transmutation 
tints,  rank  as  the  most  valued  treasures  of  the  Chinese 
connoisseur.  The  larger  flowerpots,  wdiich  are  iu tended 
for  the  veranda  and  balcony,  are  also  of  varied  form  and 
design,  being  round,  square,  or  polygonal,  barrel-shaped, 
or  like  a miniature  tank  with  rolled  sides,  and  in  other 
cases  simulating  the  trunk  of  a tree  or  some  grotesque 
monster.  The  large  dragon  fish-bowls  (lung  hmig^  that 
are  placed  on  wooden  stands  in  Chinese  gardens  or  court- 
yards and  filled  with  lotus-plants  or  with  goldfish  have 
been  often  referred  to.  Smaller  bowls  (yu  hang)  of  the 
same  shape  are  made  for  keeping  goldfish  in  rooms,  and 
are  often  decorated  in  the  traditional  way  with  dragons ; 
others  are  made  in  the  shape  of  the  Buddhist  alms-bowl 
as  flattened  globes  with  small  circular  mouths,  the  most 
attractive  of  which,  perhaps,  are  the  white  bowls  in 
which  the  sides  have  been  pierced  on  geometrical  lace- 
work  patterns  and  filled  in  with  transparent  glaze,  giving 
a charmingly  light  effect  as  they  stand  on  a side-table  in 


THE  FOEMS  OF  POECELAIN  OBJECTS. 


499 


front  of  the  window.  The  shaped  dishes  of  foliated 
outline  mounted  upon  low,  scrolled  feet  are  for  the 
cultivation  of  narcissus-flowers,  which  it  is  the  ambition 
of  every  Chinese  householder  to  have  in  full  blossom 
upon  New  Year’s  day;  the  bulbs  are  supported  in  the 
dish  by  a layer  of  pebbles  and  kept  watered.  A circular 
dish  of  plainer  form  is  generally  seen  upon  one  of  the 
tables  at  the  same  time  piled  up  with  a heap  of  Bud- 
dha’s-hand  citrons  or  fragrant  melons  to  perfume  the  air ; 
the  large  Yung-cheng  dishes,  of  which  one  is  illustrated 
in  Plate  XL VIII,  are  used  in  the  palace  for  this  purpose, 
and  a still  more  choice  receptacle  for  the  fragrant  fruit 
is  a dish  of  old  Lung-ch’iian  celadon,  or  of  some  other 
kind  of  ancient  porcelain  of  the  Sung  dynasty. 

Many  other  objects  are  made  of  poi’celain  for  the  recep- 
tion-room : Barrel-shaped  seats  {Tso-turi)  ; slabs  of  rectan- 
gular or  circular  shape  for  insertion  in  the  tops  of  tables 
and  benches ; hanging  baskets  with  pierced  sides  for 
flowers,  hanging  lamps  (hua-teng^  of  eggshell  thinness,  or 
with  openwork  panels,  like  tlie  two  beautiful  examples 
illustrated  on  these  pages ; and  all  kinds  of  boxes  and 
cabinets  of  varied  shape  and  design. 

Three  characteristic  forms  of  the  floral  receptacles  with 
pierced  openwork  sides  through  which  the  fragrance  of 
the  flowers  is  diffused  throughout  the  room,  are  shown 
here.  Fig.  306  is  a hanging  basket  decorated  in  enamel 
colors,  with  gilding  of  the  K\mg-lisi  period,  with  floral 
band  near  the  rims,  and  the  sides  painted  in  black,  green, 
and  yellow  to  simulate  wicker.  The  cylinder  which  fits 
inside  is  -painted  in  coral-red  with  scrolls  of  lotus  and  a 
ring  of  spiral  fret. 

Fig.  307  shows  a basket-shaped  bowl,  with  a cover 
surmounted  by  a lion,  decorated  in  IPang-hsi  colors. 
The  handle  is  painted  in  black  lines  upon  a yellow  ground 
to  imitate  basket-work.  The  sides  are  pierced  in  six 


500 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


panels  of  hexagonal  trellis  interrupted  by  chrysanthe- 
mum-flowers alternately  red  and  light  purple,  and  the 
cover  has  a similar  openwork  design.  The  borders  are 
painted  wdth  scrolls  in  red.  The  perfume  globe,  hsiang 
chbiu^  in  Fig.  308,  is  of  light  biscuit  porcelain  inlaid  with 
K^a7ig-lisi  colors,  a brilliant  green  in  combination  with 
the  usual  enamels  of  the  oldifamille  rose.  The  pierced 
medallions  contain  alternately  peony  and  lotus  flowers. 
It  has  a tiny  round  cover  for  the  introduction  of  the  flowers, 
and  is  strung  Avith  a silk  cord,  although  it  would  usually 
stand  on  the  table.  It  is  fashioned  in  the  likeness  of  one 
of  the  globular  gourds  which  are  often  carved  in  open- 
w^ork  as  receptacles  for  fragrant  flowers,  as  • cages  for 
singing  cicadas,  or  to  carry  fighting  crickets  in  safe  cus- 
tody inside. 

There  must  always  be  a pair  of  hat-stands  (mao  chid) 
on  one  of  the  side-tables  for  visitors’  hats,  which  are  kept 
on  the  head  during  calls  of  ceremony,  but  are  alloAA^ed  to 
be  taken  ofl;  on  less  formal  occasions ; these  are  often 
made  of  porcelain  and  vary  very  much  in  form.  M. 
Grandidier  describes  an  elaborate  porte-calotte  exhibited 
in  his  collection  in  the  Louvre,  consisting  of  a sphere 
supported  by  a long  tube,  to  which  it  is  buttressed  by 
branches  of  foliage,  mounted  upon  a lobed  stand  with 
trefoil  feet,  the  globe  being  hollow  so  as  to  hold  fire  or 
ice,  according  to  the  season,  for  the  purpose  of  warming 
or  cooling  the  hat.  Another  not  uncommon  design  has  a 
little  box  supported  upon  long,  curved  spindle  legs  Avith 
a pei’f orated  lid,  adapted  to  hold  a scent  sachet  or  a few 
chips  of  sandalwood. 

Having  disposed  of  ol)jects  of  utility,  we  come  to  those 
intended  solely  for  decorative  purposes.  To  this  class 
belongs  the  great  majority  of  the  vases  and  jars  seen  in 
Oriental  collections.  Their  function  is  purely  orna- 
mental, although  in  form  they  are  lineal  descendants  of 


THE  FORMS  OF  PORCELAIN  OBJECTS. 


501 


the  flower-vases,  the  wine-receptacles,  and  the  jars  with 
covers  for  storing  preserved  fruits  and  dried  tea-leaves, 
that  were  made  for  actual  use  in  earlier  times. 

An  ornamental  group  or  set  of  five  pieces  is  often  seen 
arranged  in  line  on  one  of  the  long  side-tables  of  the 
Chinese  reception-hall.  This  is  the  Wn  She^  or  “ Five 
Set,”  and  it  may  be  either  of  a single  color,  or  decorated 
in  one  or  several  enamel  colors,  or  painted  in  blue  and 
white.  It  consists  of  a vase  in  which  the  mouth 

is  less  in  diameter  than  the  body,  placed  in  the  middle,  a 
pair  of  jars  (Jcuan^  with  covers  on  each  side  of  the  cen- 
tral vase,  and  a pair  of  beaker-shaped  vases  with 

flaring  mouths  wider  than  the  bodies,  at  the  two  ends  of 
the  line.  This  arrangement  differs  from  that  of  the  gar- 
niture de  clieminee^  or  ‘‘  mantelpiece  set,”  of  European 
collections,  which  is  also  composed  of  five  pieces  of  simi- 
lar design  displayed  in  line,  but  the  central  vase  of  the 
Chinese  set  is  missing,  its  place  being  usurped  by  a third 
covered  jar ; two  other  jars  are  placed  at  the  ends  of 
the  line,  and  the  pair  of  beakers  between  the  jars. 
This  was  the  conventional  “ o^arniture  ” of  the  Dutch  in 
their  interiors  of  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries, 
in  which  the  Oriental  porcelain  lighted  up  the  old  oak 
furniture,  and  gathered  an  added  billliancy  contrasted 
with  its  dark  setting.  These  were  ideal  surroundings  for 
the  lustrous  blue  and  white  porcelain  of  the  K'^ang-hsi 
epoch,  and  it  could  hardly  be  exhibited  anywhere  under 
greater  advantages. 

One  of  these  garnitures  de  cheminee  has  been  photo- 
graphed for  Fig.  213.  It  is  decorated  in  bands  and 
panels  of  varied  form  painted  in  bright  enamel  colors 
with  gilding,  relieved  by  a monochrome  tzu-chin  ground 
of  coffee-brown  tint.  The  ground  is  inteiTuj)ted  by 
encircling  bands  and  lambrequins  of  floral  brocade,  by 
blossoms  of  peony,  aster,  peach,  and  plum,  and  by  scrolled 


502 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


and  foliated  panels  filled  with  pictures  of  landscape 
scenes  with  temples  and  pagodas.  The  covers  of  the 
jars,  enameled  with  the  same  brown  ground,  have  leaf- 
shaped reserves  painted  with  peony-flowers.  The  pecu- 
liar style  of  decoration  is  commonly  known  in  Europe  as 
Batavian,”  the  Dutch  having  imported  it  so  largely  in 
the  last  century,  during  the  time  that  they  were  the  chief 
merchant-carriers  from  the  far  East. 

The  magnificent  ovoid  vases,  five  feet  in  height,  with 
bell-shaped  covers  on  the  top,  which  made  their  first 
appearance  tow^ard  the  end  of  the  reign  of  K’’ang-]isij 
gorgeously  decorated  in  colors  of  the  famille  rose^  are 
called  by  the  Chinese  ti  p^ing^  or  “ ground  vases,”  their 
place  being  on  the  ground  at  the  sides  of  the  entrance  of 
the  hall,  mounted  upon  low  stands  of  carved  wood.  In 
Europe  they  are  seen  occasionally  on  the  grand  staircase 
of  a palace,  supporting  branched  chandeliers  of  ormolu. 

A peculiar  shape  of  the  reign  of  K'’ang-lisi  is  the  chien 
thmg^  or  ‘‘  arrow  cylinder.”  The  Manchu  Tartars  have 
always  been  famous  for  their  skill  in  archery,  and  even  in 
the  present  day  the  military  officer  depends  on  it  for  his 
promotion.  The  arrow  receptacles  are  either  tall  cylin- 
ders, or  of  square  tubular  form,  and  are  mounted  in 
socketed  pedestals  of  the  same  material  surrounded  by 
an  openwork  railing.  They  are  very  richly  decorated  in 
the  brilliant  enamel  colors  of  the  period,  combined  with 
relief  molding  and  chiseled  openwork,  as  exemplified  in 
the  characteristic  specimen  in  Fig.  313. 

The  small  vases  with  thin  necks  tapering  upward  to  a 
contracted  orifice,  like  the  pair  of  which  one  is  pre. 
sented  in  Fig.  309,  are  perfume  sprinklers  Qisiang  shui 
p'ing).  This  pair,  which  came  from  the  collection  of  a 
Persian  prince,  uncle  of  the  Shah,  had  been  mounted  in 
that  country  with  metal,  and  doubtless  used  there  for 
sprinkling  rose-watei*,  the  favorite  scent  of  the  Persians. 


THE  FOKMS  OF  POECELAIN  OBJECTS. 


503 


The  porcelain  is,  of  course,  Chinese,  and  it  is  decorated  in 
the  characteristic  style  of  the  K\mg-hsi  period  with  a 
powder-blue  ground,  interrupted  by  three  reserved  medal- 
lions of  quatrefoil,  pomegranate,  and  fan  shape,  which  are 
lightly  penciled  in  underglaze  blue  upon  a white  ground 
with  wild  flowers  growing  from  rocks. 

The  smallest  vases  of  all  are  the  snuff-bottles  {yen 
one  or  two  of  Avhich  are  generally  laid  upon  the  small 
table  that  stands  on  the  divan  of  a Chinese  reception- 
room,  with  little  ivory  spoons  attached  to  the  stoppers 
inside,  to  ladle  out  the  contents.  The  tobacco  plant  is 
indigenous  to  America,  and  there  is  no  reason  for  doubt- 
ing that  it  was  introduced  into  the  Far  East  by  Spanish 
or  Portuguese  ships  at  about  the  same  time  that  it 
reached  Europe.  In  fact,  the  Chinese  Emperor  Wan-li 
(1573-1619)  vied  with  his  contemporary,  James  I of 
England,  in  fulminating  edicts  which  he  issued  against 
the  new  weed,  that  was  then  just  coming  into  vogue  in 
China.  It  flourished,  notwithstanding,  and  in  the  pres- 
ent day  it  is  cultivated  throughout  the  empire  and 
smoked  alike  by  man,  woman,  and  child.  But  the  little 
bottles  seem  to  have  been  made  in  China  before  the 
introduction  of  snuff,  and  the  apparent  anachronism  is 
due  to  the  fact  that  they  were  originally  intended  to 
hold  valuable  aromatics  or  rare  drugs,  which  is  proved 
by  their  old  name  of  yao  p^ing,  or  medicine-bottles.” 
Glass  bottles  are  now  gradually  coming  into  use  for  the 
purpose,  but  old-fashioned  druggists  still  send  out  their 
pills  Id  the  little  porcelain  flasks.  The  itinerant  medi- 
cine-venders often  have  a supply  of  these  little  flasks 
made  to  order,  with  their  professional  name  inscribed  on 
one  side,  and  perhaps  a quaint  superscription  on  the 
other,  like  cliH  tai  or  pa  tai^  seven  generations”  or 
eight  generations,”  to  indicate  that  the  secret  formula 
has  Ijeen  a hereditary  possession  for  so  long  a period. 


504 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


Before  the  Portuguese  ships  appeared  in  the  Indian 
Ocean  and  interrupted  the  traffic,  Chinese  junks  visited 
the  coasts  of  Africa  and  Arabia,  and  seem  to  have  taken 
a quantity  of  these  medicine-bottles  of  coarse  fabric  and 
rough  manufacture  to  store  the  precious  aromatics  which 
formed  the  most  valuable  part  of  their  cargo.  Little 
bottles  of  the  kind  are  found  to-day  in  Cairo,  and  their 
fraudulent  introduction  into  ancient  tombs  by  the  Arab 
workmen  has  led  some  to  claim  for  them  a fabulous 
antiquity,  after  Rosellini,*  who  describes  one  as  having 
been  “ found  by  Iiim  in  an  Egyptian  tomb  which  had 
never  been  opened  before,  and  the  date  of  which  be- 
longed to  a Pharaoh  i*eigningnot  later  than  the  eighteenth 
century  before  Christ.”  Their  false  pretensions  have 
been  long  ago  exposed  by  Sir  Walter  Medhurst  and  Sir 
Harry  Parkes,  in  the  Transactions  of  the  China  Branch 
of  the  Royal  Asiatic  Society,  and  need  hardly  have  been 
alluded  to  here,  had  one  not  seen  a row  of  the  so-called 
snutf-bottles  exhibited  among  true  Egyptian  antiquities 
in  the  Abbott  Collection  in  New  York,  and  found  Dr. 
Prime  boldly  claiming,  in  his  book  on  the  Pottery  of  all 
Times  and  Nations  published  in  1879,  an  age  of  a thou- 
sand years  for  three  snuff-bottles  in  his  own  collection, 
obtained  by  him  from  Arabs  at  Thebes  and  Cairo. 

There  is  a peculiar  attraction  in  Chinese  snuff-bottles, 
and  I have  seen  three  envoys  of  great  European  powers 
at  Peking  vying  with  each  other  in  the  acquisition  of 
rare  specimens.  They  are  made  of  many  other  materials 
besides  porcelain,  such,  for  example,  as  cameo-glass,  jade, 
rock-crystal,  amethyst,  camel ian,  chalcedony,  heliotrope, 
sardonyx,  chrysoprase,  turquoise,  agate,  nielle  bronze, 
damascened  iron,  painted  and  cloisonne  enamels,  carved 
cinnabar  lac,  etc.  Several  pamphlets  have  been  written 
on  the  subject,  the  latest  of  which  is  the  beautifully 

* I Monumenti  delV  Egitto,  etc.,  vol.  ii,  p.  337.  Pisa,  1834. 


THE  FORMS  OF  PORCELAIN  OBJECTS. 


505 


illustrated  contribution,  under  the  title  of  Chinese  Snuff- 
Bottles  by  Mr.  M.  B.  Huish  to  the  Opuscula  of  the  Odd 
Volumes  Sette,  of  which,  unfortunately,  only  one  hun- 
dred and  forty-nine  copies  have  been  printed,  the  circu- 
lation being  limited  to  Odd-Volume  members. 

Of  the  porcelain  snulf-bottles  several  of  quaint  form 
and  cunnino;  device  have  been  selected  for  some  of  the 
head-pieces  for  these  pages,  and  Plate  XXXVII  is 
specially  devoted  to  their  illustration.  The  collection 
exhibits,  in  epitome,  many  of  the  different  processes  of 
decoration,  including  single  colors  plain  and  crackled, 
painting  in  blue,  red,  and  in  many  colors,  relief  modeling 
and  openwork  carving  in  those  provided  with  a pierced 
outer  casing.  The  different  forms  of  larger  vases  are 
reproduced  in  miniature,  single  or  bijugate  ; there  are 
flasks  upright  and  recumbent,  gourds  of  all  kinds,  trellis 
designs,  and  basket  wickerwork.  One  little  bottle  simu- 
lates a bursting  cob  of  maize,  another  the  fruit  of  the 
eggplant,  a third  is  fashioned,  as  it  were,  of  two  lotus- 
leaves  joined  together,  a fourth  of  a pair  of  butterflies. 
A quaint  form  is  that  of  a Chinese  damsel  whose 
inverted  body  is  the  receptacle  for  the  snuff,  while  one 
leg  is  hollowed  for  the  spoon,  which  is  cemented  to  the 
tiny  porcelain  foot  that  is  made  to  officiate  as  the 
stopper  of  the  strange  bottle. 

The  civil  mandarin  may  have  the  one  hundred  and 
eighth  bead  of  his  official  rosary,  or  the  clasp  of  his 
girdle,  made  of  porcelain ; the  military  mandarin,  the 
broad  ring  which  protects  his  thumb  against  the  bow- 
string, or  the  little  tube  which  is  attached  to  the  top  of 
his  hat  to  hold  tlie  streaming  peacock’s  feather.  Chinese 
ladies  are  said  to  possess  in  their  inner  apartments 
boxes,  large  and  small,  for  holding  powdei*,  rouge,  and 
other  cosmetics,  in  which  they  indulge  so  freely,  as  well 
as  bottles  for  liquid  scents ; they  occasionally  wear  in 


506 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


their  headdress  elaborate  hairpins  of  porcelain,  they 
adorn  themselves  with  earrings  and  bracelets,  fasten 
their  robes  with  porcelain  rings  and  buttons,  and  attach 
ornamental  pendants  to  their  girdles.  Some  of  these 
things  are  very  delicately  decorated.  There  is  a certain 
badge  worn  at  religious  ceremonies  which  often  finds  its 
way  into  collections ; it  has  inscribed  on  one  side  the 
Chinese  characters  chai  chieh^  fasting  and  abstinence,’^ 
inclosed  within  an  ornamental  frame,  and  on  the  other 
side  the  same  motto  in  the  Manchu  script ; it  may  be  of 
oblong  or  oval  form,  or  shaped  like  a double  gourd. 

The  pi*etty  little  vase-shaped  receptacle  in  Fig.  314, 
with  globular  body  and  wide-spreading  neck,  is  an 
imperial  hand-spittoon  (cha-tou).  It  is  decorated  in  two 
shades  of  coral-red  with  a pair  of  five-clawed  dragons 
pursuing  pearls  in  the  midst  of  clouds,  a band  of  conven- 
tional flowers,  and  rings  of  gadroon  and  spiral  fret.  It 
may  be  referred  confidently  to  the  CKien-lung  period, 
although  there  is  no  mark  underneath.  A pair  of  taller 
vessels  of  the  same  form  are  usually  seen  on  the  toilet- 
table  in  a Chinese  room,  perhaps  with  a toothbrush 
standing  up  in  one ; they  take  the  place  of  glass> 
tumblers  with  us. 

Our  Chinese  guide  proceeds  next  in  the  T’'ao  Sliuo  to 
give  a brief  enumeration  of  the  porcelain  services  and 
other  things  made  for  the  dining-room.  He  begins  with 
rice-spoons,  teaspoons,  and  the  chop-stick  service.  The 
latter  consists  of  a pair  of  chop-sticks  for  each  guest 
(which  he  uses  in  lieu  of  knife  and  fork)  and  a number 
of  little  saucer-shaped  dishes  of  varied  form,  some  empty, 
for  the  guests  to  lay  their  chop-sticks  on,  or  to  use  as  they 
help  themselves  from  the  bowls  that  are  being  constantly 
brought  in  courses  of  four  or  eight  plats ; others  dotted 
about  the  table  filled  with  melon-seeds,  peach -kern els, 
nuts,  and  sweetmeats.  The  di*ageoirs,”  or  comfit-dishes. 


THE  FORMS  OF  PORCELAIN  OBJECTS. 


507 


are  sometimes  modeled  in  the  form  of  a large  lotus- 
flower  or  plum-blossom  in  movable  compartments^  so 
that  they  can  be  taken  to  pieces  to  form  separate  little 
dishes  for  the  dining-table.  Comfit  dishes  of  this  floral 
or  geometrical  design,  dating  from  the  reign  of  K'^ang-Tisij 
are  often  very  richly  decorated,  being  enameled  stir 
biscuit  with  graceful  scrolls  of  the  same  flower,  displayed 
upon  a bright  green  or  buff -colored  ground. 

The  different  kinds  of  bowls,  teacups,  wine-cups, 
dishes  and  platters  have  been  already  referred  to,  and  it 
is  not  necessary  to  describe  all  the  various  forms  of 
teapots  and  wine-ewers.  The  tall  ewers  of  cylindrical 
shape  with  tiara-fronted  tops,  like  that  in  Fig.  168,  are 
used  by  the  Chinese  for  iced  fruit-sirups ; the  Mongols 
are  fond  of  the  same  design  for  their  houmis  or  milk- 
wine  ewers,  which  are  made  of  bronze  or  silver.  The 
ordinary  wine-cups  of  the  Chinese  ai*e  small,  sometimes 
not  larger  than  thimbles;  marriage  wine-cups  are  of 
more  elaborate  design ; sacrificial  libation-cups  are 
molded  in  the  form  of  bronze  ritual-vessels  with  hieratic 
designs.  For  the  dining-table  there  are  also  vinegar- 
cruets,  oil-lamps,  pricket  candlesticks,  and  square  recep- 
tacles for  the  snuff  from  the  candles  (la  tou),  made  of 
porcelain.  For  daily  use  there  are  wash-basins,  pots, 
and  pans,  and  jars  of  manifold  form  and  capacity,  which 
need  not  be  minutely  described. 

Some  of  the  dinner  services  used  for  sending  out 
dinners  from  restaurants  are  of  very  elaborate  character, 
the  covered  dishes  being  molded  in  the  form  of  ducks. 
Ashes,  and  the  like,  so  as  to  indicate  the  nature  of  their 
contents. 

White  services,  decorated  with  arabesques  and  other 
designs  incised  in  the  paste  under  the  glaze,  are  intended 
for  use  during  mourning.  Imperial  mourning-bowls  are 
etched  w'ith  five-clawed  dragons  under  the  white  glaze. 


CHAPTER  XVIIL 


PECULIAK  TECHNICAL  PEOCESSES. CEACKLE  POECELAIN. 

FUENACE  TEANSMUTATIONS.  SOUFFLES.  LAQUE  BUE- 

GAUTEE. PIEECED  AND  EICE-GEAIN  ” DESIGNS.  

WHITE  SLIP,  ETC. 

Before  proceeding  to  a consideration  of  the  colors 
and  the  motives  of  decoration  of  Chinese  porcelain,, 
a few  words  may  be  said  on  certain  characteristic  tech- 
nical processes  of  their  ceramic  art.  Some  of  the 
pecidiar  methods  referred  to  have  been  successfully  imh 
tated  in  Japan,  as  well  as,  more  recently,  in  Western 
countries,  but  they  were  all  first  invented  in  China,  the 
original  country  of  the  art. 

Crackle  porcelain  is  one  of  the  most  peculiar  produc- 
tions of  the  Oriental  potter,  and  has  not  been  success- 
fully imitated  elsewhere.  Several  of  the  most  ancient 
wares  are  distinguished  by  their  crackled  glazes.  There 
lies  on  the  table  before  me  at  the  present  moment  a coh 
lection  of  potsherd  fragments  of  bowls  and  dishes  dating 
from  the  Smig  and  Yuan  dynasties,  recently  dug  up 
within  the  precincts  of  the  city  of  Peking,  which  are  all 
crackled.  The  glaze  has  been  laid  on  so  thickly  in  some 
of  these  ancient  pieces  that  it  is  actually  thicker  than  the 
underlying  paste,  accounting  so  far  for  the  hackneyed 
native  simile  of  massed  lard.”  It  ranges  in  color 
through  all  shades  of  purple  to  the  pale  cerulean  tint 
known  as  yiieli  pai^  or  dair  de  lune^  and  has  its  lustrous 
depth  traversed  by  an  infinity  of  lines  so  as  to  look  like 
fissured  ice.  The  Chinese  collect  such  fragments  of  old 
vessels,  when  the  color  is  sufficiently  attractive,  to  mount 

508 


PECULIAR  TECHNICAL  PROCESSES. 


509 


them  in  girdle  clasps,  or  to  frame  them  in  gilded  metal 
for  use  on  the  study-table  as  rests  for  the  wrist  of  the 
writer,  etc.  An  old  legend  declares  that  the  azure-tinted 
porcelain  of  the  ancient  Imperial  House  of  Ch’ai,  which 
flourished  in  the  tenth  century,  was  so  brilliant  that  a 
fragment  placed  in  front  of  the  helmet  of  a warrior 
would  even  deflect  the  course  of  an  arrow. 

Til  ere  are  tw^o  varieties  of  the  old  celadon  porcelain 
made  at  Limg-ch’iian  during  the  Simg  dynasty  which 
differ  in  the  glaze,  one  being  uncracMed,  while  that  of 
the  other  w^as  crackled.  The  invention  of  this  last  was 
attributed,  as  we  have  seen  in  Chapter  V,  to  an  elder 
brother  of  a family  of  potters  named  Chang,  and  it  was 
from  this  fact  that  it  first  came  to  be  known  as  Ko  Yao, 
Ico  meaning  elder  brother.”  Another  common  name  for 
crackled  porcelain  is  sni  sui  meaning  broken,”  or 
shattered  in  pieces.”  This  name,  derived  from  the 
mosaiclike  aspect  of  the  glaze,  looking,  it  was  said,  as  if 
the  porcelain  were  made  of  a thousand  separate  pieces 
cemented  together,  also  dates  from  the  Sung  dynasty, 
when  it  was  applied  to  the  crackled  porcelain  produced 
at  Chi-chou,  in  the  province  of  Kiangsi.  This  is  de- 
scribed in  the  old  books  as  resembling  the  ancient 
yao^  both  in  color  and  in  being  reticulated  with  lines  like 
fissured  ice.  Descriptive  names  of  crackle  that  are  often 
met  with  are  ping-lieli^  “ fissured  ice,”  which  is  applied 
to  the  coarser  variety,  and  yil  tzu^  fish-roe,”  which  is 
applied  to  the  Variety  with  a closer  crackled  network 
that  is  called  by  French  ceramic  writers  truitee,  on 
account  of  its  fancied  resemblance  to  the  fine  scales  of 
the  ti’out. 

Crackling,  as  has  been  explained  in  Chapter  XV,  is 
due  to  a physical  cause.  It  may  happen  accidentally  in 
some  pieces  during  the  firing  of  a European  furnace, 
although  it  is  then  considered  to  be  a defect.  Its 


510 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


production  in  China  even  was  doubtless  originally  acci- 
dental ; but  it  had  to  be  produced  artificially  in  the  imita- 
tion of  the  old  glazes  which  exhibited  this  peculiarity, 
until  finally  the  Chinese  potter  was  enabled  to  produce 
it  at  will.  The  crackled  glaze  in  the  present  day,  accord- 
ing to  the  Ching-te-clien  T''ao  lu^  is  prepared  from  a 
natural  rock  found  at  San-pao-p’eng,  from  which  place  it 
is  brought  to  the  manufactory  in  the  form  of  prepared 
bricklets  called  sui  cliH  tun^  or  crackled-ware  bricklets.’’ 
These,  when  finely  levigated,  produce  the  ordinary 
crackled  glaze ; when  they  are  roughly  washed  the 
crackled  lines  appear  at  larger  and  wider  intervals.  In 
the  old  crackle  of  the  Sung  dynasty,  made  at  Chi-chou, 
the  porcelain,  which  was  heavy,  thick,  and  of  strong, 
coarse  texture,  was  coated  with  glazes  of  two  colors, 
either  rice-gray  or  light  blue.  The  mosaic-like  crackled 
lines  were  produced  by  the  addition  of  hua-sliih^  or  stea- 
tite, to  the  materials  of  the  glaze.  When  ink  or  vermil- 
ion was  rubbed  in,  and  the  superfiuity  rubbed  off  after 
the  piece  was  finished,  a charming  network  of  fissured 
lines  appeared  of  subdued  black  or  red  tint. 

There  was  another  variety  of  crackled  porcelain  pro- 
duced at  the  same  manufactory  in  which  a decoration  in 
blue  was  added  to  the  grayish-white  crackled  ground, 
being  painted  on  the  raw  body  before  the  application 
of  the  glaze.  Specimens  of  archaic-looking  crackle 
roughly  decorated  in  blue,  generally  with  dragons, 
are  found  in  the  present  day  in  Borneo  and  other 
islands  of  the  Eastern  Archipelago.  They  are  highly 
pi-ized  by  the  Dayaks  and  handed  down  in  families 
as  heirlooms.  Some  of  them  may  date  from  the  Su7ig 
or  Yuan  dynasties,  like  the  plain  crackled  ware  with 
which  they  are  associated.  The  little  tripod  censer  in 
Fig.  66,  although  it  may  not  perhaps  be  so  old,  is  a good 
illustration  of  the  style. 


PECULIAR  TECHNICAL  PROCESSES. 


511 


There  is  au other  kind  of  crackled  porcelain  of  more 
modern  date  than  the  last,  in  which  the  surface,  origi- 
nally white,  is  tinted  pink  or  crimson.  It  is  represented 
by  comparatively  small  pieces,  such  as  vases  a few  inches 
high,  teacups,  and  the  like,  and  the  surface  is  usually 
finely  crackled,  or  truitee.  The  color  is  produced  by 
yen-chill  hung^  or  rouge  d''oi\  combined  with  a Ilux,  and  is 
the  same  as  that  employed  for  the  celebrated  ruby- 
backed  dishes.  The  crackled  piece,  after  it  has  been 
fired,  is  placed  in  a little  cage  oi*  netting  made  of  iron 
wire  and  heated  strongly  in  a coal  tire ; it  is  then  re- 
moved, and  the  color,  suspended  in  watei*,  is  blown  on 
the  heated  surface  with  the  usual  bamboo  tube  covered 
with  gauze;  it  produces  immediately  the  effect  desired, 
and  requires  no  further  tiring. 

Crackled  porcelain  may  also  be  decorated  in  enamel 
colors,  which  are  tixed  in  the  ordinary  way  by  a second 
firing  in  the  muffle  stove,  and  some  very  beautiful  bowls 
of  the  K"'ang-hsi  period  illustrate  this  combination.  The 
style  and  technique  of  the  colors  fix  the  date,  if  the  bowl 
be  not  marked,  with  a certainty  that  could  hardly  be 
attained  by  an  examination  of  the  crackled  glaze  alone. 
A striking  example  in  the  present  collection  is  the 
statuette  of  Kuan  Yin,  the  Goddess  of  Mercy,  which  is 
reproduced  in  colors  in  Plate  LX. 

With  regard  to  the  crackled  glaze  in  single  colors, 
Avhich  include  some  of  the  most  attractive  of  Chinese 
monochromes,  they  are  well  represented  in  the  colored 
plates.  The  Chinese  potter  claims  to  be  able  to  crackle 
any  one  of  the  monochrome  glazes  by  introducing  some 
of  the  sui-cli'i  tun^  or  crackle  petuntse,”  into  the  ingre- 
dients. Some  of  the  single  colors,  however,  such  as  the 
coral-red  produced  by  iron,  and  the  rouges  d^or  of  pink 
and  ruby  shades,  are  never  in  actual  practice  so  treated. 
These  colors  are  so  delicate  as  to  require  no  extrinsic 


512 


OEIENTAL  CEEAMIC  AET. 


adornment  to  add  to  their  charm.  Some  others  of  the 
monochromes,  on  the  contrary,  are  always  crackled,  such 
as  the  turquoise-blue  derived  from  copper,  and  the  auber- 
gine purple  of  cobaltiferous  manganese,  both  couleurs  du 
demi-grand  feiL  Turquoise  crackle  in  its  varied  shades  is 
fully  illustrated  in  Plates  XCIII,  LXXXIV,  XLV,  and 
LXXV  ; and  a magnificent  vase  of  finely  crackled  purple 
blue  of  deepest  and  richest  tone  is  presented  in  Plate 
XXIX. 

Several  of  the  early  ceramic  productions  of  the  Sung 
and  Yuan  dynasties  are  distinguished  by  their  crackled 
glazes,  like  the  two  pieces  illustrated  in  Plate  XII.  It 
was  during  his  repeated  attempts  at  the  reproduction 
of  such  ancient  pieces  that  the  modern  Chinese  potter 
acquired  his  skill  in  the  management  of  crackle.  The 
modern  representation  of  the  old  claw-dedune  crackled 
glaze  of  Ju-chou  is  the  vase  illustrated  in  Plate  LXXVII, 
with  its  glaze  of  the  color  technically  known  ju  yu — 
i.  e.,  ‘‘  Juchou  glaze  ” — varying  from  pale  blue  to  gray^ 
traversed  by  a reticulation  of  reddish  lines;  the  repre- 
sentative of  the  purple-colored  imperial  ware  (huan  yad) 
of  the  southern  Sung  dynasty  is  the  crackled  lavender 
vase  in  Plate  XLIII,  with  its  brown-tinted  mouth  and 
its  foot  artificially  coated  to  simulate  the  brown  paste  of 
the  original  model.  In  a similar  fashion  the  crackled 
white  Fen  Ting  vases  exhibited  in  Plates  LXXXIX 
and  XCI,  both  of  which  date  from  early  in  the  present 
dynasty,  are  the  representatives  of  the  ancient  ivory- 
white  crackled  porcelain  made  at  Ting-chou  in  the 
Sung  dynasty,  from  which  they  take  their  name ; and 
the  crackled  grayish-green  vase  in  Plate  LXXXVI 
is  a representative  of  an  ancient  celadon. 

The  most  brilliant  of  all  the  crackles  is  the  celebrated 
Lang-yao  of  the  reign  of  IFang-lisi,  already  described 
in  Chapter  X,  the  original  sang-de-hoevf  of  ceramic 


PECULIAR  TECHNICAL  PROCESSES. 


513 


connoisseurs,  which  ranks  deservedly  among  the  highest 
achievements  of  the  Oriental  potter.  Its  gorgeous 
mottled  dress  of  mingled  tones  of  crimson  and  ruby 
shade  can  be  seen  in  the  four  vases,  selected  from  the 
series  in  the  collection,  to  be  illustrated  in  Plates  LIX, 
LVII,  I,  and  LVI.  The  largest  and  most  characteristic 
example,  perhaps,  is  the  vase  in  Plate  LIX,  which  shows 
the  crackled  texture  of  the  glaze,  the  stippled  ground, 
and  the  vertically  streaked  play  of  rich  colors,  passing 
from  the  deepest  crimson  through  all  intermediate  shades 
to  pale  apple-green  toward  the  lim.  The  tall,  graceful 
vase  in  Plate  LVI  and  the  beaker  in  Plate  I both  ex- 
hibit rich,  full  tones  of  red,  deepening  in  the  latter 
case  almost  to  black  upon  the  shoulder  of  the  vase. 
But  a more  perfect  example  than  the  bottle-shaped 
vase  in  Plate  LVII,  in  its  rich  coloring  and  finished 
technique,  could  hardly  be  imagined,  and  it  displays 
near  the  base  the  typical  patch  of  apple-green  which 
is  so  often  associated  with  the  ox-blood  red.  An  occa- 
sional vase  of  the  Lang  yao  type  is  seen,  in  which  the 
crackled  glaze  is  entirely  apple-green  {^pHng-huo  cliHng\ 
with  perhaps  a patch  of  red  near  the  lower  rim. 

The  green  monochromes  of  Chinese  porcelain  are 
generally  produced  by  copper,  the  exceptions  -being 
the  celadon  proper,  or  tung-cKing^  the  sea-green  tint 
of  which  is  due  to  ferruginous  clay,  and  the  modern 
representatives  of  the  old  Lung-ch’iian  celadons,  which 
are  brought  to  a more  pronounced  grass-green  or  olive- 
green  hue  by  the  addition  of  a small  dose  of  cobalt 
to  the  ingredients  of  the  former  glaze  ; any  of  these 
celadon  glazes  may  be  purposely  crackled.  A brilliant 
green  derived  from  copper  is  the  leading  note  in  the 
decoration  with  colored  enamels  of  the  K^ang-lisi  period, 
and  the  same  color  appears  naturally  in  the  foreground 
among  the  monochromes  of  the  time.  It  is  distinguished 


514 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


by  its  marked  iridescence,  a quality  which  is  displayed 
in  a high  degree  by  the  vase  illustrated  in  Plate  LXXIX. 
The  vases  in  Plates  LXXXI  and  LXXVIII  are  invested 
with  crackled  green  enamels  of  two  of  the  shades  com- 
prised by  the  Chinese  under  the  name  of  hua^pH  1%  or 
cucumber-green,”  which  is  fairly  distinctive,  although 
other  names  are  used  in  European  books,  such  as 
^^camellia-leaf  green,”  or  ^‘apple-green.”  The  last  term 
ought,  I think,  to  be  confined  to  the  pale  green  so 
often  found  upon  porcelain,  associated  with  the  “ apple- 
red,”  which  is  also  due  to  copper;- the  same  dual  com- 
bination that  occurs  curiously  on  the  rind  of  a ripe 
apple.  The  fourth  vase  of  green  crackle,  illustrated 
in  Plate  XXVII,  is  a typical  example  of  the  “fish-roe 
green  ” (^yu-tzu-cJiHng^  of  the  Chinese,  which,  like  its 
congener,  the  truitee  yellow  or  mustard  crackle,  was 
a favorite  glaze  of  the  CKien-lung  period.  A fine 
specimen  of  this  yii-tzu  huang^  or  “fish-roe  yellow,”  of 
the  Chinese,  is  displayed  in  Plate  LXXXVII. 

' The  discussion  of  transmutation  colors  succeeds  that 
of  the  ordinary  crackled  porcelain  by  natural  transition, 
because  they  attain  their  most  brilliant  effect  in  com- 
bination with  a crackled  glaze.  The  name  of  “furnace 
transmutation  ” is  a literal  rendering  of  the  Chinese 
term  yao  pien^  which  is  applied  especially  to  the  flambee 
porcelain  of  variegated  coloring,  due  to  different  degrees 
of  oxidation  of  the  copper  silicates  to  which  it  owes 
its  brilliant  hues,  passing  from  the  warmest  crimson 
through  all  intermediate  shades  to  turquoise-blue.  It 
is  difficult  to  depict  in  words  the  gorgeous  effect  of 
the  varied  play  of  colors  in  this  decoration,  which  is 
justly  considered  to  be  one  of  the.  most  marvelous 
products  of  the  Client.  The  cause  of  this  transmuta- 
tion is  well  known.  Copper  in  its  first  degree  of  oxida- 
tion gives  to  the  vitrified  glaze  the  bright  ruby-red  tint 


PECULIAR  TECHNICAL  PROCESSES. 


515 


known  to  the  Chinese  as  chi  hung^  or  sacrificial  red  ” ; 
with  more  oxygen  it  produces  a brilliant  green,  and  at 
its  highest  degree  of  oxidation  a turquoise-blue.  Any 
of  these  effects  may  be  produced  in  the  chemical  labora- 
tory. In  the  furnace  the  various  modifications  are  pro- 
duced suddenly  by  the  manipulation  of  the  fire.  In 
a clear  fire  with  a strong  draft  all  the  oxygen  is  not 
consumed,  and  is  free  to  combi ue  with  the  metal  in 
fusion.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  fire  be  loaded  with 
thick  smoke,  the  carbonaceous  mass  will  greedily  absorb 
all  the  free  oxygen,  and  the  metal  will  attain  its  mini- 
mum degree  of  oxidation.  So,  when  placed  in  a given 
moment  in  these  various  conditions  by  the  rapid  and 
simultaneous  introduction  of  currents  of  air  and  sooty 
vapors,  the  glaze  assumes  a most  picturesque  appearance ; 
the  surface  of  the  piece  becomes  diapered  with  veined 
and  streaked  colorations,  changing  and  capricious  as 
the  flames  of  spirits ; the  red  oxide  passes  through 
violet  and  green  to  the  pale  blue  peroxide,  and  is  even 
dissipated  completely  upon  certain  pi*ojections,  which 
become  white,  and  thus  furnish  another  happy  fortuitous 
combination. 

The  transmutation  glazes  are  of  ancient  date  in  China, 
some  of  the  Chiin-chou  porcelains  of  the  Sung  dynasty 
being  of  this  class.  The  name  of  Lo  hem  ma  fei — i.  e., 
^‘mule’s  liver  and  horse’s  lung” — was,  in  fact,  invented 
as  descriptive  of  the  mingled  colors  of  one  of  the 
varieties  of  Chiin-chou  vases  which  was  sent  down  fi*om 
the  palace  in  the  reign  of  Ymig-climg  to  be  copied  at 
Ching-te-clien.  The  name  ^vas  well  chosen,  suggesting, 
as  it  does,  what  has  been  described  by  an  expert  as 
the  mixture  of  red,  blue,  violet,  and  yellowish  green, 
flowing  over  the  porcelain  like  a kind  of  lava  of  blood, 
lungs,  and  liver,  chopped  up  and  melted  into  enamels. 

* La  Porcelaine,  par  Georges  Vogt,  p.  23. 


516 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


The  idea  of  liver-colored  would  suggest  brown  as  well, 
and  we  often,  indeed,  found  this  color  present  in  the 
old  flambe  glazes,  due  doubtless  to  the  presence  of  iron.- 
The  occurrence  of  yellow  and  brown  spots  on  certain 
-flambes  is  always  a sure  indication  of  the  existence  of 
iron. 

Pere  d’Entrecolles,  in  his  second  letter  dated  in  1722, 
the  last  year  of  the  long  reign  of  the  Emperor  IC^ang-Tisi, 
wiites  : There  has  just  been  brought  to  me  one  of 

those  pieces  of  porcelain  that  are  called  yao-pien^  or 
^transmutation.’  This  transmutation  occurs  in  the  fur- 
nace, and  is  caused  either  by  some  defect  or  excess  in 
the  firing,  or  perhaps  by  some  other  causes  which  are 
not  easy  to  conjecture.  This  piece,  which  was  a failure, 
according  to  the  workman,  aud  which  was  the  effect  of 
pure  chance,  was  none  the  less  beautiful  nor  the  less 
highly  prized.  The  workman  had  designed  to  make 
vases  of  red  souffle.  A hundred  pieces  had  been  entirely 
lost ; the  one  alone  of  which  I am  speaking  had  come 
out  of  the  furnace  resembling  a kind  of  agate.  If  one 
were  willing  to  run  the  risk  and  the  expense  of  repeated 
trials,  one  might  discover,  as  the  result,  the  art  of  mak- 
ing with  certainty  what  chance  had  produced  a single 
time.”  The  words  of  the  worthy  Father  are  prophetic, 
for  it  was  early  in  tlie  succeeding  reign  of  Yung-cheng 
that  the  art  was  verily  discovered  and  rapidly  brought 
to  perfection  ; the  best  pieces  of  this  class  are  rarely 
marked,  but  the  rare  marks  are  seals  of  Yung-cTieng*2indi 
Chbien-lung^  which  are  sometimes  impressed  in  the  paste 
underneath. 

The  process  described  above  may  be  characterized  as 
the  academic  transmutation  method.  In  actual  practice 
the  result  is  often  aimed  at  in  a more  artificial  way.  The 
piece,  coated  with  a grayish  crackle  glaze,  or  with  a 
ferruginous  enamel  of  yellowish-brown  tone,  has  the 


PECULIAR  TECHNICAL  PROCESSES. 


517 


traiismiitatioii  glaze  applied  at  the  same  time  as  a kind 
of  overcoat.  It  is  put  on  with  the  brush  in  various  ways, 
in  thick  dashes  not  completely  covering  the  surface  of 
the  piece,  or  flecked  on  from  the  point  of  the  brush  in  a 
rain  of  drops,  etc.  The  piece  is  finally  fired  in  a reducing 
atmosphere,  and  the  air,  let  in  at  the  critical  moment 
when  the  materials  are  fully  fused,  imparts  atoms  of 
oxygen  to  the  copper,  and  speckles  the  red  base  with 
points  of  green  and  turquoise-blue,  so  that  the  glaze 
becomes  vitrified  into  the  characteristic  variegated  hues 
as  it  gradually  cools.  An  inspection  of  the  pieces  will 
indicate  the  various  methods  of  application.  The  hexag- 
onal vase,  for  example,  illustrated  in  Plate  LXXXVIII, 
has  a crackled  glaze  of  olive-brown  tint  overlaid  with 
thick  splashes  of  flambe  glaze,  which  have  run  down 
in  the  kiln  in  massive  drops,  so  as  to  stand  out  on 
the  surface  of  the  vase  in  marked  relief.  The  recep- 
tacle for  divining  rods  in  Plate  XXIII,  which  is  a more 
modern  piece,  with  a thinner  glaze,  also  indicates,  from 
the  association  of  olive-brown  with  the  mottled  grays 
and  purples  which  bedizen  its  sides,  the  presence  of  iron 
as  well  as  of  copper. 

A curious  combination  of  the  transmutation  glaze 
with  blue  and  white  decoration  is  presented  in  the  vase, 
attributed  to  the  early  CKien-lung  period,  that  is  shown 
in  Fig.  312.  It  is  painted  in  underglaze  blue  with  a 
landscape  scene,  hills  with  temples  and  pavilions,  and  a 
lake  with  boats  upon  it,  and  with  bands  of  rectangular 
fret  round  the  rims.  This  is  overspread  with  splashes 
of  flambe  glaze,  so  as  nearly  to  conceal  the  picture  under 
variegated  clouds  of  purple,  crimson,  and  olive-brown 
tints,  which  become  ci’ackled  where  the  glaze  is  thin. 
The  interior  of  the  vase  is  coated  with  the  same  crackled 
and  variegated  o^laze. 

O O 

The  next  special  technical  process  to  be  noticed  is  that 


518 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


of  the  application  of  souses.  The  bamboo  tube  with 
gauze  tied  over  one  end  that  is  used  by  the  potter  has 
already  been  described.  With  that  the  Chinese  blow 
on  the  ordinary  white  glaze  in  repeated  layers,  as  well  as 
many  of  the  single  colors,  such  as  the  cobalt-blue,  the 
high-fired  reds  derived  from  copper,  the  coral-red  produced 
by  iron,  the  pinks  and  carmines  of  gold,  and  the  pure 
metals,  gold  and  silver  combined  with  a lead  flux.  The 
colors  applied  in  this  way  can  generally  be  recognized 
by  the  stippled  aspect  of  the  glaze,  which  is  well  marked 
in  the  sang-de-lmuf  glaze  of  the  Lang  Yao,  and  in  the 
ruby-red  monochrome  of  the  succeeding  reign  of  Yung- 
cheng^  which  is  one  of  the  most  characteristic  glazes  of 
the  class  of  porcelain  known  as  Nien  Yao.  What  we 
have  especially  to  notice  now  are  the  compound  glazes 
in  which  a second  color  is  blown  upon  a monochrome 
previously  prepared.  Such  is  the  Robin’s  Egg,”  or 
Chun  Yu^  which  was  alluded  to  in  Chapter  XIII  as  a 
soiijjie  glaze  with  a greenish-blue  flecking  and  dappling 
on  a reddish  ground,  the  red  being  subordinate  to  the 
blue.  The  second  color  in  these  compound  glazes  is 
either  blown  on  so  as  to  cover  the  entire  surface  of  the 
first  with  a delicate  stippling,  combining  with  and 
modifying  the  original  tint,  such  as  red  upon  a green  or 
yellow  ground,  or  green  upon  yellow ; or  it  is  projected 
in  layer  drops,  which  dapple  the  surface  or  run  down 
over  the  piece  in  regular  veins,  leaving  traces  like  tears. 

One  of  the  best-known  glazes  of  this  class  is  the  OKa- 
yell-mo^  or  Tea-dust  ” glaze,  produced  by  the  insufflation 
of  green  enamel  upon  a yellowish-brown  ground,  which 
owes  its  color  to  iron.  The  combination  produces  a 
peculiarly  soft  tint  of  greenish  tone,  which  was  highly 
prized  in  the  reign  of  ClCien-lnng^  when  it  was  invented^ 
so  that  a sumptuary  law^  was  made,  according  to  M. 
Billequin,  restricting  the  use  of  this  color  to  the  emperor, 


PECULIAE  TECHNICAL  PROCESSES. 


519 


to  evade  which  collectors  used  to  paint  their  specimens 
with  imaginary  cracks,  and  even  to  put  in  actual  rivets, 
to  make  them  appear  to  be  broken. 

Another  souffle  combination  of  the  same  time  produced 
the  THeh'lisiu-hua^  or  Iron-Rust  Decoration,”  which 
has  been  described  in  Chapter  XIV,  and  is  well  illustrated 
in  colors  in  Plate  XIX.  The  Ku-f  img4s’ai^  or  Ancient 
Bronze  Coloring,”  which  is  one  of  the  chief  triumphs  of 
the  same  reign  of  CliHen-lung^  offers  some  analogies  to 
the  iron-rust  decoration.  There  is  a specimen  in  the 
Musee  du  Louvre  (Xo.  248)  which,  according  to  M. 
Jacquemart,  when  placed  among  bronze  objects  can  not 
be  distinguished  from  them ; it  is  necessary  to  examine  it 
closely  and  to  touch  it  to  recognize  the  work  of  the 
potter.  The  ground  of  the  piece  is  bronze-colored,  some 
of  the  salient  parts  being  gold-tinted ; while  the  decora- 
tions impressed  upon . the  sides,  in  the  style  of  metal 
casting,  have  received  in  the  hollow  parts  a greenish- 
blue  enamel,  which  simulates  perfectly  the  natural  oxida- 
tion of  an  ancient  copper  object.  A smaller  specimen 
of  similar  character  is  shown  in  Fig.  274. 

Some  of  the  many  imitations  of  natural  materials  on 
which  the  Chinese  pride  themselves  were  referred  to  in 
the  same  chapter.  There  are  cups  simulating  walnut- 
wood,  with  the  grain  so  perfectly  rendered  in  painted 
enamels  that  it  is  difficult  to  believe,  without  handling 
them,  that  it  is  not  the  actual  veining  of  wood.  The 
vase  in  Fig.  316  is  enameled  inside  and  outside  in  colors 
of  the  ICangdisi  period,  laid  on  suv  hiscuit^  to  look  like 
tortoise-shell. 

The  carved  cinnabar  lac,  of  which  a specimen  was 
illustrated  in  Plate  XXXVII,  4,  is  sometimes  laid  and 
worked  upon  a porcelain  base,  such  as  a vase  or  cup.  It 
is  also  perfectly  imitated  in  porcelain,  with  the  designs 
modeled  in  the  paste  in  similar  relief  and  enameled 


620 


OEIENTAL  CEKAMIC  AET. 


vermilion.  There  is  another  peculiar  combination  of  the 
incrusted  lacquerwork  with  porcelain,  which  has  been 
named  po7^celaine  laquee  hwrgautee  after  hurgau^  the 
French  name  of  the  shell  of  the  turbo.  This  was  first 
noticed  and  described  by  Jacquemart,  but  he  erroneously 
attributes  it  to  Japan,  although  the  style  of  art  and  the 
nature  of  the  porcelain  both  prove  it  to  be  Chinese. 
The  Chinese  call  it  Lo4ien-Tz^u — i.  e.,  “ Porcelain  inlaid 
with  shell  work  ” — and  the  technique  is  the  same  as  that 
of  the  incrusted  cabinet  work  of  Canton,  only  worked 
upon  porcelain  instead  of  wood.  The  porcelain  is  com- 
paratively thick,  with  solid  rims,  and  the  ground  of  the 
piece  is  usually  left  unglazed,  so  that  the  lacquer  may 
adhere  more  firmly  to  the  surface.  The  finest  vases  date 
from  the  reign  of  K’'ang-h%%  and  it  seems  to  have  been 
first  worked  on  porcelain  at  this  time,  in  spite  of  -the 
fact  that  the  mark  of  CKmg-Tma  of  the  Ming  dynasty 
is  occasionally  found  inscribed  underneath. 

The  decoration  of  the  laque  burgautee  class  is  gener- 
ally of  a landscape  character,  executed  in  a mosaic 
mother-of-pearl,  varied  sometimes  by  thin  plaques  of 
beaten  gold  and  silver,  displayed  upon  a velvety  back- 
ground of  ink-black  lac.  The  pieces  of  shell,  extremely 
thin,  are  tinted  artificially,  shaped  with  the  knife,  and 
combined  cleverly  by  the  artist  to  form  the  details  of 
the  picture.  The  patience  of  the  workman  is  almost 
incredible,  shaping  one  by  one  the  leaves  of  a willow- 
tree,  or  of 'a  clump  of  bamboos,  the  feathers  of  a bird, 
the  glittering  morsels  designed  to  represent  the  pebbly 
bank  of  a river,  or  the  faults  of  a rock,  and  carving 
silhouettes  for  clouds  and  weaves,  fine  and  supple  as 
the  strokes  of  a pencil.  There  is  a large  bowl  in  the 
Sevres  Museum,  covered  with  a lake  scene,  with  lotus- 
flowers,  reeds,  and  water-fowl,  which  is  a chef -d'’ oeuvre 
of  naturalistic  art.  I have  seen  a large  vase  of  the 


PECULIAR  TECHNICAL  PROCESSES. 


521 


kind  nearly  three  feet  high,  of  the  K^ang-lisi  period, 
with  the  neck  and  swelling  body  filled  in  with  black 
lac,  exhibiting  in  delicately  tinted  mosaic  the  varied 
scenes  of  Chinese  lily  life,  in  their  minutest  details, 
each  scene  being  labeled  in  tiny  characters ; the  gilded 
disk  of  the  sun  was  shining  over  all  in  its  pristine 
brightness;  but  the  silver  walls  of  the  houses  had 
become  quite  black  from  age.  The  little  cylindrical 
beaker  illustrated  in  Fig.  315  is  a less  important 
example. 

The  next  peculiar  technical  processes  in  the  short  list 
that  forms  the  heading  of  this  chapter  are  those  of  orna- 
mental pierced  work  of  the  ordinary  kind,  and  pierced 
work  filled  in  with  glaze,  so  as  to  form  the  transparencies 
which  are  known  from  their  usual  shape  as  rice-grain  ” 
designs.  These  methods  have  been  already  described. 
They  are  now  w^ell  known,  and  are  practiced  all  over  the 
world,  at  Sevres  and  Worcester,  as  well  as  in  Japan. 
Fig.  318  is  a Japanese  vase  of  this  description  that  was 
exhibited  at  the  Chicago  Exposition.  They  may  be  used 
in  combination  with  all  kinds  of  decoration,  but  are  most 
charming  and  effective  in  pure  white  porcelain,  such  as 
the  little  white  cups  of  design  similar  to  the  one  illus- 
trated in  Fig.  138,  which  are  lined  with  beaten  gold  of 
silver  when  used,  and  the  white  bowls  with  lacework 
transparencies  of  the  CliHen-lung  period,  which  are  the 
lightest  and  most  delicate  of  all  the  triumphs  of  the 
ceramic  art.  A w^hite  cup  of  the  kind  just  referred  to  is 
presented  in  Fig.  319.  The  sides  are  carved  with  a 
trelliswork  of  svastika  pattern,  in  the  intervals  between 
five  circular  solid  medallions,  from  which  stand  out  in 
salient  relief  figures  of  the  longevity  god,  alone  in  his 
glor}",  and  of  the  eight  Taoist  genii,  associated  in  pairs. 
The  figures,  modeled  in  biscuit,”  project  from  the  glazed 
ground  of  velvety  aspect.  Their  background  of  clouds. 


522 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


and  the  light  scrolls  which  wind  round  the  borders  of  the 
cup,  are  worked  in  white  slip,  contrasting  in  its  cloudy 
opacity  with  the  underlying  glaze.  The  delicate  little 
cup  in  Fig.  322  is  carved  in  openwork  with  a broad  trel- 
lis band  composed  of  five  medallions  of  pierced  floral 
pattern,  connected  by  a ground  of  interlacing  circles, 
reminding  one  of  the  open  tilework  of  Chinese  architec- 
ture. A narrow  pierced  band  encircles  the  upper  rim. 

The  little  flower  cylinder  in  Fig.  333  shows  the  com- 
bination of  pierced  work  with  painted  decoration.  It  is 
a receptacle  for  scented  blossoms  like  the  fragrant 
jasmine,  the  mo-li-liua  of  the  Chinese,  which  is  closed  at 
the  top,  but  has  a hole  in  the  bottom  for  the  introduction 
of  the  flowers,  shaped  for  a screw  cover.  The  top  and 
sides  are  painted  in  delicate  enamel  colors  of  the  ChHen- 
lung  period,  upon  a ground  molded  in  relief,  and  pierced 
in  the  intervals  of  the  decoration,  so  that  the  scent  of  the 
flowers  may  penetrate.  The  figures,  which  are  grouped 
under  a tall  pine,  represent  the  Taoist  Triad  of  star  gods. 
Lu  Hsing  stands  in  the  middle,  holding  ^ju-i  scepter ; 
Shou  Hsing,  upon  his  right,  is  leaning  upon  a long,  gnarled 
staff,  with  a scroll  tied  to  the  top,  a peach  in  his  hand,  his 
robes  brocaded  with  longevity  characters;  Fu  Hsing,  upon 
his  left,  holding  a baby  boy  in  his  arms,  while  two  sprites 
dance  in  the  foreground,  clapping  their  hands.  On  the 
cover  is  a representation  of  a Taoist  figure  speeding  across 
the  clouds,  with  a branch  of  sacred  peach  on  his  slioulder. 

The  rice-grain  decoration,  in  which  the  pierced  orna- 
mentation is  filled  in  with  glaze,  seems  to  be  of  compara- 
tively modern  introduction  in  China.  No  marks  anterior 
to  the  reign  of  CKien-lung  have  been  noticed,  and  the 
majority  of  the  marked  pieces  bear  the  date  of  his  suc- 
cessor, Chia-chHng  (1796-1820).  The  white  bowls  and 
saucer-shaped  dishes  of  the  soft,  fritty  material  made  in 
Persia,  which  were  known  as  Grombroon  ware,  have  rude 


PECULIAR  TECHNICAL  PROCESSES. 


523 


decorations  of  the  same  nature,  but,  as  Sir  A.  W.  Franks 
observes,  there  is  no  evidence  to  show  in  which  country 
this  mode  of  ornamentation  originated.”  In  addition  to 
the  ordinary  rice-grain  work,  which  is  usually  associated 
with  conventional  designs,  painted  in  blue  of  grayish 
tone,  this  process  supplies  a means  of  varying  the  usual 
colored  designs  by  making  the  dragons,  storks,  or  other 
details  transparent,  or  by  picking  out  some  of  the  leaves 
in  the  foliage  or  the  petals  of  a hower.  The  mug  of 
European  form  in  Fig  321  displays  the  tyj^ical  mode,  the 
sides  being  pierced  with  a broad  band  of  rice-grain  trans- 
parencies arranged  in  a formal  star  pattern.  The  handle, 
composed  of  two  interlacing  bands,  is  studded  at  their  four 
points  of  junction  with  flowers  worked  in  relief,  which  are 
tinted  in  underglaze  cobalt-blue,  touched  with  gold,  and 
the  bands  of  conventional  design,  which  are  painted  in  the 
same  grayish  blue  round  the  borders,  are  also  picked  out 
with  gilding.  The  upper  rim  is  stained  brown ; the 
bottom  is  unglazed,  and  there  is  no  mark  attached. 

The  class  of  porcelain  with  white  slip  decoration 
includes  those  specimens  in  which  the  white  decoration 
appears  to  have  been  applied  in  a semi-liquid  state,  tech- 
nically called  ^^slip,”  or  engobe^  on  a colored  ground. 
Designs  are  also  modeled  in  relief  in  the  same  slip  in  the 
paste  of  porcelain  before  it  is  glazed,  and  have  been 
referred  to  in  the  description  of  celadons  and  flambes^  as 
well  as  in  that  of  decorated  vases,  but  these  would  be 
excluded.  The  white  slip  decoration  is  used  in  China  in 
combination  with  one  of  the  dark-brown  coffee-colored 
monochromes  of  the  tzu<hin  glazes,  or  with  the  dark  and 
pale  blue  and  the  lavender-tinted  glazes  derived  from 
cobaltiferous  manganese.  Some  of  the  soft,  siliceous 
wares  of  Persia  are  ornamented  on  a blue  ground  with 
white  designs  of  this  kind  applied  in  relief,  and  they  have 
been  imitated  in  the  Italian  potteries,  at  Nevers,  Koiien, 


524 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


and  elsewhere.  For  this  reason  Jacquemart  has  attrib- 
uted the  vases  of  hard  porcelain  with  white  slip  decora- 
tion on  a brown  ground  to  Persia,  and  he  figures  one, 
which  is  undoubtedly  Chinese,  in  Plate  XIX,  No.  1,  of 
his  book,  as  a production  of  Shiraz.  There  is  no  reason, 
however,  to  suppose  that  hard  porcelain  was  ever  made 
in  Persia,  although  it  appears  from  their  style  and 
designs  that  some  of  the  specimens  were  made  in  China 
for  the  Indian  or  Persian  market.  The  gourd-shaped 
vase  shown  in  Fig.  323,  which  has  a copper  rim  and  cork- 
like stopper  engraved  wdth  figures  and  birds  of  Persian 
workmanship,  is  a fair  illustration  of  the  style,  dating 
from  the  K’’ang-lisi  period.  It  is  enameled  with  an  iri- 
descent tzu-cliin  ground  of  dark-brown  color.  The  white 
decoration  over  the  glaze,  roughly  modeled  in  low  relief 
and  lightly  touched  with  the  graving  tool,  consists  of 
four  sprays  of  conventional  flowers,  two  on  each  half  of 
the  gourd.  The  three  circles  from  which  the  lower 
sprays  seem  to  sprout  would  be  rocks  in  more  finished 
work ; in  Jacquemart’s  vase,  which  is  almost  as  roughly 
decorated  as  this  one,  there  is  a somewhat  similar  design, 
which  is  taken  for  an  articulated  cactus-stem ; in  addition 
to  the  floral  decoration  there  is  an  ornamental  border 
round  the  bulbous  enlargement  of  the  neck  of  this  vase 
of  scroll  design  with  beaded  pendants,  which  is  often  met 
with  upon  Chinese  vases  of  this  type. 

The  other  illustration  exhibits,  in  Fig.  324,  a small  vase 
of  baluster  form,  also  attributed  to  the  K'^ang-lisi  period, 
invested  with  a pale-blue  glaze  of  the  tint  called  by  the 
Chinese  fien-dCing^  or  sky-blue,”  sparsely  crackled  with 
a few  brown  lines.  It  is  decorated  in  slight  relief  with  a 
spray  of  blossoming  pi*unus  carefully  modeled  in  white 
slip  and  finished  with  the  graving  tool.  The  foot,  coated 
with  the  same  pale-blue  glaze  underneath,  has  the  promi- 
nent rim  artificially  colored  iron-gray. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


CHINESE  CEEAMIC  COLOES. 

The  principal  colors  used  by  tbe  Chinese  in  the 
decoration  of  their  porcelain  and  the  chemical 
composition  of  some  of  them  have  been  already  alluded 
to.  A list  of  the  colored  glazes  employed  during  the 
Ming  dynasty  was  included  in  Chapter  VIII,  together 
with  a number  of  the  prescriptions  used  in  their  prepa- 
ration. Still,  a short  chapter  on  the  special  subject  of 
ceramic  colors  may  not  be  superfluous. 

The  most  striking  point  in  Chinese  ceramic  art  is  the 
paucity  and  simplicity  of  the  materials  with  which 
they  produce  so  many  brilliant  effects.  They  have 
no  chemical  knowledge,  and  their  methods  are  entirely 
empirical,  depending  on  the  varied  effects  produced  by 
the  admixture  of  the  simple  coloring  materials,  on  the 
different  results  obtained  by  their  combination  with 
different  glazes,  and  on  the  degree  of  oxidation  of  the 
minerals  due  to  the  manipulation  of  the  Are.  Take,  for 
example,  the  native  mineral  which,  after  calcination  and 
pulverization,  is  used  for  painting  in  blue  and  white, 
and  in  the  preparation  of  blue  glazes.  It  is  found  on 
the  hillsides  in  several  parts  of  China,  occurring,  not  far 
from  the  surface  of  the  ground,  in  small,  irregular 
nodules  of  concretionary  formation,  and  is  essentially  a 
cobaltiferous  peroxide  of  manganese,  mixed  with  oxides 
of  iron  and  nickel,  with  traces  of  arsenic,  bound  together 
by  a variable  proportion  of  silica.  But  the  composition 
of  this  complicated  ore  seems  to  vary  indefinitely,  not 
only  in  the  productions  of  different  provinces,  but  even 


526 


OKIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


in  specimens  dug  up  from  the  same  hillside.  The 
purity  of  the  blue  depends  upon  the  richness  of  the 
mineral  in  cobalt ; an  excess  of  manganese  will  give  it  a 
purplish  tinge ; it  will  be  darkened  by  too  much  nickel 
or  iron.  So  the  presence  of  an  expert  is  required  at  the 
imperial  manufactory,  whose  sole  duty  it  is  to  pick  out 
the  best  pieces,  judging  from  their  color  and  aspect,  to 
supply  the  coloring  material  for  the  painted  decoration 
in  blue  and  the  powder-blue  grounds,  and  for  the  mono- 
chromes ranging  from  the  darkest  blue  chi  chHng  down 
to  the  palest  clair  de  lune^  which  are  obtained  by  mixing 
the  calcined  mineral  in  different  proportions  with  the 
ordinary  feld spathic  white  glaze  of  the  grand  feu.  The 
blue  enamel  of  the  muffle  stove,  used  in  overglaze  decora- 
tion in  colors,  is  also  formed  of  the  same  cobaltiferous 
material,  combined  with  a vitreous  flux ; it  varies  very 
much  in  tone,  and  is  often  of  purplish  tint.  The  same 
mineral  is  used  in  the  preparation  of  the  ordinary  black 
glaze  of  the  painted  wares,  and  of  the  aubergine  purple 
glaze  of  the  demi-grand  fe%  but  in  these  cases  the  colors 
are  due  mainly  to  manganese,  and  the  Chinese  expressly 
say  that  the  poorer  ores  are  available  for  these  two 
glazes.  The  cobaltiferous  ore  is  used,  again,  to  modify 
the  tint  of  other  single  colors,  to  give  a pea-green  hue  to 
the  ordinary  celadon  glaze  due  to  the  protoxide  of  iron,  or 
to  convert  the  carmine  (ggen-cldh  hung^  of  gold  purple  of 
Cassius  into  amaranth,  the  color  of  the  blue  lotus- 
blossom  (eliding -lieii)  of  Chinese  ceramic  art. 

The  influence  of  different  glazes  and  of  the  reducing 
or  oxidizing  powers  of  the  flames  in  changing  the  colors 
of  the  same  material  is  well  illustrated  in  the  case  of 
copper.  When  this  element  is  maintained  in  a highly 
siliceous  medium  in  the  minimum  condition  of  oxidation 
in  a reducing  fire,  it  develops,  as  a suboxide,  a brilliant 
red  of  ruby  tone,  tlie  typical  red  of  the  grand  feu. 


CHINESE  CEEAMIC  COLORS. 


527 


When  fired  with  a lead  flux  it  becomes  fixed  as  a pro- 
toxide, and  develops  a brilliant  green,  ranging  from  pale 
apple-green  to  the  deepest  emerald  in  the  gros  vert^ 
according  to  the  concentration  of  the  glaze ; it  becomes 
in  this  way  the  source  of  all  the  greens  of  the  muffle 
stove,  as  well  as  of  the  finely  crackled  cucumber-green  of 
the  demi-grand  feu^  which  is  applied  generally  sur 
hiscuit  Finally,  when  fired  with  niter,  or  with  a lead 
flux  containing  an  excess  of  alkalies,  the  silicate  of 
copper  is  still  more  highly  oxidized,  and  develops  a 
beautiful  turquoise-blue.  Similar  changes  may  even  be 
made  to  appear  upon  the  same  piece.  A Lang-Yao 
vase,  for  example,  often  displays  a patch  of  apple-green 
toward  the  edge  of  its  rich  mantle  of  sang  de  hoeuf^  and 
the  peach-bloom  glaze  owes  its  charm  to  the  peculiarly 
soft  combinations  produced  by  the  fortuitous  mingling 
of  the  two  colors.  The  three  colors  are  all  seen  together 
in  the  mottled  garb  of  a flambe  specimen,  brought  out  by 
the  oxidation  of  the  glaze  while  still  fluescent  by  a cur- 
rent of  fresh  air  suddenly  introduced  into  the  furnace. 

So  iron,  when  fired  in  a reducing  atmosphere  in  the 
large  furnace,  in  the  presence  of  a large  excess  of  sili- 
cates, develops,  as  a protoxide,  the  peculiar  sea-green  tint 
known  to  us  as  celadon,  deepening  to  an  olive  shade,  or 
to  a dark  bottle-green,  as  the  proportion  of  iron  increases. 
The  same  element  develops,  as  a peroxide,  a graduated 
series  of  browns,  ranging,  according  to  the  concentration 
of  the  glaze  and  the  warming  ” influence  upon  the  color 
of  the  oxidizing  flames,  from  pale  bulf,  through  cafe  au 
lait,  dead  leaf,  chocolate,  and  bronze,  to  the  blackish 
shade  of  the  darkest  fond  lague.  The  peroxide  mixed 
with  a simple  flux  of  white  lead  painted  on  the  porcelain 
over  the  white  glaze,  and  fired  in  the  muffle  stove, 
produces  the  beautiful  red  which,  in  its  purest  tone, 
reminds  one  of  coral,  and  is  usually  called  coral-red. 


528 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


This  is  the  mo  Tmng^  or  painted  red,”  par  excellence^  of 
the  Chinese.  When  it  is  combined  with  a silico-alkaline 
vitreous  flux  it  takes  on  a brighter  hue  of  the  same 
vermilion  color,  which  suggests  to  the  Chinese  the  red 
cheeks  of  the  ripe  jujube,  one  of  their  favorite  fruits,  so 
that  they  call  the  glaze  now  tsao-erh  hung^  or  ^^jujube- 
red.” 

The  above  shades  of  red  differ  completely  in  tone 
from  those  of  the  other  red  of  the  muffle  stove,  which  is 
obtained  from  gold  precipitate,  the  compound  of  tin  and 
gold  which  is  commonly  known  as  purple  of  Cassius. 
This  produces  the  tints  of  the  underneath  borders  of 
the  rose-backed  dishes,  which  are  enameled  with  glazes 
of  single  color  ranging  from  deep  carmine,  the  yen-cliili 
Tiung^  or  cosmetic  rouge  ” of  the  Chinese,  down  to  fen 
hung,  or  pink,  the  ^^rose  Pompadour,”  or  ^^rose  Du 
Barry,”  of  French  ceramic  writers. 

There  is  occasionally,  on  the  other  hand,  a remarkable 
resemblance  in  the  shade  of  coloring  of  glazes  produced 
from  different  elements,  so  that  a pale  cobalt  mono- 
chrome of  sky-blue  (fien  cKing)  tint  may  be  confused 
for  a moment  with  an  azure-tinted  glaze  of  turquoise 
shade  derived  from  copper.  On  closer  inspection,  how- 
ever, the  latter  will  be  seen  to  have  a minutely  crackled 
texture,  being  one  of  the  glazes  of  the  demi-grand  feu, 
while  the  former  is  one  of  the  single  colors  of  the 
grand  feu. 

These  few  introductory  remarks  are  intended  to  show 
that  some  knowledge  of  the  chemistry  of  colors  is  abso- 
lutely necessary  as  an  aid  to  their  distinction  and  classi- 
fication. Their  proper  distinction  is  often  of  great 
assistance  in  the  correct  chronological  arrangement  of 
the  sjiecimens  in  which  they  occur.  The  presence  of 
any  of  the  rouges  d^or,  for  example,  would  prove  that 
the  piece  could  not  be  earlier  than  the  seventeenth 


CHINESE  CEEAMIC  COLOES. 


529 


century,  in  the  first  quarter  of  which  these  colors  were 
introduced. 

The  coloring  materials  used  by  the  Chinese  in  the 
decoration  of  porcelain  are  few  and  simple  when  com- 
pared with  those  employed  in  Europe.  They  comprise 
oxide  of  cobalt  for  the  ordinary  blues ; oxide  of  copper 
for  certain  reds  and  greens  and  for  turquoise-blue  ; oxide 
of  antimony  for  the  yellows;  gold  for  carmines  and 
j)inks ; arsenious  acid  for  opaque  whites ; oxides  of  iron 
for  celadon,  coral-red,  and  browns ; and  peroxide  of 
manganese  less  rich  in  cobalt  for  the  blacks  and  purples. 

In  Europe,”  as  M.  Ebelmen  observes,"^  they  make  use 
of  the  different  oxides  that  have  just  been  enumerated, 
and  take  advantage  also  of  many  other  substances 
unknown  to  the  Chinese.  The  tint  of  the  oxide  of  cobalt 
is  modified  by  combining  it  with  oxide  of  zinc  or 
alumina,  sometimes  with  alumina  and  oxide  of  chrome ; 
pure  oxide  of  iron  furnishes  a dozen  shades  of  red,  from 
orange-red  to  the  deepest  violet-red;  ochres,  pale  or 
dark,  yellow  or  brown,  are  obtained  by  the  combination 
of  different  proportions  of  oxide  of  iron,  oxide  of  zinc, 
and  oxides  of  cobalt  or  nickel ; the  browns  are  prepared 
by  increasing  the  dosage  of  oxide  of  cobalt  in  the  pre- 
scriptions for  the  ochres ; the  blacks,  by  the  suppression 
of  the  oxide  of  zinc  in  the  same  preparations.  We  vary 
the  shades  of  our  yellows  by  the  addition  of  oxide  of 
zinc  or  of  tin  to  clear  them,  and  of  oxide  of  iron  to 
deepen  their  tone.  Oxide  of  chrome,  either  pure  or 
combined  with  oxide  of  cobalt  or  the  oxides  of  cobalt 
and  zinc,  gives  yellowdsh  greens  and  bluish  greens,  which 
can  be  made  to  range  from  pure  green  to  almost  pure 
blue.  Metallic  gold  furnishes  for  us  the  purple  of 
Cassius,  which  we  can  afterward  ti^ansform  at  will  into 
violet,  into  puiqde,  and  into  carmine.  We  may  cite  also 

TravoMx  Scieniifiqves,  tome  i,  p.  423. 


530 


ORIENTAL  CERA:\IIC  ART. 


the  oxide  of  uranium,  and  the  chromates  of  iron,  baryta, 
and  cadmium,  which  give  useful  colors,  and  will  conclude 
by  mentioning  the  recent  application  of  metals  unoxidiz- 
able  by  fire,  the  discovery  and  preparation  of  which 
require  a knowledge  of  chemistry  that  the  Chinese  are 
far  from  possessing.” 

The  poverty  of  the  Chinese  palette,  however,  is  more 
apparent  than  real,  as  they  produce  by  different  com- 
binations of  the  colors  an  infinite  variety  of  shades,  so 
that  the  color  scale  is  almost  exhausted  in  their  series  of 
monochromes.  Some  colors  may  have  escaped  their  in- 
cessant researches,  like  the  abnormal  pigments  extracted 
from  petroleum  and  coal-tar,  such  as  Magenta  and  Sol- 
ferino,  the  fruits  of  recent  scientific  investigation,  broken 
and  furtive  tints  of  uncertain  shade  that  can  well  be 

O 

spared. 

Ceramic  colors  are  simple  or  compound,  pure  or 
broken ; red,  yellow,  and  blue  are  simple  colors.  Red 
and  yellow  form  orange,  yellow  and  blue  form  green, 
blue  and  red  form  violet ; these  are  compound  colors. 

The  intensity  of  the  coloring  can  be  attenuated  by 
white,  the  colors  can  be  deepened  by  black.  It  is  by 
this  means,  by  the  addition  of  white  or  black  to  other 
colors,  that  all  the  different  grades  of  tone  are  produced. 
M.  Grandidier  gives  a list  of  about  eighty  different 
shades  of  color  represented  by  select  specirhens  in  his 
own  collection  of  Chinese  porcelain,  now  worthily 
installed  in  the  Louvre  at  Paris  under  his  own  official 
curatorship.  They  occur  there  not  only  as  monochromes, 
but  also  as  backgrounds  for  painted  decoration  in  blue  or 
in  different  colors,  relieving  and  enhancing  the  brilliancy 
of  the  effect  in  an  infinite  series  of  combinations,  several 
of  which  have  been  illustrated  and  referred  to  in  our  own 
pages.  Porcelain  is  conveniently  divided  into  mono- 
chrome and  polychrome,  but  in  actual  practice  the  same 


CHINESE  CERAMIC  COLORS. 


531 


colors  are  used  for  both  kinds,  the  only  essential  requisite 
being  that  they  will  withstand  the  degree  of  temperature 
required  for  the  firing.  The  same  gold  pink  {rose 
for  example,  that  is  used  for  enameling  the  monochrome 
black  of  an  eggshell  dish,  serves  for  penciling  the  dia- 
pered bands  that  decorate  the  interior;  and  the  same 
cobaltiferous  material  that  is  blown  on  to  form  a powder- 
blue  ground  is  used  for  painting  the  blue  lines  of  the 
pictures  in  the  medallions  reserved  for  the  purpose.  In 
another  class  of  pieces  that  have  been  already  decorated 
in  colors  of  the  grand  fe%  the  white  ground  may  be 
subsequently  filled  in  with  soft  enamels  such  as  yellow 
or  coral-red,  or,  again,  any  of  the  singly-colored  grounds 
may  be  stijipled  with  souffies  of  other  enamel,  to  be 
subsequently  fixed  in  the  muffie  stove. 

The  decoration  of  Chinese  porcelain  becomes  more 
interesting  when  their  methods  of  applying  the  colors 
are  compared  with  those  employed  in  Europe.  As 
M.  Ebelmen  explains,  the  processes  employed  in  Europe 
are  very  varied : sometimes  pastes  of  different  colors  are 
used  for  the  body ; sometimes  the  coloring  material  is 
incorporated  with  the  glaze ; sometimes,  again,  the  colors 
are  applied  upon  the  surface  of  white  porcelain.  The 
first  two  methods  of  decoration  require  a degree  of 
temperature  as  high  as  that  necessary  for  the  firing  of 
the  porcelain  itself.  The  colors  employed  are  called 
de  grand  feu.  For  painting,  on  the  contrary,  upon  the 
surface  of  porcelain,  only  such  colors  are  used  as  can  be 
vitrified  at  a much  lower  temperature  than  the  pre- 
ceding ; these  are  the  colors  called  de  moufle,  the  only 
ones  that  afford,  up  to  this  time,  resources  for  painting 
upon  porcelain  pictures  that  can  be  compared  with  oil 
paintings  of  the  old  masters  on  canvas. 

Tlie  Chinese  colorinc^  materials  can  be  classed  in  the 
same  way  as  those  used  in  Europe  into  two  main  divi- 


532 


OEIENTAL  CEEAMIC  AET. 


sions : those  that  can  be  compared  with  the  colors  of  the 
grand  feu,  and  those  that  have  more  analogy  with 
the  muffled  colors.  These  last  differ,  however,  from  the 
European  muffle  colors  in  being  mostly  true  vitreous 
enamels,  the  same  that  are  used  for  enameling  on  metaL 
There  is  an  intermediate  division  in  China,  known  as  the 
colors  of  the  demi-grand feu^  which  differ  from  those  of 
the  first  division  in  being  combined  with  a lead  flux,  and 
fuse  at  a lower  temperature,  although  practically  they 
are  generally  fired  in  the  same  furnace.  We  will 
attempt  a cursory  classification  of  the  colors  under  these 
three  divisions,  adding  a few  notes  on  the  principal  tones 
of  color  as  we  proceed. 

1.  High-eieed  Coloes  of  the  Geaxd  Feu. 

The  principal  colors  that  come  under  this  division 
are : the  whites  derived  from  the  ordinary  feldspathic 
glaze;  the  series  of  reds  and  a grayish  celadon-green 
obtained  from  copper ; the  ordinary  celadons,  olive- 
greens,  and  different  shades  of  brown,  which  owe  their 
coloring  to  iron ; the  blues  and  purples  of  the  cobaltifer- 
ous  oxide  of  manganese,  and  the  blacks  derived  from  the 
same  complex  mineral.  The  coloring  materials  referred 
to  above  are  occasionally  used  in  combination ; the  sea- 
green  celadon  of  iron  is  darkened  by  the  addition  of  a 
dosage  of  the  cobalt  mineral,  and  the  black  monochrome 
ground  of  the  cobaltiferous  manganese  is  rendered 
lustrous  and  iridescent  by  the  addition  of  tzu-cMn  sliih, 
the  ferruginous  material  of  the  fond-laque  glazes.  The 
work  of  the  Chinese  potters  is  mainly  empirical,  and 
some  of  their  principal  successes,  the  despair  of  European 
imitators,  are  due  to  mixtures,  in  different  proportions, 
of  the  cobaltiferous,  in  manganesian  and  ferruginous 
minerals,  with  the  fusible  white  glaze.  The  result  will 


CHINESE  CEEAMIC  COLOES. 


533 


depend  not  only  upon  the  richness  of  the  materials  in 
these  ingredients,  but  also  upon  the  atmosphere  of  the 
furnace,  in  its  reducing  or  oxidizing  effect. 

The  colors  of  this  division  are  combined  with  a feld- 
spathic  glaze,  rendered  more  soluble  by  a notable  addition 
of  lime.  This  distinguishes  them  at  once  from  the  colors 
of  the  next  two  classes,  in  the  flux  of  which  oxide  of  lead 
is  an  indispensable  element.  The  coloring  materials  are 
usually  mixed  with  the  white  glaze,  and  applied  upon  the 
white  surface  of  the  unbaked  porcelain  by  immersion,  by 
insufflation,  or  with  the  brush.  Occasionally  the  color  is 
projected  by  the  souffle  method  upon  the  body  of  the 
piece  and  invested  afterward  with  the  white  glaze  in 
successive  coats.  The  porcelain  in  China  is  rarely  sub- 
mitted to  a preliminary  baking  as  in  Europe,  but  some 
of  the  ancient  celadon  glazes  are  described  as  having 
been  applied  sur  biscuit 

The  white  glazes  may  be  noticed  first.  In  every  collec- 
tion of  Chinese  porcelain  there  are  two  varieties  of  white 
that  ought  to  be  carefully  set  apart  from  the  ordinary 
productions  of  the  Ching-te-chen  potteries.  These  are 
the  products  of  Ting-chou  in  the  province  of  Chihli,  and 
of  Te-hua  in  the  province  of  Fuchien.  The  Ting-chou 
ware  dates  from  the  Sung  dynasty ; it  has  been  described 
in  Chapter  V,  under  its  two  varieties,  the  Fen  Ting,  with 
the  paste  white  like  flour,  and  the  Tu  Ting,  with  a less 
pure  yellowish  body.  The  glaze,  which  is  either  un- 
crackled or  crackled,  has  in  both  varieties  an  ivory-white 
tone,  and  a texture  resembling  in  surface  that  of  soft- 
paste  porcelain,  to  which  it  is  frequently  likened.  The 
decoration,  which  is  often  of  very  intricate  floral  design 
finished  off  with  bands  of  geometrical  scroll-work,  is 
either  molded  in  relief  or  chiseled  at  the  point  in  the 
paste  under  the  glaze.  The  ornamentation  of  the  Ming 
dynasty  is  less  elaborate  in  character.  During  the  pres- 


534 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


ent  dynasty  the  old  potteries  are  closed,  but  fine  repro- 
ductions of  the  Fen  Ting  class  have  been  made  at 
Ching-te-chen,  especially  in  the  reigns  of  K'ang-lisi  and 
CliHen-lung,  The  ceramic  production  of  Te-hua  is  the 
Cliien  Tz'u,  or  Fuchien  porcelain  of  the  Ming  and  CJiHng 
dynasties,  which  will  be  described  in  a later  chapter.  It 
is  the  typical  hlanc  de  Chine  of  collectors,  with  a rich 
satiny  glaze  of  siliceous  aspect  closely  blending  with  the 
paste  underneath,  either  creamy  white  in  color,  or  of  a 
more  opaque  tone  approaching  that  of  ivory ; it  is  repre- 
sented chiefiy  by  well-modeled  statuettes  of  Buddhist 
divinities,  such  as  those  of  the  Goddess  of  Mercy,  of 
Maitreya  the  Coming  Buddha,  figures  of  lions  and  myth- 
ological animals,  incense-burners,  teapots  and  libation- 
cups,  the  latter  of  oval  or  octagonal  shape,  made  to  imitate 
the  cups  carved  out  of  rhinoceros  horn,  with  applique 
ornaments  of  archaic  character. 

After  the  specimens  of  these  two  potteries  have  been 
grouped  upon  separate  shelves,  there  will  remain  a varied 
assortment  of  plain  white  porcelain  to  represent  the  pot- 
teries of  Ching-te-chen.  White,  when  pure  in  tint,  has 
always  been  highly  esteemed  in  China,  where  the  earliest 
porcelain  was  made  to  simulate  the  precious  cups  and 
bowls  of  translucent  white  jade.  The  reign  of  Yung-lo^ 
the  third  of  the  Ming  emperors,  is  distinguished  for  its 
fragile  white  porcelain  ornamented  with  impressed  de- 
signs giving  transparent  effect  like  the  water-mark  in 
paper,  and  the  reign  of  Wan-li^  toward  the  end  of  the 
same  dynasty,  is  marked  by  the  renaissance  of  pure  white 
jadelike  wine-cups  of  eggshell  thinness  and  incredible 
lightness.  White  is  the  mourning  color  in  China,  and  a 
relic  of  an  imperial  mourning  dinner  service  is  often  seen 
on  a foreign  shelf  in  the  shape  of  a rice-bowl  etched  with 
five-clawed  dragons  under  a pellucid  white  glaze.  The 
delicate^white  cups  carved  in  openwork  and  the  charming 


CHINESE  CEEAMIC  COLORS. 


535 


lacework  bowls  with  pierced  designs  filled  in  with  glaze 
were  described  in  the  last  chapter. 

Plain  white  porcelain  is  generally  enameled,  but  there 
is  a special  variety  which  is  purposely  left  in  the  state  of 
biscuit  without  any  coating  of  glaze,  like  the  Parian  ware 
of  the  West.  The  special  Chinese  name  for  this  i^fan 
t^u — i.  e.,  turned  porcelain,”  as  if  the  vase  were  in- 
verted, so  that  the  unglazed  interior  appeared  outside, 
and  the  fiction  is  occasionally  kept  up  by  applying  a 
touch  of  glaze  inside  the  mouth.  Flower-vases  molded 
with  a string  network  in  relief,  brush-cylinders,  boxes  for 
seal-color,  and  water-pots  for  the  writing-table  with  land- 
scapes in  salient  relief,  snutf -bottles,  and  many  other 
small  objects,  are  met  with  of  this  kind,  The  covered 
cylindrical  pots  in  which  fighting  crickets  are  kept,  the 
open  cellules  in  which  they  are  brought  to  the  fray,  and 
the  trays  on  which  they  fight,  are  usually  made  of  brown 
earthenware,  because  it  absorbs  water  more  readily,  but 
they  are  sometimes  seen  molded  out  of  unglazed  white 
porcelain. 

In  addition  to  the  glazed  white  porcelain  intended  to 
remain  plain  white,  a quantity  is  turned  out  to  be  sub- 
sequently decorated  with  enamel  colors.  Most  of  it  is 
finished  at  the  manufactory ; some  is  sent  to  Canton  and 
painted  in  the  peculiar  style  which  characterized  the  old* 
porcelain  of  the  East  India  Company  commonly  knowm 
as  “ India  China.”  An  occasional  piece  has  found  its  way 
abroad  and  been  afterward  painted  in  surface  colors  with 
European  designs  at  Meissen  or  Chelsea. 

Tlie  reds  of  the  grand  feu  are  derived  from  copper. 
The  copper  is  generally  applied  in  China  in  a metallic 
form,  the  molten  metal,  derived  from  the  cupellation  of 
silvei’,  or  from  other  sources,  being  granulated  by  being 
thrown  into  watei*,  finely  pulverized,  and  fused  with  a 
large  excess  of  silica  in  a reducing  fire,  so  as  to  be  con- 


536 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


verted  into  a protosilicate.  Tlie  firing  is  a most  delicate 
operation,  and  must  be  stopped  at  the  critical  moment 
to  attain  a bright  uniform  color:  if  it  be  pushed  too 
high,  the  metal  will  be  dissipated,  and  the  vase  will 
come  out  wholly  or  partially  colorless ; if  it  be  insuffi- 
cient, the  piece  will  be  dull  or  liver-colored ; if  the  flames 
be  allowed  to  become  oxidizing  for  a moment,  it  will  be 
transformed  into  a persilicate,  and  be  converted  to  green 
or  even  to  turquoise-blue,  this  last  color  representing  the 
maximum  amount  of  oxidation.  Copper  is  the  protean 
metal  which  gives  rise  in  this  way  to  the  varied  changes 
of  color  known  as  furnace-transmutation,  or  yao-pien^ 
which  were  described  in  the  last  chapter. 

Red  is  a favorite  color  with  the  Chinese  in  the  decora- 
tion of  their  porcelain,  but  this  copper-red  of  the  high 
fire  is  easily  distinguishable  at  a glance  from  the  reds  of 
the  muffle  stove,  which  are  derived  from  iron  or  gold.  It 
shines  out  from  the  depth  of  the  translucent  glaze  with 
tones  approaching  that  of  the  ruby,  so  that  the  Chinese 
call  pao-shih  liung^  or  “ruby-red”;  the  iron-reds  {fan 
^Tiung)^  on  the  contrary,  are  more  superficial  and  of  coral 
or  brickdust  hue ; the  rouges  d'^or  {yen-chili  hung^^  which 
are  also  surface  enamels,  are  carmine  or  pink. 

Copper-red  is  one  of  the  most  ancient  of  Chinese  ce- 
ramic colors,  being  met  with  in  some  of  the  most  brilliant 
monochromes  among  the  productions  of  the  Chun-chou 
potteries  in  the  Sutig  dynasty.  The  reign  of  Hsuan-te 
(1426-35)  of  the  Ming  dynasty  was  especially  distin- 
guished for  its  ruby-red,  which  was  used  at  this  time 
either  as  a single  color  or  in  painted  decorations.  The 
wine-cups  used  by  the  Emperor  Hsuan-te  at  the  ritual 
services  at  the  Temple  of  the  Sun  were  made  of  this 
color.  Later  in  the  Ming  dynasty,  in  the  reigns  of  CTiia- 
ching  and  Wan-li,  we  are  told  that  the  firing  of  the  cop- 
per-red was  found  to  be  too  difficult,  and  that  its  place 


CHINESE  CEKAMIC  COLOES. 


537 


was  usurped  by  the  iron-red,  which  was  much  cheaper, 
^nd  easier  of  application.  In  the  reign  of  K^ang-lisi  it 
reappeared  as  the  Yu-U  hung^  or  ^‘glaze-inclosed  red,” 
described  at  the  time  by  Pere  d’Entrecolles,  and  the 
brilliant  sang-de-hceuf  of  the  Lang  Yao,  together  with  the 
attractive  peach-blooms  of  this  period,  were  both  discov- 
ered in  attempts  at  reproducing  the  sacrificial  red  of 
Ilsuan-te,  The  attempts  culminated  . early  in  the  next 
reign  in  the  production  of  the  well-known  monochrome 
red  of  the  Nien  Yao^  a stippled  color  of  bright  uniform 
tint,  which  continued  to  be  successfully  produced  during 
the  reign  of  CKiendung.  There  is  a marked  renaissance 
of  the  copper-red  as  a single  color  in  quite  recent  times, 
and  a piece  is  occasionally  seen  rivaling  the  finest  old 
sang-de-hceuf  in  its  brilliant  tones  of  color,  although  infe- 
rior in  technical  finish. 

It  may  be  useful  to  add  a few  points  of  distinction 
between  these  different  reds.  The  Lang  Yao  of  the 
reign  of  K^ang-Tisi^  which  may  be  considered  as  the  sang- 
de-hceuf  proper,  displays  a brilliant  red  of  crimson  tone, 
permeating  the  vitreous  enamel,  which  is  crackled 
throughout,  and  strewn  under  the  surface  with  innumer- 
able little  points.  These  points  have  been  justly  com- 
pared to  the  tiny  bubbles  of  carbonic  acid  that  are 
continually  rising  to  burst  on  the  surface  of  gaseous 
water  in  a thermal  spring.  The  vases  are  glazed  under- 
neath, and  exhibit  three  typical  bottoms,  according  to 
Chinese  connoisseurs,  a plain  white  enamel,  a grayish 
eeladon  crackle,  or  an  apple-green  crackle.  The  red  of 
these  vases  is  rarely  uniform  ; their  chief  charm  is  in  the 
mingling  modulated  tints  of  their  mottled  texture  and 
streaked  depths,  varied,  perhaps,  by  an  occasional  patch 
of  apple-green  near  the  rim.  Some  are  wanting  in  lim- 
pid depth  and  become  brownish  or  even  liver-colored  ; 
these  are  failures  in  baking. 


538 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART, 


The  Lu  Lang  Yao,  or  Green  Lang  Yao,”  of  the 
Chinese  is  much  rarer  than  the  sang-de-boeuf^  and  it  is  not 
certain  that  the  pieces  which  exist  were  not  accidentally 
produced  in  the  firing  of  vases  that  were  originally  in- 
tended to  be  red.  On  caieful  examination  a spot  or  two 
of  red  will  generally  be  found  lurking  in  places  where 
the  glaze  is  deepest.  M.  Ebelmen  (loc.  cit.,  page  445) 
refers  to  several  examples  of  celadon  coloration  as 
obtained  by  him  in  his  experimental  researches  upon  the 
copper-red.  He  explains  how  a reducing  atmosphere  i& 
necessary  to  maintain  the  coloring  material  at  a minimum 
of  oxidation  for  the  production  of  the  red,  and  how,  in 
an  oxidizing  atmosphere,  on  the  contrary,  the  color 
would  totally  disappear  if  the  volatilization  of  the  metal 
were  possible,  or  would  become  green  if  the  coloring 
material  survived  in  appreciable  quantity.  Accoi*ding  to 
this  hypothesis,  some  specimens  of  so-called  celadons 
would  be  either  abortive  reds  or  copper-greens  of  suffi- 
ciently poor  color.  He  places  in  his  class  of  celadon  de 
cuivre  all  the  vases,  barrel-shaped  garden-seats,  and  balus- 
trade fittings  that  the  Chinese  make  in  stoneware.  He 
quotes  also  a very  remarkable  fact  of  a fragment  of  sea- 
green  or  grayish  celadon  porcelain,  showing  clearly  in 
the  fracture  an  opaque-red  layer,  looking  like  sealing- 
w^ax,  in  immediate  contact  with  the  paste.  The  oxidiz- 
ing atmosphere,  in  this  case,  had  acted  only  on  the  sur- 
face, which  it  had  changed  from  red  to  a pale  greenisk 
tint. 

Another  glaze  that  owes  its  charming  tints  to  copper 
is  the  peach-bloom,  or  peau  de  peclie^  which  has  been 
already  described  and  fully  illustrated  in  these  pages. 

The  Chidmng  was  brought  to  perfection  by  Nien  Hsi- 
yao,  the  director  of  the  imperial  potteries  in  the  reign  of 
Yung-cheng,  The  name,  which  means  sacrificial  red,” 
dates  from  the  reign  of  Hman-te  of  the  preceding 


CHINESE  CERAMIC  COLORS. 


539 


dynasty,  as  already  explained.  The  red  vases  of  the 
Nien  Yao^  as  this  porcelain  is  called  after  its  inventor, 
are  coated  with  a deep,  uniform  glaze  of  ruby  tone,  the 
stippled  texture  of  which  indicates  the  method  of  ap- 
plication of  the  color  by  insutllation.  In  the  next  reign 
of  GKien-lung  this  single  color  loses  something  of  its 
purity  and  transparency  and  becomes  brownisli,  so  that 
it  has  been  compared  to  that  of  the  skin  of  a medlar 
{peau  de  nefle).  The  modern  chi-hung  vases  are  less  uni- 
form in  tint,  developing  purplish  or  crimson  mottled 
shades  like  the  old  sang-de-bmif^  or  changing  to  the  varie- 
gated fiambe  tints  described  in  the  last  chapter.  But 
they  are  improving  daily  under  the  stimulus  of  high 
prices,  and  I have  a new  vase  now  before  me,  clotlied  in 
as  brilliant  a garb  as  any  ancient  Lang  Yao  specimen. 

The  next  colors  of  the  high  fire  for  consideration  are 
those  due  to  iron,  which  range,  according  to  the  degree 
of  oxidation  of  the  metal,  from  the  palest  sea-green  to 
the  deepest  brown.  It  is  to  the  paler  green  shades  that 
the  term  celadon  is  properly  confined  ; the  darker  shades, 
which  are  due  to  the  peroxide,  are  the  yellow-browns 
and  browns  of  the  fond-lague  division.  Some  French 
ceramic  writers  use  the  term  celadon  in  a much  wider 
sense,  to  include  the  pale  blue  derived  from  cobalt, 
which  is  the  yueh  pai^  or  dair  de  lune  of  the  Chinese, 
and  hardly  needs  a second  name  of  starch-blue  ” celadon 
{celadon  bleu  d^empois)^  as  well  as  the  souffle  tea-dust 
{cKa-yeh  md)^  and  some  even  group  the  crackled  tur- 
quoise and  purple  of  the  demi-grand  feu  in  the  same 
division.  We  use  it  here  as  generally  synonymous  with 
tlie  Chinese  ceramic  color  tou-cKing^  literally  pea- 
gi-een,”  which  includes  the  two  varieties  of  Tung  chJing, 
the  color  of  the  old  celadon  ware  made  at  the  Eastern 
Capital  of  the  Sung  dynasty,  and  the  Lmig-diTian  yu^ 
the  glaze  of  the  ancient  Lung-ch’uan  celadons  of  contem- 


540 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


porary  date.  The  prescription  for  the  tou-chHng  glaze^ 
which  was  applied  to  the  celadons  of  the  Ming  dynasty^ 
made  at  Ching-te-chen,  was  given  in  Chapter  VIII.  The 
coloring  material  was  derived  from  a yellow  ferruginous 
clay,  and  the  color  was  explained  to  be  due  to  the  sili- 
cates of  lime  and  iron  developing  a light  greenish  shade 
under  the  influence  of  a reducing  atmosphere  maintain- 
ing the  iron  at  a minimum  of  oxidation.  A similar  pre- 
scription produces  the  Tung-cKing  celadons  of  the  pres- 
ent dynasty,  whereas  the  Lung-ch’iian  glaze  of  to-day 
is  made  by  the  addition  of  a small  dosage  of  calcined 
cobaltiferous  oxide  of  manganese,  the  effect  of  which  is 
to  darken  the  shade  till  it  approaches  that  of  the  Chinese 
olive,  which  is  the  traditional  color  of  the  ancient  Lung- 
ch’iian  wares. 

The  celadons  comprise  many  shades  of  clear  green^ 
some  of  which  approach  blue ; others  tend  to  become 
gray ; the  tones  vary  with  the  depth  of  the  glaze,  en- 
hancing the  effect  of  the  incised  and  relief  designs  which 
often  accompany  it.  The  old  celadons  of  the  Smig 
dynasty  are  found  sometimes  darkening  almost  to  bottle- 
green,  or  even  becoming  in  exceptional  cases  brown- 
ish. The  rationale  of  this  is  explained  by  the  chemist 
M.  Ebelmen,  who  asks:  ^^What  would  happen  if  the 
celadon  glaze  were  fired  in  an  oxidizing  atmosphere  ? 
The  tint  would  pass  into  red,  and  if  the  iron  were  in 
sufficient  proportion  a warm  tone  with  hardly  any  green 
in  it  should  be  obtained.  All  these  shades  are  found  in 
Chinese  productions,  and  if  only  the  oxide  of  iron  be 
increased  a little,  one  can  pass  from  the  celadons  to  a 
deep  lac-brown  in  an  oxidizing  atmosphere,  to  an  olive- 
green  or  a bottle-green  in  a reducing  atmosphere.” 

The  browns,  in  fact,  owe  their  color  to  the  same  mate- 
rial as  the  celadons,  the  compact  ferruginous  clay,  which 
is  called  tzu  chin  shih,  literally  brown  gold  stone,” 


CHINESE  CERAMIC  COLORS. 


541 


because  it  is  the  mineral  source  of  the  ceramic  golden 
browns.  Its  preparation  and  mode  of  application  were 
fully  described  in  Pere  d’Entrecolles’s  Letters.  When 
mixed  with  a large  excess  of  feldspar  and  lime  it 
duces  a clear  buft',  or  an  old-gold  ” tint.  The  Chinese 
tell  how  the  potters  tried  to  produce  a yellow  mono- 
chrome by  mixing  actual  gold  with  the  glaze  of  the  high 
hre,  but  found  that  the  metal  was  all  evaporated  in  the 
furnace,  so  that  they  returned  to  the  or  hruni  as  a grace- 
ful and  efficient  substitute.  Among  other  monochrome 
shades  of  this  class,  found  on  highly  fired  Chinese  porce- 
lain, are  brown  ochre,  cafe  au  lait^  chestnut,  capuchin, 
maroon,  dead-leaf  (^feuille  7norte\  chocolate,  bronze,  lac- 
colored  (almost  black),  etc.  The  darker  shades  are  often 
highly  iridescent. 

The  blues  of  the  grand  feu  owe  their  color  to  cobalt,* 
which  resists  the  highest  temperature  of  the  furnace. 
The  Chinese  coloring  material  is  a native  cobaltiferous 
mineral  of  very  variable  composition,  which  has  been 
already  sufficiently  described.  The  best  pieces  having 
been  selected  by  an  expert,  they  are  first  calcined  in 
porcelain  capsules,  and  then  pulverized  in  hand-mortars 
for  a wliole  month  before  the  material  is  considered  fit 
for  use.  The  purest  and  most  brilliant  blues  are  pro- 
duced when  the  material  is  applied  immediately  upon 
the  raw  white  body  of  the  unbaked  piece,  and  covered 
with  the  white  feldspathic  glaze  which  it  penetrates 
under  the  solving  influence  of  the  fire.  The  magnificent 
blue  and  white  decoration,  and  the  powdered  blue 
grounds  of  lapis  lazidi  tint  that  distinguish  the  reign  ^ of 
K\ing-hsi  were  all  executed  in  this  way,  giving  an  un- 
dulating intensity  and  pulsating  depth  to  the  color,  and 
preserving  it,  moreover,  indefinitely,  so  that  a vase  two 
hundred  years  old  will  look  as  if  just  fresh  from  the  kiln. 
If  the  ore  he  not  STifficiently  rich  in  cobalt,  the  color  will 


542 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


be  grayish  ; if  the  glaze  be  too  thin,  or  the  piece  be  over- 
fired, so  that  the  color  comes  to  the  surface,  it  will  be 
turned  black  by  the  oxidation  of  the  manganese,  w^hich 
is  always  present  in  the  ore.  The  souffle  blue  may  be 
crackled  by  the  addition  of  the  proper  ingredients  to  the 
white  glaze,  bringing  out  a clear  color  quite  different  in 
tone  from  the  more  finely  crackled  deep  sapphire-blue 
of  the  demi-grand  feu,  illustrated  in  Plate  XXIX,  in 
which  the  cobaltiferous  material  is  combined  with  a lead 
fiux. 

When  mixed  with  the  feldspathic  glaze  and  applied  in 
the  fashion  of  the  ordinary  single  colors  the  effect  of  the 
cobalt  is  different.  There  is  no  longer  the  same  intensity 
and  depth  of  color,  but  we  have  in  compensation  a 
peculiar  purity  of  tint  and  softness  of  tone  in  the  series 
of  charming  single  colors  which  the  Chinese  potter  has 
achieved  in  this  way.  The  most  delicate  of  all  ceramic 
colors,  the  yueh  pai,  or  claw  de  lune,  displayed  in  Plate 
LI,  is  produced  by  the  smallest  addition  of  cobalt. 
Added  in  larger  quantity  the  ordinary  tien  chJing,  or 
“ sky-blue,”  glaze  of  the  vase  shown  in  Plate  LXXIV  is 
developed  in  the  furnace.  A still  larger  proportion  is 
required  to  bring  out  the  clii-cTiHng,  the  “ blue  of  the  sky 
after  rain,”  which  is  defined  as  the  deep  azure  of  the  clear 
rifts  between  the  clouds. 

We  possess  many  specimens  dating  from  the  Sung  and 
Yuan  dynasties,  like  the  two  illustrated  in  Plate  XII, 
which  derive  their  color  from  cobalt-tinged  glazes  of 
the  grand  feu,  crackled  or  uncrackled  in  texture.  They 
often  display  shades  of  lavender  or  pale  purple,  indicating 
the  presence  of  manganese  in  the  coloi-ing  material.  The 
celebrated  ancient  ware  of  Ju-chou  was  purer  in  tint 
than  any  other  of  the  Sung  porcelains,  being  described 
as  a clair  de  lune  of  the  color  of  the  blossoms  of  the 
Vitex  incisa,  the  ‘‘  sky-blue  flower  ” of  the  Chinese. 


CHINESE  CERAMIC  COLORS. 


543 


The  same  cobaltiferous  mineral  is  utilized  in  the  pro- 
duction of  the  black  grounds  of  the  grand  feu^  for  which 
purpose  the  pieces  of  ore  that  are  less  rich  in  cobalt  will 
suffice.  Pere  d’Entrecolles  describes  two  kinds  of  black 
glaze.  The  first,  which  is  duller  in  aspect,  is  obtained  by 
combining  three  parts  of  the  blue  coloring  material  with 
seven  parts  by  weight  of  the  ordinary  feldspathic  glaze, 
but  the  proportions  may  be  varied  in  accordance  with 
the  tint  required  ; the  mixture  is  applied  to  the  unbaked 
piece,  which  is  afterward  fired  in  the  big  furnace.  It 
forms  an  effective  background  for  a decoration  in  gold, 
which  is  penciled  on  after  the  first  baking,  and  fixed  by 
refiring  in  the  muffle.  The  second  black  glaze,  called 
lou  chin,  or  metallic  black,”  which  is  more  lustrous  and 
iridescent  in  aspect,  is  formed  by  adding  some  of  the  tzu- 
chin  shill,  the  ferruginous  mineral  which  produces  the 
coffee-brown  glazes,  to  a liquid  mixture  composed  of  the 
above  ingredients,  in  which  the  porcelain  is  plunged,  and 
baked  in  an  oxidizing  fire.  If  the  firing  be  carelessly 
managed  the  color  will  be  brown  instead  of  black,  as  we 
often  see  in  modern  pieces. 

The  colors  of  the  high  fire  are  used  in  combination 
with  each  other  in  the  decoration  of  Chinese  porcelain,  as 
well  as  singly  for  monochrome  glazes.  The  essential 
point  is  that  all  the  associated  colors  should  be  able  to  be 
brought  out  properly  by  the  same  fire.  The  underglaze 
cobalt-blue  seems  to  be  developed  with  any  kind  of  fire  if 
only  it  be  buried  in  the  depths  of  the  glaze  in  the  pres- 
ence of  an  excess  of  silica,  so  that  we  see  blue  and  white 
painting,  with  touches,  perhaps,  of  bright  copper-red, 
associated  on  one  vase  with  broad  bands  of  palest  sea- 
gi’een  celadon  and  zones  of  grayish  crackle,  and  on 
another  find  zones  of  warm  dead-leaf  brown  encircling 
the  shoulder  and  rims  and  separating  pictures  penciled  in 
blue.  The  blue  seems  to  acquire  additional  brilliancy 


544 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


when  enhanced,  as  it  occasionally  is,  by  a background  of 
ox-blood  or  peach-bloom  of  the  same  mottled  tones  as 
characterize  the  single-colored  vases  of  the  period. 
Many  of  these  different  combinations  have  been  already 
referred  to ; one  of  the  most  effective  is  that  of  copper- 
red  with  pale  celadon,  as  illustrated  in  Plate  XXXVI ; 
in  such  pieces  the  red  coloring  material  is  painted  with  a 
brush  upon  the  unbaked  surface  before  the  celadon  glaze 
is  applied ; it  gradually  infiltrates  under  the  solving 
action  of  the  reducing  fire  till  it  penetrates  to  the  surface. 
There  is  always  a certain  lack  of  clearness  of  definition  in 
designs  produced  in  this  way,  which  is  often  combated  by 
tooling  the  outlines  in  the  paste,  or  working  them  into 
low  relief. 

Another  common  combination  of  high-fired  colors  upon 
vases  is  that  where  the  decoration  is  executed  in  blue  and 
maroon  with  touches  of  celadon.  The  cobalt  and  copper 
colors  are  painted  on  under  the  glaze,  while  the  celadon 
is  inlaid,  as  it  were,  in  the  white  enamel,  filling  in  the  out- 
line of  a rockery,  for  example,  or  some  other  detail  of  the 
picture.  In  other  styles  of  decoration  we  see  lustrous 
black  grounds  with  reserve  medallions  containing  cameo 
pictures  in  blue,  and  powder-blue  vases  with  panels  of 
mirror-black  displaying  pictures  in  gbld  that  have  been 
penciled  on  subsequently  to  the  first  firing.  The  dead- 
leaf  and  coffee-colored  grounds  of  the  grand  feu  furnish 
in  the  same  way  a long  series  of  combinations.  Finally 
come  an  infinite  variety,  designed  for  additional  decora- 
tion in  enamel  colors,  which  can  be  fired  in  the  muffle 
stove  at  a comparatively  low  temperature  without  injury 
to  the  original  highly  fired  colors,  on  which  the  enamels 
are  overlaid,  or  with  which  they  are  intermingled. 


CHINESE  CERAMIC  COLORS. 


545 


2.  Colors  of  the  Demi-grand  Feu. 

Among  the  monochromes  peculiar  to  Oriental  porce- 
lain there  are  some  which  appear  to  have  been  applied 
sur  hiscidt — that  is  to  say,  upon  porcelain  that  has 
already  been  fired  in  the  furnace.  On  close  examination 
they  are  seen  to  be  truite^  to  have  a minutely  crackled 
texture,  a characteristic  which  is  rarely  seen  in  glazes  fired 
at  a very  high  temperature.  On  being  tested  with  hydro- 
fluoric acid  by  M.  Ebelmen,  they  proved  to  contain,  in 
addition  to  the  blue,  yellow,  and  green  coloring  agents,  a 
notable  proportion  of  oxide  of  lead.  This  approaches 
them  to  the  enamel  colors  of  the  muffle  stove  included  in 
the  next  class.  They  are  fired  by  the  Chinese  in  the 
deepest  part  of  the  large  furnace,  and  are  placed  below 
the  level  of  the  vent-hole  opening  into  the  chimney^ 
where  the  temperature  is  much  lower  than  it  is  in  the 
body  of  the  kiln. 

The  colors  of  this  class  are  not  numerous  ; they  com- 
prise turquoise-blue,  aubergine- violet,  yellow,  and  green. 
Their  composition  is  sufiiciently  well  known,  as  they  are 
all  included  in  the  list  of  colored  glazes  of  which  the 
prescriptions  were  given  in  Chapter  VIII,  extracted  from^ 
technical  books  of  the  Ming  dynasty,  and  the  Chinese 
accounts  have  been  confirmed  by  a qualitative  analysis  of 
actual  specimens. 

The  mode  of  application  of  these  glazes  is  described  by 
Pere  d’Entrecolles.  The  bowls,  for  exam23le,  are  first 
fired  unglazed  in  the  large  furnace,  from  which  they  come 
out  quite  white  but  lusterless;  if  they  are  to  be  single- 
colored, they  are  immersed  in  a crock  containing  the 
coloring  materials  made  into  a kind  of  cream  with  water ; 
if  they  are  to  be  party-colored,  like  the  bowls  known  to 
the  Chinese  as  ‘‘tiger-spotted,”  which  are  daubed  all  over, 


546 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


inside  and  outside,  with  irregular  blotches  of  purple, 
green,  yellow,  and  white,  the  colors  are  laid  on  with  a 
brush.  The  piece  is  finally  fired  again  in  the  most  tem- 
perate part  of  the  large  furnace,  as  a fierce  fire  would 
destroy  the  colors. 

These  were  the  earliest  vitreous  colors  used  in  China, 
and  they  were  employed  centuries  before  the  enamel 
colors  of  the  muffle  stove  were  introduced.  Fusing  as 
they  do  at  a comparatively  low  degree  of  heat,  they  are 
available  for  the  decoration  of  common  pottery  or  earth- 
enware, as  well  as  of  porcelain,  and  they  are  widely 
utilized  for  this  purpose  throughout  the  East,  more 
especially  for  architectural  decoration.  In  the  celebrated 
porcelain  pagoda  of  Nanking,  which  was  rebuilt  in  the 
beginning  of  the  fifteenth  century  (but  is  now  destroyed), 
only  the  white  bricks  were  made  of  porcelain  ; the 
colored  tiers,  panels,  and  antefixal  ornaments  were  all  of 
enameled  earthenware.  The  roofs  of  the  palaces  and 
imperial  temples  in  Peking  are  covered  with  yellow  tiles ; 
those  of  the  princes  with  bright  green ; the  Temple  of 
Heaven  shines  in  the  sun  as  intensely  purple  as  the  vase 
in  Plate  XXIX ; and  broken  ornaments  in  all  the  soft 
tones  of  crackled  turquoise  are  to  be  picked  up  in  the 
ruins  of  the  summer  palaces  which  were  burned  in  1860. 
All  the  four  colors  are  represented  also  in  the  grotesque 
monsters  of  European  form,  and  in  the  helmets  and 
tro^fiiies  of  arms  that  were  designed  by  the  Jesuit  Frere 
Attiret  for  the  fountains  and  other  decorations  of  the 
Versailles  that  was  built  under  his  superintendence  at 
Yuan-ming-yuan  in  the  last  century  for  the  Emperor 
CKien-hmg.  These  were  made  at  the  potteries  near 
Peking.  I allude  to  them  here  because  at  these  very 
potteries  they  are  now  busily  engaged  in  making  a 
quantity  of  vases  and  bowls  glazed  with  the  same  beauti- 
ful colors,  to  which  the  soft  excipient  seems  to  impart 


CHINESE  CERAMIC  COLORS. 


547 


an  added  softness,  which  are  destined  for  exportation  to 
supply  the  increasing  demands  of  enthusiastic  collectors 
of  single  colors.”  The  fact  that  yellow  clay  used  often 
to  be  mixed  with  the  porcelain  earth  in  the  old  fabrics,  to 
enhance  the  brilliancy  of  the  glaze  colors,  gives  a certain 
vraisemhlance  to  the  fraudulent  reproductions  which  I 
have  seen  sold  for  as  many  dollars  as  they  would  cost  in 
cents  to  produce. 

3.  Enamel  Colors  of  the  Muffle  Stove. 

The  materials  used  by  the  Chinese  in  their  ordinary 
decoration  in  colors  fuse  at  a much  lower  temperature 
than  that  required  for  baking  porcelain,  and  they  are 
painted  over  the  glaze  on  pieces  that  have  been  pre- 
viously fired,  and  which  must  be  rehred  in  the  muffle 
to  fix  the  colors.  They  may  be  compared  to  our  own 
muffle  colors,  but  they  differ  in  some  essential  points, 
in  their  composition  as  well  as  in  their  mode  of  appli- 
cation. 

There  is,  to  begin  with,  a radical  difference  in  the  first 
principles  of  Chinese  art,  shown  in  the  want  of  per- 
spective, the  absence  of  shading,  and  the  studied  avoid- 
ance of  mixed  tints.  The  highest  aim  of  the  artist 
at  Sevres  is  to  copy  an  oil-painting  on  canvas  of  one 
of  the  old  masters,  to  reproduce  exactly  every  varied 
shade  of  color  in  the  original,  and  to  take  care  that, 
after  baking,  the  picture  shall  appear  uniformly  glazed. 
The  Chinese  artist  is  attempting  to  reproduce  on  porce- 
lain a water-color  on  silk  oi*  paper  of  one  of  his  old 
masters,  limned  in  pure,  soft  colors,  with  no  broken  tints 
and  no  mixed  tones.  The  Chinese  colors  are  far  from 
presenting  the  uniformity  of  thickness  and  glazing  that 
is  considered  to  be  de  rigueur  in  Europe  in  a painting 
on  porcelain.  Some  are  brilliant,  perfectly  fused,  and 


548 


OKIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


laid  on  so  thickly  as  to  stand  out  in  tangible  relief  on 
the  surface  of  the  porcelain ; the  carmines  obtained  from 
gold,  the  purple-blues,  the  greens,  and  the  yellows  are 
examples ; others,  such  as  the  iron-reds  and  the  blacks, 
present  generally  a dull  surface,  and  are  only  glazed 
in  the  thinner  parts ; their  depth  is  always  less  than 
that  of  the  vitrified  colors.  In  the  Chinese  pictures 
there  is  no  shading  in  the  figures  or  other  details  ; the 
outlines  are  sharply  defined  by  single  lines  of  red  or 
black ; there  is  no  gradation  in  the  different  tints ; the 
colors  are  laid  on  in  broad  strokes,  to  which  the  artist 
returns  occasionally  to  execute  a damask,  either  with' the 
same  color,  with  other  colors,  or  with  metals ; he  rarely 
mixes  on  his  palette  powders  of  different  coloring  ma- 
terials. The  aspect  of  their  pictures,  when  examined 
closely,  reminds  one  of  the  glass  mosaics  that  were  so 
artistically  executed  in  Europe  during  the  thirteenth 
century,  and  in  which  all  the  details  of  the  design  and 
modeling  of  the  figures  were  produced  simply  by  red 
or  brown  lines  upon  the  mosaic  work  executed  in  frag- 
ments of  white  or  colored  glass. 

» These  enamels  are  colored  by  a small  percentage  only 
of  the  metallic  oxide  dissolved  in  the  vitreous  mass,  and 
they  require  to  be  laid  on  thickly  to  give  the  proper 
intensity  of  tone ; this  gives  a relief  which  is  impossible 
to  obtain  by  any  other  method,  and  imparts  a certain 
cachet  to  Chinese  productions.  The  general  harmony 
of  the  coloring  is  due  to  the  nature  and  composition 
of  their  enamels.  The  flux,  in  China,  is  composed  of 
silica  and  oxide  of  lead  combined  with  a greater  or 
less  proportion  of  alkalies.  It  holds  in  solution,  in 
the  state  of  silicates,  a few  hundredths  only  of  the 
coloring  oxides,  the  number  of  which  is  extremely 
limited.  The  coloring  materials  are  oxide  of  copper 
for  the  greens  and  the  bluish  greens,  gold  for  the  reds, 


CHINESE  CERAMIC  COLORS. 


549 


oxide  of  cohalt  for'  the  blues,  oxide  of  antimony  for  the 
yellows,  arsenious  acid^  and  more  rarely  stannic  acid, 
for  the  whites.  Oxide  of  iron  and  the  impure  oxides 
of  manganese,  which  give  the  first  red,  and  the  second 
hlach,  are  the  sole  exceptions,  and  this  is,  no  doubt, 
because  it  is  impossible  to  obtain  these  colors  in  solu- 
tions by  means  of  the  oxides  that  have  Just  been 
mentioned. 

M.  Ebelnien  gives  the  following  resume  of  his  re- 
searches : 

“ 1.  The  colors  called  muffle  colors — that  is  to  say, 
baking  at  a very  low  temperature  compared  with  that 
at  which  porcelain  is  baked — are  essentially  few  in 
number. 

2.  The  palette  is  composed  not  of  colors,  properly 
so  called,  but  of  enamels — that  is  to  say,  of  plumbo- 
alkaline  glasses,  variously  colored  by  a few  hundredths 
of  dissolved  oxides. 

“ 3.  The  composition  of  the  vitreous  flux  is  generally 
very  uniform ; its  tint  is  always  light,  and  it  is  this 
lightness  of  tone,  as  well  as  the  vivacity  of  the  color- 
ing, which  gives  Chinese  porcelain  its  harmonious  effect 
and  characteristic  richness. 

“ 4.  The  enamels  are  colored  by  oxide  of  cobalt,  by 
oxide  of  copper  in  the  state  of  binoxide,  and  by  gold — 
all  substances  easily  soluble  in  a vitreous  flux,  and  of 
very  simple  preparation. 

To  these  shades  the  Chinese  add  a yellow  derived 
from  antimony,  and  an  opaque  white,  the  base  of  which 
is  sometimes  tin,  sometimes  arsenious  acid,  both  of 
which  they  mix  with  the  other  enamels,  as  they  combine 
these  last  with  each  other  to  obtain  a nearly  infinite 
variety  of  shades,  which,  however,  it  is  always  possible 
to  decompose  and  to  reduce  to  the  five  following  ele- 
ments : blue  from  oxide  of  cobalt,  blue  or  green  from 


550 


OEIEOTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


oxide  of  copper,  carmine  from  gold,  and  yellow  from 
oxide  of  antimony. 

^‘If  we  add  to  these  enamels  the  very  impure  oxide 
of  cobalt,  which,  under  the  glaze,  will  always  develop 
into  blue,  the  same  oxide  mixed  with  white  lead  to 
make  it  adhere  to  the  glaze  becomes  black ; and  the 
calcined  oxide  of  iron,  which,  combined  with  white  lead 
and  with  flux,  produces  a series  of  iron-reds,  dull  or 
brilliant,  like  or  dark ; and  finally  gold,  which  is  made 
adhesive  by  the  addition  of  a tenth  part  of  white  lead^ 
we  shall  be  able  to  gain  a complete  idea  of  the  means 
that  form  all  the  resources  of  the  Chinese  decorator.” 

The  enamel  painting  in  colors  of  the  next  period, 
which  came  in  after  the  new  Manchu  dynasty  was  firmly 
established,  is  commonly  known  as  K’’ang-Tisi  Wu  ts’ai 
— i.  e.,  ‘^Decoration  in  colors  of  the  reign  of  K’’ ang-hsi.^’’ 
The  pictures  are  usually  executed  entirely  in  enamels, 
the  underglaze  blue  being  replaced  by  a surface  cobalt 
silicate  of  vitreous  composition,  which  accompanies  the 
old  purple  enamel  color  derived  from  the  same  native 
manganese  ore  less  rich  in  cobalt.  The  full,  strong 
red  of  coral  tint  continues  and  improves  in  purity  of 
tone,  and  the  greens  become  more  and  more  prevalent 
and  brilliant,  so  that  the  class  has  been  called  by  the 
distinctive  name  of  famille  verte.  This  class,  the  color- 
ing of  which  is  perfectly  shown  in  the  vase  illustrated 
in  Plate  VI,  is  also  known  in  China  by  the  name 
of  ying  ts’ai,  or  “hard  colors,”  to  distinguish  it  from 
a different  style  of  coloring  which  was  introduced 
toward  the  end  of  the  same  reign,  executed  in  pale  tints 
of  pure  tone  and  broken  colors,  among  which  carmines, 
pinks,  and  an  amaranth  purple,  all  derived  from  pre- 
cipitated gold,  appeared  for  the  first  time  in  ceramic 
art.  This  constitutes  the  decoration  in  juan  ts’ai,  or 
“ soft  colors,”  which  is  known  also  by  the  name  of  fen 


CHINESE  CERAMIC  COLORS. 


551 


ts^ai,  or  pale  colors.”  Plate  LXIII  is  a fine  example  of 
the  style. 

But  it  is  time  to  examine  the  enamel  colors  in  detail. 
They  are  brought  to  Ching-te-chen  in  the  shape  of 
irregularly  broken  fragments  of  vitreous  composition 
from  the  glass-works  in  the  province  of  Shantung.  A 
collection  of  Chinese  glass  will  exhibit  all  the  different 
single  colors  in  their  primitive  state,  siinply  molded  into 
shape  to  form  various  kinds  of  utensils  and  ornaments. 
The  pieces  as  they  come  from  the  glass  manufactory,  com- 
posed of  a plumbo-alkaline  flux  of  very  uniform  com- 
position tinged  by  the  metallic  oxide  which  gives  the 
color,  have  first  to  be  pounded  and  finely  pulverized,  and 
at  the  same  time  a variable  proportion  of  white  lead  is 
added  if  it  be  necessary  to  increase  the  fusibility,  and 
some  siliceous  sand  if  the  color  be  too  soft.  The  color  is 
finally  worked  on  the  palette,  either  with  turpentine,  with 
weak  glue,  or  with  pure  water,  and  painted  on  over  the 
glaze  with  the  brush. 

In  addition  to  their  use  in  the  decoration  of  painted 
porcelaiu,  these  enamel  colors  are  all  used  singly  to  pro- 
duce monochromes.  The  class  of  monochrome  enamels, 
all  of  which  are  fired  in  the  muffle,  will  include  : the  reds 
of  vermilion  and  coral  tint  derived  from  iron,  exemplified 
by  a typical  example  in  Plate  XCII ; the  carmines  and 
pinks  derived  from  gold,  of  which  one  is  represented  in 
Plate  LIII  ; the  yellows,  ranging  from  the  pale  canary  of 
Plate  LXV  to  the  deep  imperial  yellow  of  Plate  V,  which 
are  derived  from  antimony,  tinged  more  or  less  by  the 
presence  of  iron  ; the  plain,  uncrackled  greens  of  varied 
tone  and  sheen,  often  iridescent,  which  owe  their  color 
to  copper  binoxide  ; the  uncrackled  sapphire-blue  of 
intense  tone  known  as  lan^  due  to  cobalt  silicate  ; 

the  deep  grayish  purple  (tzii)  manganese  monochrome, 
and  a brilliant  glossy  black  of  vitreous  composition. 


552 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


The  white  enamel  colors  owe  the  opacity  of  their  tint 
to  arsenic,  of  which  they  generally  contain  about  five  per 
cent.  The  vitreous  compound  is  widely  used  also  in 
combination  with  other  colors,  being  mixed  with  them, 
to  modify  their  tint  and  make  them  opalescent.  The 
various  white  enamels  known  to  the  Chinese  by  the 
names  of  yapai,  ivory-white,”  lisuehpaij  “ snow-white,” 
and  po-li  pa%  glass- white,”  differ  but  slightly  in  com- 
position. The  yuehpaij  moon- white,”  of  the  enameler’s 
palette,  which  has  a pale  greenish  tinge,  is  prepared  by 
adding  a small  amount  of  one  of  the  transparent  greens 
to  the  white. 

The  blacks,  of  varied  composition,  all  owe  their  color  to 
cobaltiferous  manganese  not  rich  in  cobalt.  The  calcined 
mineral  is  sometimes  painted  on  combined  with  white 
lead  as  a flux  and  mixed  with  glue,  when  the  surface 
will  be  a dead  black,  and  only  partially  vitrified  at  the 
edges  by  combining  with  some  of  the  silica  of  the  white 
glaze.  The  vm  cliin^  or  metallic  black  ” of  the  enam- 
eler’s palette  contains  an  additional  quantity  of  oxide 
of  copper,  which  imparts  a greenish  tone.  The  same 
coloring  material,  when  mixed  with  the  ordinary  vitreous 
flux,  produces  the  brilliant  color  known  as  Hang  Jiei,  or 
glossy  black,”  which  contains  a smaller  proportion 
of  oxide  of  manganese  than  the  other  blacks. 

The  blue  of  the  enamel  painter,  like  that  of  the  grand 
feu^  owes  its  color  to  cobalt.  There  are  many  shades, 
differing  in  fusibility,  but  all  made  by  the  same  method, 
and  consisting  of  oxide  of  cobalt,  more  or  less  impure, 
dissolved  in  a more  or  less  fusible  plumbo-alkaline  glass. 
The  color  is  very  intense  in  the  state  of  silicate,  so  that  the 
deepest  sapphire-blue  does  not  contain  more  than  one  and 
a half  per  cent  of  oxide  of  cobalt,  and  the  lighter  azure-blue, 
called  fen  cliHng,  yields  only  one-third  as  much  on  an 
analysis  of  the  flux.  The  presence  of  oxide  of  manga- 


CHINESE  CERAMIC  COLORS. 


553 


nese  ogives  a violet  tint.  The  enamel  fuses  on  the  surface 

o 

of  the  porcelain  in  salient  relief  so  that  it  can  be  distin- 
guished at  once  from  the  underglaze  blue ; its  brittleness 
causes  it  to  be  easily  injured,  and  it  is  occasionally  found 
broken  and  scaled  off  in  patches,  the  result  of  wear. 

The  green  enamels  used  for  the  surface  decoration 
of  porcelain  are  all  colored  by  oxide  of  copper,  being 
either  pure,  or  changed  to  a yellowish  tone  by  the  addi- 
tion of  prepared  yellow,  or  to  a bluish  tone  by  the 
addition  of  arsenical  white  or  the  use  of  a harder  flux. 
The  flux  is  varied  according  to  the  tint  desired.  Oxide 
of  lead  in  excess  deepens  the  green  ; soda  communicates 
a tint  less  blue  than  that  developed  by  potash  under 
similar  circumstances.  The  pale  sea-green  tint  used  for 
filling  in  distant  mountains  is  called  for  that  reason  shan 
lu^  or  mountain  green  ” ; this  is  the  pure  binoxide  of 
copper,  and  it  is  converted  into  turquoise-blue  of  darker 
or  lighter  shade  by  being  mixed  with  different  propor- 
tions of  white  enamel  containing  arsenic.  The  color 
called  T<^il  lu^  or  vert  passe,  is  made  by  the  combination 
of  antimonial  yellow  with  the  copper  green.  The  deep- 
est shade  of  camellia-leaf  green,  called  ta  lu,  or  gros  vert, 
is  brought  out  in  the  firing  of  the  pure  copper  oxide  dis- 
solved in  a highly  plumbiferous  flux  combined  with 
the  smallest  possible  proportion  of  alkalies. 

The  yellows  of  the  muffle  stove  are  colored  by  anti- 
mony. Antimony  alone  is  colorless,  but  in  combination 
with  oxide  of  lead  it  gives  a bright  canary -yellow  when 
pure.  When  contaminated  with  iron  a reddish  or  orange 
tone  is  produced.  The  purest  tint  is  exhibited  in  the 
yellow  ground  of  the  vase  illustrated  in  Plate  LXV,  and 
tne  same  yellow  characterizes  the  finest  painted  decora- 
tion of  the  period.  The  imperial  yellow,  which  is  spe- 
ciallv  reserved  in  China  for  the  use  of  the  sovereign, 
is  of  fuller,  deeper  tone,  approaching  orange.  Peroxide 


554 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


of  iron  is  purposely  mixed  with  the  pulverized  yellow 
enamel  to  produce  the  surface  color  of  dull  aspect  which 
is  known  by  the  name  of  Tc,u  fung^  or  old  bronze.” 

The  deep  purplish  brown  monochrome  enamel,  ap- 
proaching a dark  claret  color,  which  is  known  to  the 
Chinese  as  tzu,  is  produced  by  manganese.  The  oxide  of 
manganese  communicates  to  alkaline  glazes,  as  we  saw 
in  the  colors  of  the  demi-grand  feu,  a beautiful  violet 
d'evegiie  (bishop’s  purple),  or  aubergine  purple ; to  lead 
glazes  it  gives  the  brownish  or  grayish  purple  of  the 
muffle  stove,  which  we  find  in  imperial  ware  in  combina- 
tion usually  with  dragons  and  other  ornamental  designs,, 
etched  at  the  point  in  the  paste  underneath. 

The  reds  of  the  enameler’s  palette  remain  for  considera- 
tion. They  consist  of  two  distinct  and  well-defined  classes,, 
viz.,  the  rouges  defer^  which  owe  their  color  to  iron  per- 
oxide, and  the  rouges  d''oi\  which  owe  their  color  to  gold 
precipitate,  the  purple  of  Cassius.  The  former  are  of 
brickdust  or  bright  coi*al  hue  ; the  latter  are  rose-colored,, 
carmine,  or  pink.  Peroxide  of  iron  is  self-colored,  and 
does  not  recpiire  to  unite  chemically  with  any  other  sub- 
stance to  bring  out  its  tint.  In  this  it  resembles  the 
peroxide  of  manganese,  which  produces  the  black,  and 
the  technical  application  of  the  two  colors  is  consequently 
the  same.  The  peroxide  of  iron  requires  only  a simple 
flux  to  cause  it  to  adhere  and  to  glaze  its  surface.  It  is 
prepared  in  China  by  the  incineration  of  crystals  of  green 
vitriol  (sulphate  of  iron).  The  peroxide  is  combined 
with  five  times  its  weight  of  white  lead,  the  two  materials 
being  passed  through  a fine  sieve  and  triturated  together 
a little  glue  must  be  dissolved  in  water  when  it  is  used 
on  the  palette,  and  it  must  be  painted  on  with  a light 
brush.  The  color  applied  in  this  way  is  of  deep,  full 
tone,  but  of  dull  aspect,  as  it  depends  for  vitrification  on 
the  small  proportion  of  silica  that  it  is  able  to  absorb 


CHINESE  CERAMIC  COLORS. 


000 


from  the  underlying  glaze ; it  differs  from  the  ordinary 
enamel  colors  in  not  being  in  appreciable  relief.  This  is 
the  ta  hung,  or  gros  rouge,  of  the  Chinese,  also  known  as 
mo  hung,  or  “ painted  red,”  being  the  ordinary  red  of 
decorative  painting  on  porcelain.  The  iron  peroxide,  like 
the  peroxide  of  manganese,  is  also  employed  in  combination 
with  the  ordinary  plumbo-alkaline  vitreous  flux  when  the 
color  is  required  to  be  more  brilliant  and  glossy.  The 
bright  coral-red  single  color,  known  to  the  Chinese  by 
the  name  of  Uao-rh  hung,  or  “ jnjube  red,”  is  produced 
by  this  means ; it  differs  from  the  other  in  being  completely 
vitrified,  even  when  laid  on  thickly,  and  excels  it  in  trans- 
lucency  and  luster,  although  not  so  deep  and  full  in  tone. 
The  vase  illustrated  in  Plate  XXVI  displays  this  ground 
in  combination  with  a decoration  in  enamel  colors  ; in 
other  cases  it  is  employed  with  the  best  effect  to  form 
a rich  ground  for  ornamental  designs  reserved  in  white, 
as  in  the  charming  little  bowls  of  the  ChHen-limg  period, 
which  are  so  gracefully  decorated  with  white  sprays  of 
bamboo,  thrown  out  in  crisp  outline  by  the  lustrous  ver- 
milion background. 

The  rouges  cPor  are  of  comparatively  modern  introduc- 
tion into  the  Chinese  ceramic  field,  and  seem  to  have  been 
quite  unknown  until  the  latter  part  of  the  reign  of  K^ang- 
hsi.  They  are  not  mentioned  by  Pere  d’Entrecolles,  but 
the  cyclical  date  corresponding  to  the  year  1721  has  been 
found  on  several  saucer-dishes  of  Chinese  porcelain  deco- 
rated with  enamels  of  this  class,  and  they  occur  among 
the  colors  of  vases  painted  in  the  style  known  ^^juan 
ts'ai,  or  soft  coloring,”  that  are  credibly  attributed  to 
the  reign  of  K^ang-hsi.  The  color  called  yen-chilt  hung, 
from  its  likeness  to  the  cosmetic  rouge  of  the  Chinese,  is 
brought  to  Ching-te-chen  in  the  shape  of  irregular  frag- 
ments of  ruby-colored  glass,  the  precipitated  purple  of 
Cassius  having  been  previously  combined  with  a vitreous 


556 


ORIElSrTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


flux.  This  is  finely  pulverized,  worked  up  on  the  palette 
with  water  or  turpentine,  and  painted  on  without  further 
addition  to  produce  the  deep  carmine  of  the  rose-backed 
eggshell  dishes,  or  the  crimson  blossoms  of  a flower  on  a 
decorated  piece.  The  color  is  known  also  as  Ttua  hung^, 
or  flower  red,”  on  account,  probably,  of  its  frequent  use 
in  coloring  petals.  Analysis  shows  it  to  consist  of  the 
usual  plumbo-alkaline  flux,  tinged  with  about  one-quarter 
per  cent  of  metallic  gold.  A pink  called hung^  of 
the  rose  Du  Barry  ” type,  is  prepared  by  mixing  the 
materials  of  the  carmine  color  with  those  of  the  ordinary 
white  enamel.  The  third  color  of  this  class,  which  is^ 
called  by  the  name  of  dicing  lien,  or  ^^blue  lotus,”  is  pre- 
pared by  mixing  together  three  enamels — the  carmine, 
colored . ruby-red  by  dissolved  gold ; the  ivory-white,, 
made  opaque  by  arsenioiis  acid ; and  the  deep  blue 
derived  from  cobalt ; the  result  when  fired  is  a deep 
amaranth  of  purplish  tone. 

Gold  is  also  used  in  its  ordinary  metallic  form  in  gild- 
ing porcelain  and  in  penciling  upon  it  decorative  designs,, 
which  are  fixed  by  being  fired  in  the  mutfle.  Pere  d’En- 
trecolles  has  described  fully  its  method  of  preparation 
and  its  application,  mixed  with  one-tenth  of  its  weight  of 
white  lead,  by  means  of  weak  glue.  It  is  singular  that 
exactly  the  same  proportions  are  employed  in  Europe  in 
mixing  the  gold  with  the  fiux  which  makes  it  adhei’e  to 
the  porcelain,  although  the  flux  used  at  Sevres  is  subni- 
trate of  bismuth.  Silver  is  also  employed  in  China  in  its 
metallic  form,  combined  with  white  lead,  whether  as  a 
souffle  overglaze  or  as  an  effective  decoration  penciled 
upon  a dead-leaf  ground. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


MOTIVES  OF  DECOKATION  OF  CHmESE  POECELAIK. 

The  principal  modes  of  decoration  have  been  casually 
alluded  to  already  in  the  description  of  particular 
pieces  and  of  the  style  of  different  periods,  but  a short 
resume  of  the  more  usual  motives  selected  by  the  Chinese 
artist  may  be  attempted  in  a separate  chapter.  A com- 
plete account  of  the  varied  phases  of  an  art  the  principles 
of  which  differ  so  completely  from  our  own,  or  of  the 
alien  religions  and  strange  philosophy  which  furnish  its 
chief  subjects,  is  hardly  to  be  expected.  The  first  impres- 
sion is  apt  to  be  that  of  the  grotesque,  and  we  notice  the 
absence  of  perspective  in  the  landscapes,  the  want  of 
drawing  in  the  figures,  and  the  strange  forms  of  the  weird 
monsters  that  are  so  often  introduced.  It  is  necessary 
to  get  accustomed  to  these  peculiarities  to  appreciate  the 
full  effect  of  the  vivid  and  harmonious  coloring  in  which 
the  brush  of  the  Oriental  decorator  of  porcelain  has 
never  been  surpassed.  The  same  effect  is  aimed  at 
whether  he  be  painting  on  the  raw  body  with  a single 
color,  such  as  cobalt-blue,  so  that  the  picture  may  be 
imbibed  in  the  fire  in  the  translucent  depths  of  the  white 
ovei-glaze,  or  whether  he  be  Avorking  AAuth  the  vitreous 
coloi’s  of  the  enameler’s  palette,  aaTIcIi  are  applied  over 
tlie  glaze  and  fixed  in  the  lesser  heat  of  the  muffle  stove. 
It  is  brilliancA^  which  is  the  leading  note  in  the  decoration 
of  porcelain,  and  it  is  produced  in  its  perfection  in  the 
vivid  greens  of  the  polychrome  pictures  of  the  ol&famtlle 
verte,  as  Avell  as  in  the  pulsating  vigor  AA^hich  distinguishes 
the  best  ‘‘  blue  and  Avhite of  tlie  same  reign  of  ICang- 

557 


558 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


Tisi.  These  two  achievements  mark  the  culminating  point 
of  the  ceramic  art  of  China,  and  they  have  never  been 
surpassed  in  any  other  country. 

The  earliest  prehistoric  pottery  that  is  dug  up  from 
the  ground  in  all  parts  of  Eastern  Asia,  specimens  of 
which  are  so  highly  prized  by  the  Chinese  as  relics  of 
the  time  of  their  sacred  emperors,  Yao  and  Shun^  w^hose 
virtues  are  extolled  by  Confucius,  is  made  of  coarse,  yel- 
lowish clay.  It  is  roughly  ornamented  with  indented 
dots  and  scored  lines  arranged  in  geometrical  patterns, 
or  with  string  marks,  impressed  while  the  clay  was  still 
moist,  and  has  generally  a remarkable  similarity  to  the 
archaic  pottery  discovered  in  other  parts  of  the  world. 
In  the  Han  dynasty  it  begins  to  be  marked  with  inscrip- 
tions in  the  same  way  as  the  bricks  and  tiles  of  the 
period,  which  indeed  it  exactly  resembles  in  material  and 
structure.  An  example  of  this  is  a roughly  shaped  globu- 
lar vessel,  six  and  a quarter  inches  high,  six  inches  in 
diameter,  with  an  expanding  mouth  strengthened  by  a 
prominent  lip,  which  has  been  added  to  my  collection 
since  the  chapter  on  Marks  was  written.  The  form  is 
precisely  that  of  some  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  urns  dug  up  in 
England.  The  mark,  which  is  stamped  under  the  foot  of 
the  vase,  so  that  the  characters  stand  out  in  low  relief,  is 
Wu  f eng  erli  nien — i.  e.,  second  year  of  the  Wu-feng 
period,”  which  corresponds  to  b.  o.  56,  the  eighteenth 
year  of  the  reign  (b.  c.  73-49)  of  the  Hsuan  Ti 

of  the  Han  dynasty. 

The  more  finely  finished  pieces  of  the  Han  dynasty 
are  composed  of  a kind  of  gray  faience  coated  with  a 
brilliant  green  glaze  derived  from  copper,  the  tint  of 
which  is  fitly  compared  by  the  Chinese  to  that  of  the 
rind  of  a cucumber.  The  vases,  modeled  in  the  form  of 
the  sacrificial  bronze  vessels  of  the  period,  have  usually 
mask  handles  fashioned  in  the  shape  of  monsters’  heads. 


MOTIVES  OF  DECORATION. 


559 


and  are  ornamented  with  encircling  bands  worked  in 
relief  in  the  paste  under  the  glaze.  These  bands  are 
generally  filled  with  the  forms  of  grotesque  dragons 
and  other  monstrous  creatui*es  traversing  a frieze  of 
clouds.  The  designs  are  identical  with  those  employed 
at  this  period  in  the  mural  sculptures  of  tombs  carved  in 
bas-relief  on  stone  which  I was  the  first  to  introduce  into 
Europe  by  the  exhibition  of  a series  of  rubbings  at  the 
Oriental  Congress  at  Berlin  in  1881.'^'  The  photographs 
of  these  rubbings  are  included  in  the  beautifully  illus- 
trated volume  f lately  published  by  my  friend  M.  Cha- 
vannes,  the  learned  Professor  of  Chinese  at  the  College  de 
France^  which  should  be  consulted  by  every  student  of 
early  Chinese  art.  The  scenes  displayed  so  strikingly  in 
these  mural  sculptures  are  of  the  most  varied  character, 
and  are  especially  interesting  as  indications  of  the  ancient 
myths  of  the  Chinese,  before  they  were  modified  by  the 
intioduction  of  Buddhism  from  India.  We  see  the 
astronomical  star-gods,  headed  by  the  Supreme  Deity 
enthroned  in  the  Great  Bear,  round  which  the  lesser 
satellites  continually  circle  in  token  of  homage,  the  storm- 
gods  in  the  midst  of  clouds  shaping  themselves  into  the 
forms  of  dragons  and  winged  horses,  the  elemental  gods 
of  wind  and  rain,  and  the  dreaded  god  of  thunder 
canopied  by  a rainbow,  the  latter  being  depicted  as  a 
two-headed  dragon  with  arched  body.  There  are  battle 
scenes  and  warlike  processions  with  chariots  and  spear- 
men, representations  of  the  early  men  of  mythical  times 
with  serpent  bodies,  and  peaceful  pageants,  such  as 
Confucius  attended  by  his  disciples,  or  the  meeting  of 
Confucius  and  Lao  Tzu.  Historical  scenes  from  classical 
times  follow,  a series  of  pictures  of  the  assassins  of 

Inscriptions  from  the  Tombs  of  the  Wu  Family  from  the  Neighborhood  of  the 
City  Chia-hsiang-hsien  in  the  Province  of  Shantung.  By  Dr.  S.  W.  Bushell. 

t La  Sculpture  sur  Pierre  en  Chine  au  temps  des  deux  Dynasties  Han.  Par 
Edouard  Chavannes,  Paris,  1893. 


560 


OEIENTAL  CEEAMIC  AET. 


tyrannical  sovereigns,  and  of  the  noted  examples  of 
feudal  devotion,  the  virtuous  heroines  of  ancient  story 
and  the  paragons  of  filial  piety,  that  have  so  often  sup- 
plied motives  for  the  decoration  of  porcelain  in  more 
modern  days. 

One  of  the  stone  slabs  figures  the  felicitous  omens  that 
herald  the  rule  of  a virtuous  sovereign ; the  well  of  pure 
water  that  appeared  spontaneously  without  digging ; the 
miraculous  bronze  tripod  in  which  food  could  be  cooked 
without  fire ; the  spotted  unicorn  called  lin  {Ui-lhi)  ; the 
yellow  dragons  that  appeared  swimming  in  the  lakes  ; the 
calendar  plant  of  the  time  of  the  Emperor  Yao^  that 
indicated  the  day  of  the  month  by  throwing  out  a sprout 
on  each  successive  day  of  the  waxing  moon,  till  there 
were  fifteen,  and  by  dropping  one  by  one  these  sprouts 
each  day  of  the  waning  moon;  the  six-legged  monster; 
the  white  tiger  that  harmed  no  man ; the  jade  horse ; 
jade  growing  up  miraculously  from  the  ground  ; the  red 
bear;  the  twin  tree  with  two  trunks  united  above;  the 
crystal  gem  (^pi-liu-U)^  disk-shaped,  with  a round  hole 
in  the  middle ; the  deep-green  tablet  (Jisuan  huei)  of 
jade,  of  oblong  shape,  with  pointed  top,  an  ancient  badge 
of  rank;  two-headed  quadrupeds,  birds,  and  fishes;  the 
white  carp  that  appeared  to  Wu  Wang^  the  founder  of 
the  Chou  dynasty,  as  he  was  crossing  tlie  ford  at  Meng- 
chin ; the  white  deer  on  which  foreign  envoys  from  the 
south  are  said  to  have  ridden  to  the  court  of  the  ancient 
Emperor  Huang  Ti]  the  silver  wine- jar  (pin  weng\ 
and  the  jade  symbol  of  victory  (yu  sheng\  the  form  of 
wliicli  resembled  that  of  a weaver’s  spindle,  or  of  two 
disks  united  by  a central  bar. 

Bronze  has  been  one  of  the  principal  materials  for 
artistic  work  in  China  from  the  most  remote  times,  and 
the  collections  of  bronze  antiquities  that  have  been  pub- 
lished in  the  many  illustrated  books  that  are  refen*ed  to 


MOTIVES  OF  DECORATION. 


561 


in  the  chapter  on  Bibliography  have  furnished  a mine  of 
wealth  for  the  potter  in  supplying  forms  as  well  as 
decorative  designs.  The  circular  mirrors  of  bronze,  for 
example,  which  go  back  to  the  Han  dynasty  (b.  c.  206- 
A.  D.  220),  are  molded  and  engraved  on  the  back  with 
varied  designs,  accompanied  often  by  written  inscriptions, 
and  form  by  themselves  a suggestive  chapter  of  Chinese 
art.  The  round  mirror  is  a sacred  article  in  the  Taoist 
cult,  being  supposed  to  have  the  power  of  detecting  evil 
spirits  masquerading  in  human  guise  by  reflecting  their 
true  form,  and  the  back  is  usually  covered  with  pictures 
of  mythological  and  astrological  character.  In  the  Han 
dynasty  we  have  winged  flgures  of  the  celestial  deities, 
four-horse  chariots,  and  grotesque  monsters  in  the  style 
of  the  mural  sculptures  of  the  time,  lions  and  phcenixes 
in  the  midst  of  arabesquelike  scrolls  of  flowers,  dragons, 
and  sea-horses  in  festoons  of  grapes.  The  divinity  Hsi 
AVang  Mu,  Eoyal  Mother  of  the  W est,”  with  kneeling 
attendants  bearing  otferings,  and  bands  of  musicians,  is 
seated,  either  enthroned  alone,  or  in  association  with 
Tung  Wang  Fu,  Eoyal  Father  of  the  East”;  the 
legends  connected  witli  these  two  deities  are  supposed 
to  be  partly  borrowed  from  Hindu  sources,  being 
arranged  like  those  relating  to  Indra  and  his  consort, 
and  the  Buddhistic  aspect  of  the  flgures,  posed  as  they 
are  occasionally  on  lotus  thalami,  lends  some  color  to  the 
supposition.  The  astrological  flgiu’es  on  the  Han  mirrors 
are  those  of  the  four  quadrants  of  the  uranoscope,  viz., 
the  azure  dragon  of  the  eastern  quadrant,  the  somber 
tortoise  and  serpent  of  the  north,  the  white  tiger  of  the 
west,  and  the  red  bird  of  the  south.  The  bronze  mirrors 
of  the  T\ing  dynasty  (618-906)  display  a further  series 
of  astrological  flgures,  including  the  twelve  animals  of 
the  solar  zodiac,  the  twenty-eight  animals  of  the  lunar 
zodiac,  the  asterisms  to  which  they  correspond,  etc. 


562 


OKIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


The  list  of  the  animals  of  the  solar  zodiac  has  been 
already  given  in  Chapter  III,  in  connection  with  the 
duodenary  cycle.  They  are  represented  on  the  backs 
of  the  mirrors  in  rings,  which  are  sometimes  filled  iu 
with  sprays  of  fiowers  or  leafy  scrolls.  On  porcelain  of 
more  modern  times  the  animals  are  occasionally  grouped 
in  a landscape  scene  filled  in  with  ordinary  details. 
They  are  also  found  molded  in  porcelain,  either  in  a 
series  of  small  animal  forms,  or  as  statuettes  with  human 
bodies  and  animal  heads. 

One  of  the  large  bronze  mirrors  of  this  period,  fifteen 
inches  in  diameter,  with  the  usual  boss  in  the  middle, 
perforated  for  a silk  cord,  has  round  the  boss  a ring  of 
the  four  quadrants  enumerated  above,  followed  by  a 
succession  of  concentric  rings.  The  second  of  these 
rings  has  the  pa  hua,  the  eight  trigrams  of  broken  and 
unbroken  lines,  used  in  divination ; the  third  rino;  con- 
tains  the  twelve  animals  of  the  solar  zodiac ; the  fourth, 
the  ancient  names  of  the  lunar  asterisms  in  archaic 
script ; the  fifth,  the  figures  of  the  twenty-eight  animals 
of  the  lunar  zodiac,  followed  by  their  names,  the  names 
of  the  constellations  over  which  they  rule,  and  those  of 
the  planets  to  which  they  correspond.  The  planets  are 
arranged  in  the  same  order  as  in  our  days  of  the  week, 
and  the  Chinese  are  supposed  to  have  derived  their 
first  knowledge  of  the  division  of  the  periods  of  the 
moon’s  diurnal  path  among  the  stars  into  weeks  of  seven 
days  about  the  eighth  century,  when  they  obtained  also 
the  animal  cycles,  which  had  been  previously  unknown 
to  them.  Their  knowledge  of  the  twenty-eight  lunar 
mansions  is,  however,  far  more  ancient,  and  long  dis- 
cussions have  taken  place  as  to  whether  they  were 
invented  in  Chaldea,  India,  or  China,  or  derived  from 
some  common  source  in  central  Asia.  Professor  W.  D. 
Whitney,  in  his  studies  on  the  Indian  NahsliatraSy  or 


MOTIVES  OF  DECOEATION. 


56a 


Lunar  Stations,  sums  up  the  discussion  by  the  con- 
clusion that,  considering  the  concordances  existing 
among  the  three  systems  of  the  Hindus,  Chinese,  and 
Arabians,  it  can  enter  into  the  mind  of  no  man  to  doubt 
that  all  have  a common  origin,  and  are  but  different 
forms  of  one  and  the  same  system.” 

In  addition  to  the  astrological  and  hieratic  devices  on 
these  old  bronze  mirrors,  which  are  mostly  of  Taoist 
character,  with  wild  animals,  such  as  the  deer  and  hare, 
bringing  herbs  in  their  mouths  to  the  hermit,  or  sacred 
birds,  such  as  the  swallow  and  crane,  carrying  in  their 
beaks  scroll  messages  from  the  gods  or  fateful  talismans 
for  the  religious  recluse,  there  is  another  kind  with  purely 
ornamental  decoration.  These  are  covered  with  sprays 
of  natural  flowers  and  butterflies,  with  conventional  gar- 
lands of  idealized  flowers,  such  as  are  called  by  the  Chi- 
nese pao  lisiang  Ima,  or  flowers  of  paradise,”  with  fish 
swimming  in  waves  among  moss  and  water-weeds,  with 
boys  circling  round  the  field  waving  flowers,  with  drag- 
ons and  phoenixes  disporting  in  the  midst  of  floral  ara- 
besques, and  with  many  others  of  the  designs  that  we 
find  so  often  repeated  later  as  art  motives  for  ceramic 
decoration. 

In  Buddhism,  bronze  objects  of  the  same  circular  form, 
looking  like  large  medallions  with  the  face  polished  to  a 
mirrorlike  surface,  represented  the  sacred  wheel  (^fa  lun\ 
and  are  molded  on  the  back  with  Sanskrit  dharani. 
One  of  these  is  sometimes  placed  in  the  hand  of  a Bud- 
dhist divinity,  or  suggests  the  decoration  of  a porcelain 
dish  penciled  with  concentric  rings  of  Sanskrit  writing. 

The  ancient  bronze  moldings,  in  connection  with  the 
carvings  in  jade  of  the  Han  dynasty,  which  were  exe- 
cuted in  a similar  style,  furnished  in  fact  the  first  models 
for  the  porcelain  manufacture.  The  old  crackled  wares 
of  the  Sung  dynasty,  the  grass-green  celadons,  and  the 


564 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


ivory-white  Tingchou  porcelain  of  the  same  period  (960- 
1279),  all  have  the  decorative  designs  molded  in  reliefer 
engraved  in  the  paste  underneath  the  glaze,  which  was 
applied  subsequently.  We  know  nothing  from  actual 
experience  of  the  older  fabrics,  but  are  told  in  the  books 
that  they  were  made  in  imitation  of  white  and  green 
jade,  and  that  they  owed  their  chief  beauty  to  the  bril- 
liant tints  of  their  single  colors,  emulating  the  emerald 
hue  of  moss-green  jade,  or  the  clear  blue  of  the  sky  after 
rain.  Specimens  of  the  Sung  dynasty  are  not  so  uncom- 
mon; the  vases  are  seen  to  have  been  molded  with  the 
designs  of  the  character  that  has  been  described,  outside, 
so  as  to  cover  their  surface ; the  bowls,  cups,  and  dishes 
have  had  the  interior  ornamented  by  being  pressed  upon 
the  mold  and  finished  afterward  with  the  graving  tool. 
Among  the  most  frequent  of  the  molded  designs  are 
phoenixes  hying  among  flowers,  and  brocaded  grounds 
composed  of  interlacing  sprays  of  Moutan  peonies  and 
lilies,  the  rims  being  defined  by  encircling  bands  of  fret 
of  varied  pattern.  A pair  of  fishes  is  occasionally  seen 
in  bold  relief  in  the  bottom  of  a circular  dish  of  old  cela- 
don porcelain,  and  the  same  design  is  found  on  the  older 
copper  basins  of  the  Han  dynasty ; other  dishes  are 
lightly  engraved  under  the  glaze  with  a spray  of  lotus  or 
of  peony,  or  with  grounds  of  checkered  and  fluted  pat- 
tern. There  is  no  reference  to  painted  decoration  till 
toward  the  end  of  the  Sung  dynasty,  and  even  then  only 
in  the  case  of  some  of  the  coarser  productions,  which 
seem  to  have  been  occasionally  roughly  ornamented  with 
a few  strokes  of  brown  derived  from  some  ferruginous 
material,  or  with  touches  of  a dull  blue  composed  of 
impure  manganiferous  cobalt  laid  on  over  the  glaze  and 
incoi-porated  with  it  at  tlie  same  firing.  The  blue  and 
white  of  the  Yuan  dynasty  (1280-1367)  was  probably 
of  the  same  type,  and  perhaps  some  of  the  crackled  jars 


MOTIVES  OF  DECOKATION. 


565 


roughly  painted  in  blue  with  dragons,  that  are  cherished 
as  heirlooms  by  the  Dayaks  of  Borneo  and  in  other  islands 
of  the  Eastern  Archipelago,  may  date  from  this  period. 

China  has  never  been  so  isolated  from  the  outer  world 
as  some  have  supposed.  The  oldest  writings  and  tradi- 
tions have  so  much  in  common  with  those  of  the  ancient 
Accadians  and  Babylonians  as  to  suggest  the  theory  of  a 
joint  origin  for  both.'^'  Many  of  the  philosophical  ideas 
of  the  early  Taoist  writers  are  evidently  inspired  from  a 
Hindu  source,  and  the  Buddhist  missionaries,  when  they 
came  to  China  in  the  first  century  a.  d.,  brought  with 
them  carved  images  and  sacred  pictures,  and  besides 
exercised  subsequently  a considerable  influence  on  Chi- 
nese art,  as  is  freely  confessed  by  native  writers  on  the 
subject.  Even  before  the  Christian  era  the  Emperor  Wu 
Ti  of  the  Han  dynasty  had  opened  up  intercourse  with 
western  Asia,  sent  envoys  who  penetrated  as  far  as 
the  Persian  Gulf,  followed  by  a large  army,  which  con- 
quered the  Greek  kingdom  of  Ferghana,  enthroned  a new 
king  there,  and  exacted  a tribute  of  Nisaean  horses,  so 
famous  in  classical  history,  which  were,  indeed,  the 
avowed  object  of  the  expedition.  Herodotus  describes 
these  horses,  which  sweated  blood,”  as  coming  from 
Xisa  in  Media ; and  Ssu-ma  Ch’ien,  the  author  of  the 
Shill  Chi^  the  first  of  the  official  Chinese  histories,  who 
has  been  called  the  Chinese  Herodotus,”  describes  them 
in  similar  terms  under  the  name  of  JVi-ssu  horses ; while 
Li  Kuang-li,  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  expedition, 
who  was  appointed  in  the  year  b.  c.  102,  Avas  given  the 
honorary  title  of  iSiisaean  General.  The  Greeks  are 
described  in  the  Chinese  history  under  the  name  of 
1 ua?ij  Avhich  is  equivalent  to  laon,  the  name  tliey  haA^e 
always  borne  in  Asia  ; and  the  influence  of  Greek  art  is 

* Western  Origin  of  the  Early  Chinese  Civilization.  From  2300  B.  C.  to  200 
A.  D.  By  Terrien  de  Lacouperie,  London,  1894. 


566 


OKIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


betrayed  by  several  details  in  the  mural  sculptures  of 
Chinese  tombs  dating  from  the  Han  dynasty  as  well 
as  in  early  Buddhist  sculpture. 

During  the  succeeding  centuries  there  was  occasional 
intercourse  both  by  land  and  by  sea  until  the  thirteenth 
century,  when  nearly  the  whole  of’  Asia  was  under  the 
dominion  of  the  Mongol  descendants  of  Genghis  Khan^ 
who  occupied  the  thrones  of  both  China  and  Persia,  over- 
ran  Russia,  and  reached  nearly  to  the  walls  of  Vienna. 
Marco  Polo  in  his  well-known  Travels  describes  his  jour^ 
neys  about  this  time  between  Europe  and  Cathay  both 
by  sea  and  by  land.  Rubruquis,  the  envoy  of  Saint 
Louis  of  France  to  Mangu  Khan,  who  arrived  at  Kara- 
korum  in  the  year  1252,  found  there  a Parisian  gold- 
smith named  Guillaume  Boucher,  who  was  specially 
attached  to  the  court  and  had  made  for  the  Khan’s 
palace  a wonderful  fountain  of  silver,  which  he  describes- 
minutely.  It  was  in  the  form  of  a tall  tree  surmounted 
by  an  angel  with  a trumpet,  having  four  large  receptacles 
concealed  in  its  trunk,  from  which  started  four  pipes, 
emerging  in  the  form  of  gilded  serpents,  and  terminating 
in  the  mouths  of  four  silver  lions  which  surrounded  the 
foot  of  the  tree,  and  furnished  a supply  of  wine,  cosmos 
made  from  mare’s  milk ; mead  made  from  honey,  or 
j-ice-water,  whenever  either  of  these  four  beverages  was 
required.  It  was  toward  the  close  of  this  dynasty  that 
the  Byzantine  art  of  cloisonne  enameling  in  copper  seems 
to  have  been  hrst  introduced  into  China,  as  the  nien-liao 
of  Chih-cheng  (1341-67)  is  found  underneath  the  foot 
of  pieces  which  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt  are  actual 
productions  of  the  time,  although  the  art  was  not  offi- 
cially adopted  until  the  reign  of  Cliing-tai  (1450-56)  of 
the  next  dynasty. 

We  are  told  by  Sir  John  Malcolm,  in  his  History  of 
Persia  (volume  i,  page  422),  that  a hundred  families  of 


MOTIVES  OF  DECOKATION. 


567 


Chinese  artisans  and  engineers  came  to  Persia  with 
Hulagu  Khan  about  the  year  1256,  and  it  has  been 
surmised  that  there  were  some  potters  among  the 
number.  If  there  had  been  they  would  have  found 
many  processes  of  decoration  in  use  there  in  the  fabrica- 
tion of  faience  and  fine  earthenware  (for  no  true  porce- 
lain has  ever  been  made  in  Persia)  such  as  would  seem 
hitherto  to  have  been  unknown  in  their  own  country, 
and  it  seems  natural  to  conclude  that  these  would  have 
been  introduced  into  China  about  this  time  rather  than 
invented  de  now.  The  reign  of  Hsuan-te  (1426-35)  was 
the  first  to  become  celebrated  for  its  blue  and  white,  and 
the  Chinese  attribute  its  excellence  to  the  quality  of  the 
cobalt  mineral  which  was  imported  by  them  at  the  time 
from  Western  Asia  under  the  name  of  Mohammedan 
blue.”  The  process  of  decoration  in  enamel  colors  com- 
bined with  a lead  flux,  which  were  painted  on  over  the 
white  glaze  and  fixed  by  a second  firing  in  the  muffle 
stove,  came  in  later. 

Blue  was  the  leading  color  in  the  decoration  of  porce- 
lain throughout  the  Ming  dynasty  (1368-1643).  The 
other  colors  were  at  first  principally  used  as  grounds  to 
relieve  the  blue  designs,  or  to  fill  in  ornamental  details 
that  had  been  previously  reserved  in  white  on  a blue 
ground.  Even  in  the  reign  of  Wandi  (1573-1619), 
when  painting  in  enamel  colors  had  come  into  wider 
vogue,  the  blue  was  still  sketched  in  first  on  the  raw 
body,  while  the  other  enamel  colors  wei’e  filled  in  after- 
ward over  the  glaze.  A complete  palette  of  overglaze 
enamel  colors  appears  later  as  a characteristic  of  the 
reign  of  Kdtag-hsi  (1662-1722),  and  the  lai’ge  vases  of 
this  class  decorated  in  brilliant  enamels  of  the  famille 
verte^  that  are  so  often  classified  as  Ming  pieces  l)ecause 
tliey  are  inscribed  Avith  the  mark  of  Cld mgdi.ua^  are 
really  productions  of  the  Kdingdtsi  period. 


568 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


Next  to  bronze  designs  and  antique  carving,  the 
patterns  of  old  silk  brocades  and  woven  stuffs  afforded 
frequent  motives  for  the  decoration  of  porcelain,  as  we 
have  already  seen  in  Chapter  VII.  China  is  the  original 
country  of  silk,  and  it  has  been  celebrated  for  its  woven 
productions  from  the  most  remote  times.  The  twelfth 
book  of  the  Po  wu  yao  lan^  an  excellent  work  on 
objects  of  art  which  has  often  been  quoted,  and  which 
was  published  in  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth 
century,  is  devoted  to  ancient  silks  under  the  heading  of 
chin^  brocades,”  and  hsi%  embroideries,”  the  former 
of  which  were  woven  on  the  loom,  the  latter  worked  by 
hand  with  the  needle.  It  includes  an  account  of  the 
designs  used  in  different  dynasties,  in  w^hich  there  occurs 
a curious  notice  of  live  rolls  of  brocade  with  dragons 
woven  upon  a crimson  ground  that  were  presented,  in 
the  second  year  of  the  Ching-cKu  period  (238),  by  the 
Emperor  Ming  Ti  of  the  Wei  dynasty  to  the  Empress 
of  Japan,  who  is  recorded  to  have  sent  an  embassy  to 
the  Chinese  court  in  that  year.  Under  the  Sung 
dynasty  (960-1279)  is  given  a list  of  about  fifty  brocade 
patterns  of  the  same  general  character  as  those  enumer- 
ated on  pages  255-256 ; and  this  is  followed  by  another 
long  list  of  figured  silk  handkerchiefs  of  the  time,  which 
were  woven  with  designs  similar  to  those  of  the  brocades, 
and  used  for  head  wrappers  and  for  carrying  things  in. 
This  list  of  handkerchiefs  ends  with  a reference  to  the 
white  wool  kerchiefs  of  the  Kitan  Tartars,  the  arabesque 
designs  used  by  the  Niichih  Tartars,  and  the  white 
kerchiefs  of  the  Koreans  of  the  period,  which  were 
woven  with  figures  of  eagles,  vultures,  and  flowers,  with 
pheasants  and  other  birds. 

All  the  different  designs  enumerated  in  both  these 
lists  have  been  constantly  used  in  later  times  in  the 
decoration  of  porcelain. 


MOTIVES  OF  DECOKATION. 


569 


The  painter  on  porcelain  claims  for  himself  only  a 
subordinate  position  in  the  school  of  Chinese  art,  and  his 
greatest  triumph  is  a colorable  imitation  of  one  of  the 
old  painters  on  silk  and  paper,  whose  pictures  are  kept 
mounted  upon  rollers  in  Chinese  cabinets.  These  pic- 
tures are  either  graphically  sketched  in  black  ink,  or 
delicately  tinted  in  water-colors,  painting  in  oil  being 
unknown  to  the  Chinese.  The  Chinese  artist  is  first  a 
writer,  and  he  acquires  his  skill  in  outline  as  a callig- 
raphist  of  the  written  script,  which  was  often  originally 
a picture  of  the  object.  He  has  always  possessed,  as 
M.  Paleologue  observes  in  Art  Chinois  (page  246), 
the  sentiment  of  color,  and  has  acquired  by  intuition,  as 
it  were,  a perfect  skill  and  finished  delicacy  in  its  appli- 
cation. It  is  mainly  in  the  advantage  they  have  taken 
of  the  vibration  of  colors  that  the  Chinese  have  revealed 
their  power  as  colorists.  Instinct  and  observation  have 
taught  them  that  by  shading  the  tints  upon  themselves  a 
singular  depth  and  intense  power  can  be  brought  out. 
In  painting  on  porcelain,  even  more  perhaps  than  in 
painting  on  silk,  they  have  made  the  colors  vibrate  and 
pulsate  by  putting  blue  upon  blue,  red  upon  red,  yellow 
upon  yellow,  in  every  shade  from  the  lightest  to  the 
darkest.  The  defects  of  want  of  perspective  and  ab- 
sence of  relief  modeling  are  less  noticeable  on  porcelain 
than  in  pictures  executed  on  a larger  scale. 

AVith  regard  to  the  different  branches  of  his  art  there 
is  nothing  that  the  artist  on  silk  or  paper,  followed  in 
his  turn  by  the  painter  on  porcelain,  has  not  attempted. 
He  treats  in  succession  religious  and  historical  subjects, 
scenes  of  actual  daily  life,  illustrations  of  poetry,  romance, 
and  the  drama,  landscapes  and  copies  of  Nature,  animals 
real  and  mythical,  fiowers  natural  and  symbolical,  etc. 
The  Cliinese  generally  recognize  four  genres,  viz.:  (1) 
Figures  (-Ten  Wu) ; (2)  Landscape  (S/>an  Shui),  tlie 


570 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


name  meaning  literally  “ liill  and  water”;  (3)  Nature 
{Hua  JSfiao^^  literally  flowers  and  birds”;  and  (4) 
Miscellaneous  (^Tsa  Hua), 

As  a striking  example  of  tlie  first  class  of  decoration 
with  figures,  the  large  vase,  thirty  inches  high,  that  is 
illustrated  in  Figs.  328  and  341,  may  be  presented.  It 
is  painted  with  a battle  scene,  sketched  with  a certain 
amount  of  life  and  energy,  so  that  the  picture  covers  the 
whole  surface  of  the  vase,  extending  over  the  neck  as 
well  as  the  body.  The  colors  used  are  the  brilliant 
overglaze  enamels  of  the  K\mg-lisi  period  (1662-1722),. 
greens  of  different  shade  })iedominating,  and  the  dai*k 
cucumber-green,  the  pale  apple-green,  and  rich  purple 
exhibit  the  finely  crackled  texture  which  distinguishes 
some  of  the  monochrome  glazes  of  the  period.  The 
names  of  the  generals  that  are  written  on  their  ban- 
ners show  that  the  scene  is  taken  from  the  Hsil  S Jiui 
a well-known  collection  of  stories  of  brigands  of 
the  reign  of  Hui  Tsung  of  the  Sung  dynasty,  in  the 
beginning  of  the  twelfth  century,  and  we  must  turn  to- 
the  book  for  a short  explanation : 

The  genera],  Sung  Cliiang,  bad  been  sent  by  the  emperor  witli  au 
army  to  recover  the  city  of  Ch’in-cbou  in  the  province  of  Sliensi,. 
which  had  been  captured  by  brigands.  The  brigands,  led  by  Lei 
Ying-ch’un,  accompanied  by  his  wife  P’o-p’o  Niang,  who  was  called 
Pai  Fu-jen,  “ The  Wliite  Lady,”  a noted  swordswoman,  whose 
charger  was  a lion  that  vomited  flames,  had  taken  refuge  in  the 
Hung-tao  Mountain,  wliich  was  over  one  hundred  miles  round. 
Sung  Chiang  had  advanced  his  troops,  massed  in  three  divisions,  to 
the  attack,  and  Lei  Ying-ch’un  had  been  killed  by  Lin  Ch’ung  in 
the  first  battle.  The  White  Lady,  when  told  the  news  of  the  death 
of  her  husband,  had  wept  bitterly,  but  had  hastened  to  the  front,  and 
had  defeated  the  two  generals  Hua  Jung  and  Ch’in  Ming,  whose 
horses  had  fled  affrighted  by  the  lion,  and  alarmed  by  the  power  of 
the  enemy’s  magicians  over  the  elements. 

Sung  Chiang,  the  imperial  general,  afterward  had  a number  of 
imitation  lions  made  with  moving  eyes  and  heads  filled  with  sulphur,. 


MOTIVES  OF  DECORATION. 


571 


which  could  be  lighted  at  the  critical  moment.  This  is  the  moment 
ohosen  for  illustration.  The  White  Lady,  wielding  a long-handled 
sword,  is  seen  in  the  foreground  mounted  upon  a grotesque  lion, 
and  her  charger  is  just  turning  back,  frightened  by  the  dumiii}'' 
lions  which  are  grouped  on  the  other  bank  of  a river,  as  if  being 
driven  in  a team  by  an  attendant.  She  is  attended  by  two  of  her 
generals  on  horseback,  whose  names  are  inscribed  on  their  banners 
Chang  Ying-kao  and  Ching  Ch’en-pao,  and  the  large,  waving 
triangular  banner  displays  the  constellation  of  the  Great  Bear  and 
the  archaic  dual  s^mibol  in  token  of  her  occult  art.  The  loyal 
generals  are  gathered  on  the  other  bank  of  the  river,  the  large 
square  flag  which  is  carried  by  one  of  the  horsemen  being  inscribed 
Ta  8ung^  “ Great  Sung,”  the  name  of  the  reigning  dynasty.  The 
smaller  group  depicted  on  the  neck  of  the  vase  represents  the 
commander-in-chief  of  the  imperial  army  and  his  staff,  the  waving 
banner  being  inscribed  Shuai,  the  title  of  his  rank.  His  commands 
are  rendered  by  the  man  below,  who  is  beating  a drum.  They  are 
all  gazing  upward,  looking  at  an  apparition  in  the  sky  in  the  guise 
of  a martial  figure,  which  is  approaching  with  eacli  foot  poised 
upon  a fiery  wheel.  This  is  Kuan  Ti,  the  national  god  of  war,  who 
appears  in  China  at  critical  occasions  as  an  omen  of  victoiy,  and 
animates  the  fray,  just  as  the  gods  of  ancient  Greece  were  related 
to  have  done  in  Homeric  times. 

We  are  told  in  the  stoiy  that  afterward  the  White  Lady 
returned  riding  a chestnut  horse,  to  be  killed  by  Hu  Yen- 
sho,  and  that  her  two  generals,  whose  names  are  given 
above,  were  slain  at  the  same  time  by  the  great  general 
Ch’in  Ming  and  by  Kuan  Sheng  the  long-sworded,” 
whose  devices  are  to  be  seen  inscribed  among  the  rest 
upon  the  vase.  The  background  of  the  picture  is  a 
mountain  scene  wdth  large  pines  growing  from  precip- 
itous rocks. 

The  next  illustration  (Fig.  16)  exhibits  a cool  pillow  ” 
of  porcelain  for  summer  use,  which  is  also  painted  in 
brilliant  enamels  of  early  K'^ang-lisi  date,  laid  on  over 
the  white  glaze,  including  manganese  pui’ple,  coi*al-red, 
black,  and  a few  touches  of  gold,  relieved  by  bright 
emerald-green  and  pale  primrose-yellow  grounds.  It  is 


572 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


covered  in  the  middle  with  a foliated  panel  of  floral  bro^ 
cade,  with  peony  scrolls  painted  in  colors  on  a yellow 
ground,  so  as  to  extend  over  three  of  the  sides.  The 
fourth  side  has  a round  hole  in  the  middle  of  a painted 
flower,  which  is  fitted  with  a screw  cover,  so  that  fragrant 
flowers  or  scented  herbs  may  be  introduced  into  the  hol- 
low interior  of  the  pillow.  The  borders  are  surrounded 
by  bands  of  diaper  and  spiral  fret.  The  square  ends,  of 
which  one  is  shown  in  Fig.  342,  are  decorated  with  scenes 
from  some  comedy.  A traveler  of  mature  years,  with  an 
attendant  carrying  baskets  of  fruits  or  flowers,  is  stand- 
ing in  the  courtyard  of  a house  at  the  porch  of  which 
stands  a lady,  bowing  politely  as  she  listens  to  him  talk- 
ing. The  wine-cups  placed  side  by  side  on  the  table 
inside  suggest  an  approaching  wedding,  which  is  perhaps 
the  subject  of  the  discussion. 

Porcelain  is  often  molded  after  sacred  designs  in  the 
form  of  images  and  the  like,  or  illustrated  with  themes 
derived  from  some  one  of  the  religious  cults  followed  in 
China,  and  a word  of  introduction  on  the  subject  may  be 
attempted  here.  There  are  in  China  three  systems  com- 
monly spoken  of  by  foreigners  as  “ religions,”  and  known 
as  Confucianism,  Taoism,  and  Buddhism.  The  first  is  the 
cult  of  the  literati^  of  which  Confucius,  who  lived  b.  o. 
551-479,  is  the  prophet,  and  the  reigning  emperor,  as  the 
Son  of  Heaven  and  the  vice-regent  of  the  Supreme  Deity 
on  earth,  is  the  great  high  priest,  and  he  has  the  sole 
right  of  offering  sacrifice,  unless  he  deputes  the  duty  to 
one  of  the  princes  or  high  mandarins.  It  is  really  a sys- 
tem of  state  philosophy  rather  than  a religion,  as  Confu- 
cius was  himself  a professed  agnostic,  and  was  wont  to 
refuse  to  discuss  the  supernatural  with  his  disciples,  but 
the  practice  of  ancestral  worship  is  inextricably  inter- 
woven with  its  tenets.  The  state  gods,  like  Kuan  Ti,  the 
God  of  War,  are  deified  mortals,  and  subject  to  promo- 


MOTIVES  OF  DECORATION. 


573 


tion  or  degradation  by  the  emperor,  who  rules  the  celes- 
tial hierarchy  on  the  same  lines  as  the  earthly  mandarin- 
ate,  and  may  even  adopt  into  it  any  deity  from  the  other 
cults. 

The  God  of  War  has  already  been  noticed  as  appearing 
in  the  air  as  an  omen  of  victory  in  a battle  scene  depicted 
on  the  large  vase  illustrated  in  Figs.  328  and  341.  Kuan 
Yii,  a well-known  historical  character,  rose  into  celebrity 
in  the  troublous  times  at  the  close  of  the  Han  dynasty. 
He  is  reputed  to  have  been  in  early  life  a seller  of  bean- 
curd,  but  to  have  subsequently  devoted  himself  to  study, 
until  in  the  year  184  he  casually  encountered  Liu  Pei, 
when  the  latter  was  about  to  take  up  arms  against  the 
rebellion  of  the  Yellow  Turbans,  and  a solemn  compact 
was  swwn  in  a peach  orchard.  The  fidelity  of  Kuan  Yti 
to  his  adopted  leader  remained  unshaken  in  despite  of 
many  trials.  At  an  early  period  in  his  career  he  was 
created  a baron  by  the  notorious  regent  Ts’ao  Ts’ao,  who 
tried  to  turn  the  hero  from  his  fealty  to  Liu  Pei,  whose 
two  wives  had  fallen  into  his  power,  by  shutting  up  Kuan 
Yti  at  night  in  the  same  house  with  the  two  imprisoned 
ladies ; but  the  trusty  warrior  preserved  their  reputation 
from  innuendo,  and  proved  his  own  fidelity  by  mounting 
guard  in  an  antechamber  the  livelong  night  with  a lighted 
lantern  in  his  hand.  His  martial  prowess  was  proved  in 
many  campaigns  with  Liu  Pei,  before  the  throne  of  his 
chief  as  sovereign  of  Shu  became  assured,  but  he  fell  a 
victim  at  last  to  the  superior  force  and  strategy  of  Sun 
Ch’iian,  the  founder  of  another  of  the  Three  Kingdoms 
into  which  the  empire  then  became  subdivided,  and  was 
taken  prisoner  and  beheaded  in  the  year  219.  Although 
always  celebrated  as  one  of  the  most  renowned  of  China’s 
heroes,  it  was  not  till  early  in  the  twelfth  century  that 
he  was  canonized  by  the  Emperor  Hui  Tsung  of  the 
Sung  dynasty.  By  the  Emperor  Wan-li  of  the  Ming 


574 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


dynasty  he  was  raised,  in  1594,  to  the  rank  of  Ti^  the 
highest  in  the  hierarchy,  and  since  that  date,  and  espe- 
cially since  the  accession  of  the  reigning  Manchu  dynasty, 
his  worship  as  the  God  of  War  has  been  firmly  established. 

The  porcelain  figure  presented  in  Fig.  343  is  Kuan  Ti, 
the  Chinese  God  of  War,  as  he  sits  enshrined  upon  the 
altar  in  the  gateway  or  front  hall  of  most  of  the  temples 
in  China.  It  represents  a mail-clad  warrior  seated,  in  a 
speaking  attitude,  with  one  hand  uplifted,  in  a wooden 
chair  which  has  dragons’  heads  projecting  from  its  arms, 
one  of  his  legs  resting  on  rocks,  the  other  placed  on  a 
lion  footstool.  The  figure  is  molded  in  one  piece,  with 
the  exception  of  the  hands,  which  can  be  detached. 

The  principal  God  of  Literature  is  the  stellar  divinity. 
Wen  Chang  Ti  Chiin,  whose  constellation  is  one  of  the 
smaller  groups  of  stars  in  Ursa  Major.  He  is  represented 
in  pictures  as  a dignified  figure  in  mandarin  dress  and  a 
broad-brimmed  hat  of  antique  style,  riding  a mule,  accom- 
panied by  attendants  carrying  banner-screens  and  other 
paraphernalia.  His  superior  claims  have  been  ousted, 
however,  by  one  of  his  satellites  known  as  K’uei  Hsing, 
who  is  the  personification  of  the  star  h^uei,  and  who  is  by 
far  the  most  popular  God  of  Literature  in  the  present 
day,  although  he  was  not  formally  canonized  till  the  four- 
teenth century.  Tradition  says  that  he  once  lived  on 
earth,  and  attained  by  his  literary  genius  the  highest 
grade  at  the  official  examinations,  but  was  refused  the 
post  to  which  he  was  entitled  on  account  of  his  ugliness, 
whereuj)on  he  precipitated  himself  in  his  despair  into  the 
Yellow  River,  and  was  borne  to  the  place  which  he  now 
occupies  in  the  firmament  by  the  dragon.  The  porcelain 
statuette  reproduced  in  Fig.  86,  which  is  decorated  in 
overglaze  enamel  colors,  shows  K’uei  Hsing  standing  with 
one  leg  upon  the  head  of  a fish-dragon,  which  is  rising 
from  the  waves.  His  face  is  that  of  a demon,  with 


MOTIVES  OF  DECOEATION. 


575 


repulsive  features,  projecting  canine  teeth,  protuberant 
eyes,  and  two  budding  horns ; the  bare  arms  and  legs  are 
encircled  by  bracelets  and  anklets,  and  the  cloak  waving 
loosely  above  the  head  with  long,  floating  ends  conveys 
the  impression  of  movement.  A pencil-brush  is  wielded 
in  his  uplifted  right  hand,  and  he  holds  a square  cup  of 
ink  in  his  other  hand,  or  a cake  of  ink  molded  in  the  form 
of  a silver  ingot.  The  fish-dragon  {yil-lung)^  which  is  his 
special  attribute,  is  the  emblem  of  literary  persevei*ance 
and  success,  and  is  often  used  alone  in  symbolical  decora- 
tion, as  in  the  blue  and  white  piece  shown  in  Plate 
LXIX.  The  Yellow  River  passes  in  its  course  through 
a famous  defile  known  as  Lung-Men,  or  “ Dragon-Gate,” 
and  according  to  old  legends,  when  the  salmon  ascend 
the  stream  in  the  third  moon  of  each  year,  any  that  suc- 
ceeded in  passing  through  the  precipitous  rapids  at  this 
point  become  transformed  into  dragons.  The  list  of  suc- 
cessful candidates  is  called  the  dragon  list  ” in  allusion 
to  this. 

Taoism  is  the  second  of  the  three  great  religions  of 
Cliina.  Lao  Tzii,  the  founder  of  the  occult  philosophy  of 
tlie  Taoists,  is  said  to  have  been  born  in  the  year  604 
B.  c.,  and  to  have  been  a keeper  of  the  official  records  at 
Lo,  the  capital  of  the  CJiou  dynasty,  in  the  province  of 
Honan,  till  near  the  close  of  the  fifth  century  b.  c.,  when 
he  was  visited  by  Confucius.  The  meeting  of  the  two 
sages  is  one  of  the  scenes  on  the  mural  tomb  sculptures 
of  the  second  century  that  have  been  already  alluded  to, 
and  it  forms  occasionally  the  motive  of  the  decoration  of 
a porcelain  vase.  After  a long  period  of  service  Lao  Tzu 
retired  from  office,  foreseeing  the  decadence  of  the  suze- 
rain house  of  Chov^  and  traveled  away  to  the  west.  The 
governor  of  the  frontier  pass  of  Han  Ku  besought  him 
to  write  a book  before  retiring  from  the  world,  and  was 
intrusted  with  the  Tao  Te  Clnng^  before  the  author  dis- 


576 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


appeared  from  mortal  ken.  This  work,  the  Bible  of 
Taoism,  has  been  translated  into  several  European  lan- 
guages. Later  legends  have  assigned  to  its  author  a 
period  of  fabulous  antiquity,  and  a miraculous  concep- 
tion through  the  influence  of  a star,  alleging  him  to  have 
been  the  incarnation  of  the  supreme  celestial  entity^ 
which  they  called  the  “ Venerable  Prince  of  the  Great 
Supreme,”  whence  he  is  also  termed  Lao  Chlin,  or  Ven- 
erable Prince.”  Shou  Lao,  the  Ancient  of  Ages,”  the 
stellar  god  of  longevity,  whose  celestial  seat  is  near  the 
south  pole,  is  supposed  to  be  the  disembodied  spirit  of 
the  venerable  philosopher.  The  mystic  elements  of  his 
teaching  were  progressively  developed  by  his  early  dis- 
ciples in  their  search  after  an  elixir  to  preserve  the  body 
from  decay  and  death,  and  in  their  efforts  to  discover  the 
lapis  divinus,  and  to  transmute  metals  into  gold,  which 
gave  rise  to  the  ancient  study  of  alchemy,  in  its  two  lead- 
ing branches.  Their  first  great  patron  was  the  Emperor 
Wu  Ti  (b.  c.  140-87)  of  the  Han  dynasty,  and  from  his. 
period  onward  the  reverence  paid  to  Lao  Tzu  began  to 
assume  a divine  character.  In  a.  d.  666  the  emperor  of 
the  Hang  dynasty  canonized  him  with  the  title  of  Im- 
perial God  of  the  Dark  First  Cause,”  and  other  titles 
were  added  subsequently,  till  it  has  become  diflicult  to 
distinguish  his  attributes  from  those  of  Shang  Ti,  the 
supreme  god  of  the  celestial  hierarchy.  Shang  Ti  is 
identified  with  the  northern  pole  star,  his  chariot  is  the 
Great  Bear,  and  the  stars  of  the  circumpolar  space  consti- 
tute his  court — the  Taoist  kingdom  of  heaven — under 
appropriate  titles.  Shou  Lao  is  established  at  the  oppo- 
site pole  of  the  heavens,  and  only  appears  on  auspicious 
occasions.  He  is  represented  (Fig.  348)  as  a venerable 
man  of  benevolent  aspect,  with  bald  head,  protuberant 
forehead,  and  long,  flowing  white  beard,  dressed  in  robes 
brocaded  with  the  character  shou^  “ longevity,”  and  carry- 


MOTIVES  OF  DECORATION. 


577 


ing  a sacred  peach  in  his  hand.  Sometimes  he  is  mounted 
upon  a deer,  or  speeding  through  the  air  on  a stork,  or 
he  may  be  depicted  as  a mortal  sage  in  a rocky  landscape 
riding  an  ox  on  his  long  journey  to  the  west. 

The  old  Nature  gods  ” of  the  Chinese,  the  devouring 
ogre  of  the  wilderness,  called  T’ao-tieh,  whose  features 
are  delineated  on  archaic  bronzes,  the  rain-  and  storm- 
gods,  which  appear  dimly  outlined  in  the  dark  clouds 
before  the  tempest,  and  the  dreaded  thunder-god,  w^hose 
bolts  are  the  prehistoric  stone  axes  and  celts  that  are 
often  found  in  ground  washed  away  by  the  torrent  after 
a thunderstorm,  have  all  been  adopted  by  the  Taoists^ 
but  they  are  rarely  seen  on  porcelain,  and  need  not  detain 
us  here. 

Much  more  popular  is  the  Taoist  Triad  of  Happiness^ 
Rank,  and  Longevity,  “ Fu,  Lu,  Shou,”  which  is  depicted 
in  Fig.  325.  The  vase  is  decorated  in  delicate  enamel 
colors  with  gilding  of  the  Yung-cheng  period,  with  scat- 
tered scrolls  of  clouds  and  flying  storks  bringing  branches 
of  peaches  in  their  beaks.  On  one  side  the  strokes  of 
the  character  shou,  longevity,”  filled  in  with  a brocaded 
ground,  are  interrupted  in  the  middle  by  a peach-shaped 
medallion  containing  a picture  of  a group  of  figures 
gathered  under  a spreading  pine.  The  three  principal 
figures  represent  the  Taoist  Triad,  the  others  being  only 
attendant  sprites.  The  Star  God  of  Rank,  Lu  Hsing,. 
stands  in  the  middle,  dressed  in  mandarin  robes,  with  a 
winged  official  hat  of  ancient  style,  and  holding  a ju-i 
scepter ; the  Star  God  of  Longevity,  Shou  Hsing,  stands 
on  his  right,  leaning  upon  a long  staff,  to  the  top  of 
which  is  slung  a scroll,  and  holding  in  his  left  hand  a 
peach,  the  sacred  fruit  of  life ; the  Star  God  of  Happi- 
ness, Fu  Hsing,  on  the  other  side,  has  a babe  in  his  arms, 
who  is  reaching  out  his  hand  for  the  peach.  The  boy 
dancing  at  the  side  holds  up  a lotus-flower,  the  one  stand- 


578 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


ing  at  the  back  a hand-organ  (tseng).  On  the  other  side 
of  the  vase  the  strokes  of  the  companion  character 
happiness,”  are  interrupted  in  the  middle  by  a circular 
medallion  containing  a picture  of  the  Taoist  goddess, 
Hsi  Wang  Mu,  accompanied  by  two  female  attendants, 
crossing  the  sea  on  a raft. 

The  goddess  is  represented  again  in  the  saucer-shaped 
dish  of  eggshell  porcelain  painted  in  soft  enamel  colors 
with  gilding,  which  is  shown  in  Fig.  339.  The  central 
panel  is  designed  in  the  shape  of  a peony-petal,  and 
sprays  of  peony-flowers  and  buds  are  displayed  upon  the 
lilac  diaper  which  surrounds  it.  It  is  painted  in  sepia 
tints,  touched  with  gold,  with  the  picture  of  two  grace- 
ful female  flgures,  representing  the  Taoist  divinity,  Hsi 
Wang  Mu,  with  a youthful  attendant  standing  upon 
branches  of  equisetum  moss,  as  if  floating  on  water,  with 
their  scarfs  flowing  in  the  breeze.  The  goddess,  dressed 
in  dragon-brocaded  robes,  holds  a gilded  scepter;  the 
attendant  carries  a dish  of  peaches,  the  fruit  of  life  ” of 
Taoist  story.  The  rim  of  the  dish  is  encircled  by  a band 
of  pink  diaper,  interrupted  by  medallions  containing 
sprays  of  peony,  the  floral  attribute  of  the  goddess. 

Hsi  Wang  Mu,  the  queen  of  the  genii,  is  the  ruler  of 
the  Taoist  paradise  in  the  K’un-lun  Mountains,  which  is 
celebrated  in  ancient  myth  and  fable.  Legends  in  the 
old  books  record  the  visit  of  the  Emperor  Mu  Wang  in 
his  journey  to  the  west  in  b.  c.  985,  and  relate  how  he 
was  entertained  by  the  goddess  in  her  fairy  abode,  where 
she  lives,  surrounded  by  troops  of  genii,  on  the  shores 
of  the  Lake  of  Gems,”  where  grow  all  kinds  of  trees 
bearing  fruit  of  jewels  and  precious  jade,  and  the  peach- 
tree  whose  magic  fruit  confers  tlie  gift  of  immortality. 
The  goddess  bestows  this  fruit  upon  the  favoi’ed  beings 
admitted  to  her  presence,  or  dispatches  it  by  the  azure- 
winged birds  who  serve,  like  the  doves  of  Venus,  as  her 


MOTIVES  OF  DECOEATIO^s^. 


579 


messengers.  The  magnificence  of  her  mountain  palace  is 
described  in  glowing  terms  by  Lieh  Tzii,  a Taoist  alle- 
gorical writer  of  the  fifth  century  b.  c.  In  later  times 
the  Emperor  Wu  Ti  of  the  Han  dynasty  is  alleged  to 
have  been  favored  with  visits  by  Hsi  Wang  Mu  and  her 
faiiy  troop,  and  his  regal  entertainment  of  his  super- 
natural guests  is  a well-worn  theme  of  old  picture  and 
story. 

The  snuff-bottle  shown  in  Fig.  347  exhibits  Shou  Lao 
again,  in  the  guise  of  an  aged  pilgrim,  leaning  upon  a 
lono^  staff  to  the  gnarled  head  of  which  is  tied  a double 
gourd,  the  traditional  pilgrim’s  bottle.  The  deer  at  his 
side  has  a branch  of  the  sacred  Polyporus  fungus  in  its 
mouth,  and  the  bats  flying  round  ai*e  introduced  as  sym- 
bols of  happiness.  At  other  times  he  is  seen  as  a vener- 
able figure  seated  on  the  rocks  in  a mountain  landscape 
under  a pine-tree,  with  the  bamboo,  flowering  plum,  and 
sacred  fungus  growing  near,  and  his  familiar  animals,  the 
deer,  tortoise,  and  stork,  near  at  hand,  while  the  motley 
crowd  of  immortals  and  genii  gather  round  in  homage, 
distinguished  by  their  various  attributes.  The  best 
known  of  these  is  the  group  of  Taoist  rislii^  or  hermit 
immortals,  that  constitute  the  Pa  Hsien,  the  Eight 
Genii,”  of  the  Chinese,  whose  emblems  were  given  in  the 
chapter  on  Marks.  The  individual  members  of  the  eight 
have  long  been  venerated  among  the  Taoist  saints, 
although  they  do  not  seem  to  have  formed  into  a defined 
group  before  the  thirteenth  century.  They  are  regarded 
as  tlie  patron  saints  of  different  arts  and  industries,  and 
are  found  separately  as  porcelain  statuettes,  or  united  in 
the  decoration  of  porcelain  bowls  and  dishes,  especially 
on  those  intended  to  hold  sacrificial  offerings.  Tiieir 
names  and  attributes  are  as  follows : 

1.  Chung-li  Chhian^  wlio  lived  during  the  Chou  dj^nasty,  and 
was  one  of  the  discoverers  of  tlie  elixir  of  life.  He  is  represented 


580 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


as  a fat  man,  with  bare,  pendulous  abdomen,  holding  a sacred  fun- 
gus, or  a peach,  in  one  hand,  and  in  the  other  a fly-brush,  or  a fan, 
with  which  he  is  said  to  revive  the  spirits  of  the  dead.  He  is  also 
known  as  Han  Chung-li. 

2.  LU  Tung-pin^  born  in  755,  was  one  of  the  most  prominent 
among  the  later  Taoist  patriarchs,  who  held  office  as  magistrate  of 
Te-hua,  and  studied  the  mysteries  of  alchemy  in  the  recesses  of  the 
hills  called  Lu  Shan  in  the  province  of  Kiangsi.  A personage  of 
martial  aspect,  he  is  armed  with  the  sword  of  supernatural  power, 
with  which  he  traversed  the  empire  for  upward  of  four  hundred 
years,  slaying  dragons  and  ridding  the  earth  of  divers  evil  things. 
He  is  also  known  by  his  personal  name  of  Lti  Yen,  and  is  worshiped 
everywhere  as  the  special  patron  of  the  sick,  who  hang  up  the 
magic  sword  by  their  bedside  to  exorcise  maleflcent  spirits.  Under 
the  designation  of  Lii  Tsu,  or  the  “ Patriarch  Lii,”  he  is  the  patron 
saint  of  the  fraternity  of  barbers. 

3.  THeh-kuai — that  is  to  say,  ‘‘  Li  with  the  Iron  Crutch  ” — 
presents  himself  in  the  guise  of  a lame  and  crooked  beggar  dressed 
in  rags.  No  precise  period  is  assigned  to  his  existence  on  earth,  but 
he  is  said  to  have  been  of  commanding  stature  and  dignified  mien, 
and  devoted  to  the  study  of  Taoist  lore,  in  which  he  was  instructed 
by  Lao  Tzu  himself,  who  used  to  summon  his  pupil  to  the  celestial 
spheres.  When  his  spirit  mounted  on  high,  the  care  of  his  body, 
which  remained  on  earth,  was  confided  to  one  of  his  disciples.  On 
one  occasion,  unhappily,  the  watcher  was  called  away  to  the  deathbed 
of  Ids  mother,  and  his  trust  being  neglected,  when  the  disembodied 
spirit  returned  it  found  its  earthly  habitation  no  longer  vitalized. 
The  first  available  refuge  was  the  body  of  a lame  beggar,  whose 
spirit  had  at  that  moment  been  exhaled,  and  in  this  shape  the  sage 
continued  his  existence,  supported  by  an  iron  crutch,  and  carrying 
a pilgrim’s  gourd,  from  which  clouds  and  magic  apparitions  are 
often  seen  to  be  issuing.  He  is  the  special  patron  of  astrologers 
and  magicians. 

4.  Ts’ao  Kuo-cKiu  is  said  to  have  been  the  son  of  a famous 
general  of  the  tenth  century,  and  brother  of  an  empress  regent  of 
the  ^ung  dynasty.  He  is  dressed  in  official  robes,  wears  a winged 
hat,  and  carries  a pair  of  castanets.  He  is  the  patron  of  mummers 
and  actors. 

5.  Lan  Ts'ai-hOy  a legendary  being  of  whom  little  is  known,  the 
sex  even  being  uncertain.  One  story  says  that  it  was  a weird  woman 


MOTIVES  OF  DECOEATION. 


5.81 


dressed  in  a tattered  blue  gown,  with  a cloak  of  leaves,  who  used  to 
beg  a livelihood  in  the  streets,  chanting  a doggerel  verse  denunciatory 
of  fleeting  life  and  its  delusive  pleasures.  She  carries  a spade  and 
a basket  of  flowers,  and  is  worshiped  by  gardeners  and  florists  as 
their  tutelary  saint. 

6.  Chang  Kuo  Lao,  a celebrated  necromancer,  who  is  said  to 
have  flourished  in  the  seventh  and  eighth  centuries,  and  to  have 
possessed  a wonderful  white  mule  which  carried  him  thousands  of 
miles  at  a stretch.  He  used  to  carry  the  picture  of  his  mule  folded 
and  hidden  away  in  his  wallet,  and  made  the  beast  resume  its  proper 
shape  b}^  spurting  water  on  the  picture.  At  other  times  he  would 
oonjure  it  out  of  his  magic  gourd.  He  is  recognized  by  the  peculiar 
musical  instrument  which  he  carries,  a kind  of  drum  of  bamboo, 
with  a pair  of  rods.  He  is  the  patron  of  artists  and  calligraphists, 
and  of  scholars  generally. 

7.  Ha7i  Hsiang  TziX  is  reputed  to  have  been  a great-nephew  of 
the  celebrated  statesman  Han  Yu,  who  lived  768-824,  and  was  an 
ardent  lover  of  transcendental  study.  As  a pupil  of  the  patriarch 
Lit  Tung-pin,  he  gained  admission  into  the  Taoist  paradise  and 
climbed  the  tree  of  life,  the  sacred  peach-tree,  fi’om  which  he  fell 
to  the  ground,  and,  in  descending,  entered  into  the  state  of  immor- 
tality. He  is  represented  as  a young  man  playing  upon  a flute,  and 
is  specially  worshiped  by  musicians. 

8.  Ho  Hsien  Ku,  the  maiden  immortal  of  the  group,  is  said  to 
have  been  a native  of  the  neighborhood  of  Canton.  At  the  age  of 
fourteen  a spirit  visited  her  in  a dream,  and  instructed  her  in  the 
art  of  attaining  immortality  by  eating  powdered  jade  and  mother- 
of-pearl.  She  followed  these  instructions  implicitly,  vowed  herself 
to  a life  of  virginity,  gradually  renounced  ordinary  human  food, 
and  acquired  the  faculty  of  traversing  the  hills  in  spiritualistic 
fashion,  as  if  endowed  with  wings.  She  used  to  return  at  night 
with  the  herbs  she  had  gathered  during  her  solitary  wanderings. 
She  still  appears  occasionally  to  her  favored  votaries,  floating'  upon 
a cloud  of  many  colors,  as  depicted  on  the  charming  eggshell  dish 
illustrated  in  Plate  LXIH,  where  she  is  represented  as  carrying 
in  her  hands  a large  jar  of  the  elixir  of  life.  She  is  usually  clad  in 
a cloak  of  miigwort-leaves,  carries  a lotus,  and  is  the  tutelary  genius 
of  housewifery. 

The  oblong  porcelain  plaque  which  is  exhibited, 
mounted  in  its  frame  of  carved  wood,  in  Fig.  352,  is 


582 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


painted  in  enamel  colors  of  the  CTiHen-lung  period,  with  a 
picture  of  the  eight  immortals  (Pa  Hsien)  crossing  the 
sea  on  their  way  to  the  immortal  realms  on  the  far  bank. 
The  shore  to  which  they  are  proceeding  is  a conventional 
mountain  scene,  with  tall  pines  in  the  foreground,  repre- 
senting  the  Elysian  fields  of  the  Taoist  cult. 

Tung  Fang  So,  who  lived  in  the  second  century  b.  c.^ 
was  one  of  the  favorite  associates  of  the  Emperor  Wu 
Ti  of  the  Han  dynasty,  into  whose  service  he  entered 
B.  c.  138,  when  the  young  sovereign  summoned  the  most 
gifted  scholars  and  men  of  genius.  He  encouraged  the 
emperor’s  leaning  to  the  superstitious  and  marvelous,  and 
was  soon  after  his  death  adopted  as  a Taoist  saint  and 
endowed  with  all  kinds  of  miraculous  qualities.  He  was 
declared  to  be  an  embodiment  of  the  planet  Venus,  and 
to  have  been  incarnate  many  times  in  the  course  of 
Chinese  history.  The  goddess  Hsi  Wang  Mu,  who  saw 
him  during  her  visit  to  the  court,  is  said  to  have 
exclaimed,  That  is  the  boy  who  once  stole  three  of  my 
sacred  peaches,  and  acquired  thereby  a longevity  of  nine 
thousand  years  ! ” He  is  always  represented  holding  a 
gigantic  peach  in  his  hand,  or  speeding  across  the  clouds 
with  a branch  of  the  fruit  of  life  thrown  over  his 
shoulder. 

The  list  of  Taoist  genii  is  nearly  endless,"^  for  every 
vocation  has  its  tutelary  saint,  who  is  often  a deified 
moi’tal  who  once  worked  at  the  craft,  as  in  the  case  of 
the  patron  Pousa  of  the  potters,  the  story  of  whose 
vicarious  sacrifice  has  been  related  in  the  chapter  on 
Ching-te-chen. 

Sailors  worship  the  goddess  Ma  Ku,  and  build  temples 

* There  are  several  books  on  the  subject,  one  of  the  earliest  being  the  Shen 
Hsien  Chuan,  by  Ko  Hung,  written  in  the  fourth  century  a.  d.,  which  gives 
a series  of  biographical  notices  of  eighty-four  immortals.  Cf.  Harlez,  Le 
Lime  des  Esprits  et  des  Immortels.  Essai  de  mythologie  Chinoise  d'apres  les 
textes  originaux.  Bruxelles,  1893. 


MOTIVES  OF  DECOEATION. 


583 


at  the  seaports,  where  she  is  enshrined  under  the  title  of 
Then  Hou,  “Empress  of  Heaven”;  she  appears  riding 
upon  the  storm-clouds,  or  floating  on  the  rough  sea- waves, 
to  direct  her  votaries  in  times  of  danger,  and  is  liberally 
propitiated  by  ex  voto  offerings  when  they  are  once  more 
safe  on  shore.  The  complaisant  Taoists  have  even  dedi- 
cated an  altar  for  thieves,  and  supplied  them  with  a 
deity  of  their  own,  to  whom  they  devote  a portion  of 
their  ill-gotten  gains  after  a successful  raid.  Some  of  the 
genii  are  connected  with  folk-lore  rather  than  religion, 
and  partake  of  the  nature  of  the  fairies  of  Western  story, 
like  the  mischievous  elf  who  hides  away  in  the  thorny' 
recess  of  the  jujube-tree,  or  the  tiny  peachling  whose 
abode  is  in  the  kernel  of  the  fruit. 

Among  other  genii  often  represented  in  the  decoration 
of  porcelain  are : Liu  Han,  whose  familiar  is  the  three- 
legged  toad  from  the  moon,  which  reveals  to  him  secrets 
of  immortality  and  hidden  treasures,  and  who  holds  up 
a coin  or  jewel  between  finger  and  thumb,  or  waves  a 
string  of  cash  in  the  air;  Wang  Ch’iao,  the  philosopher 
prince  of  the  sixth  century  b.  c.,  who  is  seen  playing 
upon  the  flute  as  he  rides  through  the  air  upon  the  white 
crane,  from  whose  back  he  waved  a final  adieu  to  the 
world  as  he  ascended  to  the  immortal  realms ; and  the 
scantily  clothed  hermit,  Huang  An,  who  sits  cross-legged 
upon  the  back  of  a tortoise  swimming  across  the  sea. 
The  twin  genii,  called  Ho  Ho  Erh  Hsieu — that  is  to  say, 
“Two  Genii,  of  Union  and  Harmony” — are  perhaps  the 
most  popular  of  any.  They  are  two  cronies,  Arcades 
arnho^  who  take  many  forms,  being  represented  sometimes 
as  ragged  mendicants,  with  staff  and  besom,  in  friendly 
converse,  as  they  approach  a priest  who  is  ringing  a 
monastery  bell ; sometimes  as  a couple  of  hermits  with 
smiling,  boyish  faces,  one  carrying  a lotus-flower,  the 
other  a box  from  underneath  the  cover  of  which  a cloud 


584 


OKIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


may  be  seen  issuing  which  is  shaping  itself  into  the  form 
of  bats  as  emblems  of  happiness.  The  twin  merry  genii 
are  presented  in  Fig.  346,  with  the  arm  of  one  encircling 
the  neck  of  the  other.  They  have  gold  bracelets  and 
anklets,  and  their  robes  are  richly  brocaded  in  enamel 
colors  with  gilding  of  the  CliHen-hmg  period,  so  that  they 
have  altogether  a very  mundane  aspect,  and  their  super- 
natural character  might  hardly  be  suspected  were  it  not 
for  the  cloud-enveloped  pedestal  of  celadon  tint  on  which 
they  are  posed,  which  mark  them  as  celestial  beings. 
These  smiling  features  pervade  domestic  life  in  China: 
they  are  printed  on  the  wall-paper,  and  woven  in  silk  as 
appropriate  hangings  for  the  marriage  couch,  and  even 
towels  imported  from  abroad  are  seen  stamped  in  fugitive 
ink  with  the  effigies  of  the  two  merry  genii.  Should 
there  be  an  estrangement  between  lovers  or  friends,  one 
of  them  must  go  to  a temple,  burn  incense  at  the  shrine 
consecrated  to  the  two  genii,  and  bring  away  a pinch  of 
ashes  from  the  censer,  and  if  this  be  surreptitiously  put 
into  a cup  of  tea  and  the  decoction  be  drunk  by  the 
estranged  one  unknowingly,  it  will  infallibly  bring  about 
a complete  reconciliation. 

Buddhism,  the  third  great  religion  of  China,  was  intro- 
duced from  India.  The  earliest  missionaries  came  over- 
land to  the  southwest  of  the  Chinese  Empire,  the  modern 
province  of  Ssti-chuan,  and  arrived  in  the  second  century 
B.  c.,  but  gained  few  converts.  It  was  not  till  the  year 
61  A.  D.  that  the  Emperor  Ming  Ti^  in  consequence  of  a 
dream  of  a golden  figure  of  supernatural  proportions, 
whose  head  was  encircled  by  a shining  halo,  sent  an 
embassy  to  India,  which  brought  back  with  them  many 
sacred  books  and  images.  Two  Indian  priests,  Matanga 
and  Gobharana,  accompanied  the  mission  on  its  return  to 
China,  and  the  emperor  built  a temple  for  their  residence 
at  Loyang,  then  the  capital.  It  was  called  Pai  Ma  Ssii, 


3I0TIVES  OF  DECOEATION. 


586 


White  Horse  Monastery,”  in  commemoration  of  their 
having  brought  the  Sanskrit  books  on  a white  horse,  and 
they  forthwith  proceeded  to  translate  those  books  into 
Chinese.  Buddhism  penetrated  subsequently  to  Korea, 
and  through  that  country  into  Japan,  which,  however,  it 
did  not  reach  till  the  middle  of  the  sixth  century. 

Buddhism  is  well  known,  in  comparison  with  Taoism, 
and  there  is  a vast  literature  on  the  subject  available  for 
reference,  so  that  it  need  not  detain  us  so  long.  One  of 
the  most  recent  works  on  the  subject  is  that  written  by 
Dr.  Waddell,*  on  the  borders  of  Tibet.  It  is  well  illus- 
trated, and  will  be  found  a mine  of  myth  and  symbolism, 
the  author  having,  he  tells  us,  purchased  a Buddhist 
temple,  with  all  its  ritual  fittings,  and  obtained  much  of 
his  information  on  obscure  points  from  learned  lamas  on 
the  spot. 

Sakyamuni,  the  historical  Buddha,  is  rarely  molded  in 
porcelain,  more  precious  materials,  such  as  jade,  rock- 
crystal,  amethyst,  or  turquoise,  being  considered  more 
suitable  for  his  exalted  dignity  when  represented  on  a 
small  scale.  His  principal  representations  are  : 

1.  His  Birth.  A figure  of  a child  standing  erect  upon  a lotus- 
thalamus,  pointing  upward  to  heaven  with  his  right  hand,  down- 
ward to  earth  with  his  left,  according  to  the  tradition  which  tells 
us  that  he  cried  out  at  the  moment,  “1  the  only,  most  exalted 
one  I 

2.  Sdhya  returning  from  the  ^Mountains.  Of  ascetic  aspect, 
with  beard  and  shaven  poll,  attired  in  fiowing  garments  and  hold- 
ing his  hands  in  a position  of  prayer.  The  ear-lobes  are  enlarged, 
a sign  of  wisdom,  and  the  brow  bears  the  urna,  the  luminous  mark 
that  distinguishes  a Buddha,  or  a Bodhisattva. 

3.  The  ATl-ieise  Sdhya.  A Buddha  seated  cross-legged  upon  a 
lotus  throne,  resting  the  left  hand  upon  the  knee,  the  right  hand 
raised  in  the  mystic  preaching  pose.  The  hair  is  generally  repre- 

*The  Buddhism  of  Tibet,  or  Lamaism.,  vjiih  its  Mystic  Cults.,  Symbolism.,  and 
Mythology.,  and,  in  its  Relation  to  IndAan  BudAhism.  By  L.  A.  Waddell,  ^1.  B., 
etc.,  London,  1895, 


586 


OKIENTAL  CEEAMIC  ART. 


sented  as  a blue  mass  composed  of  short,  close  curls,  and  a jewel  is 
placed  about  midway  between  the  crown  and  forehead. 

4.  The  Nirvana.  A recumbent  figure  lying  upon  a raised 
bench,  with  the  head  pillowed  upon  a lotus. 

5.  In  the  Sdkyamuni  Trinity.  Either  erect,  or  seated  in  the 
attitude  of  meditation,  with  the  alms-bowl  in  his  hands,  between 
his  s^oiritua]  sons,  the  Bodhisattvas  Manjusri  and  Samantabhadra, 
the  three  forming  a mystic  triad. 

Manjusri^  or  Manjughosha,  ^^The  sweet-voiced,”  the 
Buddhist  Apollo  or  God  of  Wisdom,  is  the  great  dis- 
peller of  ignorance.  With  the  bright  sword  of  divine 
knowledge,  which  he  wields  in  his  right  hand,  he  cuts 
all  knotty  points,  and  he  carries  in  his  left  hand  the 
bible  of  transcendental  wisdom  placed  upon  a lotus- 
flower.  He  is  often  represented  mounted  on  a lion. 

Samantabhadra,  ^‘The  All-good,”  the  other  celestial 
Bodhisat  of  the  Buddhist  Trinity^,  is  always  seated  upon 
an  elephant,  and  usually  holds  a book. 

Gigantic  images  of  the  above  triad  occupy  the  center 
of  the  large  hall  of  a Chinese  temple,  while  the  walls  are 
lined  with  flgures  of  the  eighteen  Lohan  (Sanskrit, 
Arhat),  representing  the  chief  of  the  early  apostles  or 
missionaries  of  the  faith,  each  provided  with  its  own 
particular  shrine  and  altar.  The  number  was  originally 
sixteen,  and  the  Japanese  still  keep  to  the  original  group, 
not  having  adopted  the  two  saints  which  have  been  more 
recently  added  in  China.  Each  of  these  “ eighteen 
Arhats  ” is  figured  in  a fixed  attitude,  and  each  has  his 
distinctive  symbol  or  badge,  in  the  same  way  as  our  apos- 
tles are  represented — Mark  with  a lion,  Luke  with  a book, 
etc.  The  group  is  sometimes  painted  on  a porcelain  vase 
or  snuff-bottle,  or  is  seen  passing  in  procession  round  the 
sides  of  a bowl  or  cup  intended  for  sacrificial  use. 

The  two  best-known  members  of  the  group  are  perhaps 
the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth : Dharmatrdta,  born,  like 


MOTIVES  OF  DECORATION. 


587 


the  original  sixteen,  in  India,  and  Ho-sliang^  “ The 
Monk,”  the  only  one  that  has  a Chinese  name.  Dhar- 
matrata,  as  a lay  devotee,  wears  long  hair.  He  holds  a 
vase  and  fly-whisk,  carries  on  his  back  a bundle  of 
books,  and  gazes  at  a small  image  of  the  mystic  celestial 
Buddha  Amitabha.  He  wrote  seven  works,  of  which  • 
the  chief,  Uddnavarga^  a collection  of  verses  from  the 
Buddhist  Canon,  has  been  translated  into  English  by 
Mr.  W.  W.  Kockhill. 

Ho-shang,  “The  Monk,”  is  the  familiar  Pii-tai  Ho-  . 
shang,  “the  Priest  with  the  Hempen  Bag,”  whom  the 
Japanese  call  Ho-tei,  that  being  their  pronunciation  of 
the  first  two  syllables  of  his  name,  which  mean  “ hempen 
bag.”  They  describe  him  as  a Chinese  bonze  or  monk, 
who  lived  about  a thousand  years  ago,  and  was  remark- 
able for  his  fatness,  his  love  of  children,  and  especially 
for  always  carrying  a large  hempen  sack,  from  which  his 
name  was  derived.  The  bag,  which  has  always  a bol- 
sterlike roundness,  is  put  to  many  uses ; it  may  be  a 
bed  on  which  the  owner  is  reclining,  a receptacle  for  the 
hundred  precious  things,  or  a trap  for  the  little  boys  and 
girls  who  cluster  round  and  are  enticed  inside  to  see  the 
wonderful  things  it  contains ; whatever  it  may  be,  it  is  as 
inseparable  from  Ho-tei  as  are  his  fair,  round  stomach  and 
double  chin.  In  China  he  represents  the  last  incarnation 
of  Maitreya^  “ The  Loving  One,”  the  coming  Buddha  or 
Buddhist  Messiah,  and  his  obese  image,  with  a loosened 
girdle  in  one  hand  and  a rosary  in  the  other,  is  enshrined 
by  them  in  the  front  hall  of  every  temple,  under  the 
name  of  Mi-lo  Fo — i.  e.,  Maitreya  Buddha.  He  ranks  as  a 
Bodhisat,  having  only  once  more  to  pass  through  human 
existence  to  attain  Buddhahood,  and  under  this  title,  con- 
tracted to  pou-sa^  or  poussah^  has  become  proverbial  in 
French  as  an  emblem  of  contentment  and  sensuality. 
His  image  is  very  frequently  molded  in  porcelain,  and  it 


688  OEIENTAL  CEEAMIO  AET.,^  * 

has  often  been  erroneously  considered  to  be  that  of  the 
martyr  patron  of  the  potters,  and  labeled  as  le  dieu  de  la 
porcelaine.  Maitreya  is  supposed  now  to  be  enthroned 
in  the  Tushita  heaven,  and  he  is  a favorite  deity  of  the 
Tibetans. 

The  most  popular  of  all  the  Buddhist  divinities  in 
China,  as  well  as  in  Japan,  is  Kuan  Yin,  the  Goddess  of 
Mercy,  whose  figure  is  illustrated  here  in  Plate  LX. 
She  also  ranks  as  a Bodhisat,  and  is  identified  with 
Avalokita,  “ The  Keen-seeing  Lord,”  the  spiritual  son  of 
the  celestial  Buddha  Amit4bha,  who  shares  with  him  the 
dominion  of  the  Paradise  in  the  West.  This  is  the  most 
powerful  of  all  the  Bodhisats,  and  the  one  of  which  the 
Dalai  Lamas  of  Tibet  pretend  to  be  the  incarnation. 
Avalokita,  being  a pure  mythological  creation,  is  seldom, 
like  Buddha,  represented  as  a mere  man,  but  is  invested 
with  all  kinds  of  supernatural  forms  and  attributes. 
The  four-handed  form  figures  him  as  a prince  sitting  in 
the  Buddha  posture,  with  the  front  pair  of  hands  joined 
in  devotional  attitude,  while  the  other  hands  hold  a 
rosary  and  a long-stemmed  lotus-flower.  Another  form 
has  eleven  heads,  piled  up  in  the  shape  of  a cone,  and 
eighteen,  or  even  forty  hands,  grasping  symbols  and 
weapons,  and  stretched  out  in  all  directions  to  defend 
and  rescue  the  wretched  and  the  lost ; and  some  of  the 
manifestations  are  endowed  with  a thousand  eyes,  ever 
on  the  lookout  to  perceive  distress.  The  Chinese  Bud- 
dhists relate  that  Avalokita  once  appeared  on  earth  as  a 
daughter  of  a king  of  the  Chou  dynasty  in  696  b.  c., 
although  Buddhism  was  not  introduced  into  the  country 
till  long  after  that  date.  The  princess  was  sentenced  to 
death  by  her  father  for  refusing  to  marry,  but  the  execu- 
tioner’s sword  broke  without  harming  her.  When  her 
spirit  went  down  to  hell,  hell  was  changed  into  paradise, 
until  Yama,  the  ruler  of  the  realms  below,  sent  her  back 


■ MOTIVES  OF  DECOEATION. 


589 


to  life,  and  she  was  miraculously  conveyed  upon  a lotus- 
petal  to  the  island  of  Potala.  Hers  is  the  image  that  is 
worshiped  throughout  the  far  East  to-day  as  the  personi- 
fication of  love  and  charity.  In  one  of  its  shapes,  Kuan 
Yin  the  Maternal,  the  Goddess  of  Mercy  has  a child  in 
her  arms,  and  is  specially  sacrificed  to  by  women  desirous 
of  offspring,  who  load  her  altar  with  ex-voto  offerings  of 
doll-like  babes  made  of  silk  or  molded  in  porcelain. 
These  are  the  images  that  have  been  occasionally  mis- 
taken for  representations  of  the  “ Virgin  and  Child.” 
Bodhidharma  is  a Buddhist  saint  frequently  repre- 
sented in  Chinese  and  Japanese  art,  and  he  is  seen 
molded  in  stoneware  in  Plate  XLI.  He  was  the  twenty- 
eighth  and  last  of  the  line  of  Indian  patriarchs,  and  the 
first  Chinese  patriarch.  The  son  of  a king  in  southern 
India,  he  came  to  China  by  sea  in  the  year  520,  and  was 
the  first  to  bring  the  palm  called  patra  (Borassus  flabel 
liformis).  He  settled  in  Loyang,  where  he  was  called 
^^The  Wall-gazing  Brahman,”  because  he  remained  per- 
fectly still  the  whole  time  engaged  in  silent  meditation. 
He  died  about  the  year  529,  and  was  buried  in  the  monas- 
tery grounds,  but  was  met,  the  legend  says,  soon  after, 
enveloped  in  his  shroud,  on  his  way  back  to  his  native 
land,  holding  one  shoe  in  his  hand,  saying,  when  ques- 
tioned, that  he  had  forgotten  to  bring  the  other.  The 
grave  was  afterward  opened ; the  corpse  had  disappeared, 
and  only  a single  shoe  was  found.  Bodhidharma  is  often 
pictured  crossing  the  water  standing  upon  a reed,  which 
he  had  plucked  from  the  bank.  The  Chinese  form  of  his 
name  is  Tamo,  and  some  of  the  more  credulous  of  the 
early  Roman  Catholic  missionaries  in  China  were  inclined 
to  believe,  from  the  similarity  in  the  names,  that  he 
might  be  identified  vdth  St.  Thomas,  who  is  supposed  to 
have  gone  as  an  apostle  to  India,  and  might  well,  they 
argued,  have  extended  his  journey ings  to  China. 


590 


OEIENTAL  CEEAMTC  AET. 


The  influence  of  Buddhism  on  Chinese  art  was  of  the 
most  profound  and  far-reaching  nature,  and  extended  to 
building  and  sculpture,  as  well  as  to  the  carving  of 
images  in  precious  stones,  the  casting  of  ritual  vessels 
of  novel  design  in  metals,  and  the  painting  of  sacred 
pictures  on  paper  and  silk.  In  all  these  arts  the  Hindu 
monks  are  said  to  have  been  skilled,  and  they  imposed 
their  canons  on  the  Chinese,  so  that  down  to  the  present 
day  the  sacred  images  are  modeled  on  the  old  lines, 
and  exhibit  a marked  Aryan  type  and  physiognomy. 
Monasteries  were  soon  founded  throughout  China  in  the 
most  picturesque  spots  in  the  hills,  with  tall  pagodas 
to  enshrine  sacred  relics  and  chaityas  of  varied  form  as 
funeral  monuments,  such  as  now  make  a necessary 
adjunct  to  every  Chinese  landscape.  One  of  the  ordi- 
nary forms  of  the  chaitya^  or  ddgaba^  is  seen  molded 
in  porcelain  in  Fig.  349.  It  is  a microcosm  of  the 
universe  according  to  Buddhist  ideas.  The  plinth  is 
square,  the  form  of  earth ; the  hollow  shrine,  with  open 
door,  has  the  vaulted  form  of  heaven ; and  the  spire  is 
horizontally  ridged  to  represent  the  thirteen  celestial 
spheres  in  superimposed  tiers;  the  umbrella-shaped  top 
is  crowned  with  the  jeweled  vase,”  bound  with  waving 
flllets.  The  painted  decoration  of  strings  of  colored 
beads  and  gilded  rings  hanging  from  grotesque  mon- 
strous heads,  and  of  arabesque  scrolls  of  conventional 
flowers,  is  also  of  Buddhist  type. 

Among  Buddhist  mythological  animals,  the  dragon 
(gidga)  and  the  golden-winged  bird  {ganida)  are  the 
chief.  The  former  had  a serpent  form  like  the  cobra, 
and  the  latter  had  something  in  common  with  the 
adjutant-bird,  the  enemy  of  the  serpent  tribe,  but  the 
Chinese  have  modified  both  after  their  j^i’^vious  con- 
ceptions of  the  dragon  (lung)  and  phcenix  (feng).  The 
lion  is  an  animal  that  occupied  an  important  place  in 


MOTIVES  OF  DECORATIOI^. 


591 


Hindustan  as  one  of  the  insignia  of  royalty  and  a sup- 
porter of  the  throne,  and  it  is  often  figured  also  as 
a guardian  of  the  jewel  of  the  law.  It  was  new  to 
China,  not  being  a native  of  the  country,  and  even  now, 
although  a pair  of  bronze  or  stone  lions  stands  before 
the  gateway  of  every  palace  and  large  temple  in  China, 
and  another  is  often  molded  in  porcelain  in  miniature,  as 
we  have  seen,  for  ritual  use,  they  are  always  of  grotesque 
form,  and  have  flames  issuing  from  the  hips  and 
shoulders,  the  attributes  of  mythological  animals.  The 
lion  in  ordinary  Chinese  art  is  a tame  beast,  sporting 
with  a brocaded  ball ; their  own  king  of  beasts  is  the 
dreaded  tiger,  which  contends  with  the  dragon  as  the 
prince  of  the  powers  of  the  air. 

The  elephant,  the  horse,  and  the  hare  are  sometimes 
seen  in  a picture  on  a porcelain  vase,  crossing  the  dark 
sea  which  leads  to  paradise,  the  only  animals  that  have 
obtained  admittance  to  Nirvana  by  their  own  merit.  The 
elephant  is  also  molded  in  porcelain  for  the  Buddhist 
altar  as  the  bearer  of  the  jeweled  vase,  and  the  horse 
as  carrying  on  his  back  sacred  books ; the  hare,  which 
now  lives  in  the  moon,  was  exalted  after  it  had  offered 
itself  a willing  sacrifice  as  food  for  Buddha  when  he  was 
starving.  When  horses  form  the  decoration  of  a vase,  it 
is  generally  the  team  of  eight  famous  horses  of  the 
ancient  Emperor  Mu  Wang^  which  were  driven  by  his 
charioteer  Tsao  Fu,  on  his  expedition  to  the  K’un-lun 
Mountains  to  visit  Hsi  Wang  Mu,  the  Queen  of  the 
Genii. 

The  four  supernatural  or  spiritually  endowed  crea- 
tures (^Ssu  LiiuJ)  of  the  Chinese  are  the  dragon,  the 
phoenix,  the  tortoise,  and  the  unicorn.  Sometimes  the 
tiger  is  associated,  making  a group  of  ^^Five  Ling.” 

1.  The  dragon  {Lung),  the  chief  among  the  scaly  reptiles,  is 
conventionally  depicted  as  a four-footed  monster,  resembling  some 


592 


OEIENTAL  CEEAMIC  AET. 


of  the  huge  saurians  that  have  recently  been  discovered  by  paleon- 
tologists, and  the  fossil  bones  of  such,  it  may  be  added,  really 
figure  as  dragon’s  bones’’  in  the  Chinese  pharmacopoeia.  It 
is  conventionally  represented  with  a bearded,  scowling  head, 
straight  horns,  a scaly,  serpentine  body,  with  four  feet  armed 
with  formidable  claws,  a line  of  bristling  dorsal  spines,  and 
flames  proceeding  from  the  hips  and  shoulders.  The  claws,  origi- 
nally three  in  number  on  each  foot,  were  afterward  increased  to 
four  and  five,  the  last  number  being  restricted  to  the  imperial 
dragon  of  the  last  and  present  dynasties,  as  brocaded  on  imperial 
robes  and  painted  on  porcelain  made  for  the  use  of  the  palace. 
The  dragon,  in  ancient  philosophy,  corresponds  to  the  East,  to 
spring,  etc.,  and  Azure  Dragon”  is  the  name  of  the  eastern 
quadrant  of  the  uranosphere.  It  has  the  power  of  transformation, 
and  the  gift  of  rendering  itself  visible  or  invisible  at  pleasure. 
Kuan  Tzu  (seventh  century  B.  c.)  declares  that  ^^the  dragon 
becomes  at  will  reduced  to  the  size  of  a silkworm,  or  swollen  till  it 
fills  the  universe  ; it  desires  to  mount,  and  it  rises  until  it  affronts 
the  clouds;  to  sink,  and  it  descends  until  hidden  below  the 
fountains  of  the  deep.”  The  early  cosmogonists  described  four 
kinds  of  dragons : the  celestial  dragons  {t’ien  lung),  which  support 
and  guard  the  mansions  of  the  gods  ; the  spiritual  dragons  {sMn 
lung),  which  rule  the  winds  and  produce  rain  for  the  benefit  of 
mankind ; the  earth  dragons  {ti  lung),  which  direct  the  flow  of 
rivers  and  springs  ; and  the  dragons  of  hidden  treasures  { fu  ts^ang), 
which  watch  over  buried  wealth  concealed  from  mortals.  The 
Buddhist  dragon  of  the  law  {fa  lung)  is  represented  as  tightly 
grasping  the  jewel  of  the  faith  in  one  of  its  outstretched  paws ; 
originally  hostile,  it  has  become  submissive  to  Buddha  and  a trusty 
guardian  of  the  faith.  The  celestial  dragons  in  Chinese  art,  as 
they  ascend  and  descend,  are  usually  represented  in  pursuit  of 
effulgent  jewels  that  a}3pear  to  be  whirling  in  space,  and  that  are 
supposed  to  be  of  magic  efficacy,  granting  every  wish.  The 
congener  of  the  celestial  dragon  is  the  chiao  lung,  the  dragon  of 
lakes  and  marshes,  who  is  figured  in  the  lunar  zodiac,  already 
referred  to,  as  a dragon-headed  serpent  without  feet.  The  p’an 
lung  is  the  dragon  coiled  in  a circle,  hibernating  in  the  watery 
depths,  that  often  forms  medallions  on  bowls  and  dishes ; some  say 
it  is  the  dragon  which  does  not  mount  to  heaven.  The  cliHh  lung 
is  the  archaic  dragon  of  ancient  bronzes,  a clinging,  lizardlike 
reptile  with  clawless  feet  and  spiral  bifid  tail,  that  is  often  molded 
in  relief  on  libation  wine-cups  and  other  porcelain  vessels  of 


MOTIVES  OF  DECOEATION. 


593 


antique  design.  The  Chinese  dragon  is  sometimes  hornless ; occa- 
sionally, but  very  rarely,  it  is  provided  with  a pair  of  wings.  The 
fish  dragon  has  already  been  alluded  to  as  the  chosen  emblem 
of  literary  success ; and  there  is  also  the  yellow  dragon,  or  dragon 
horse,  the  most  honored  of  its  tribe,  which  rose  out  of  the  river 
Lo,  in  the  time  of  the  fabulous  Fu-lii^  the  legendary  founder  of  the 
Chinese  polity,  with  a scroll  upon  its  back  inscribed  with  the  eight 
mystic  trigrams  {jpa  hua).  The  dragon  is  peculiarly  symbolical 
of  all  that  pertains  to  the  Son  of  Heaven,  the  emperor^s  throne 
being  styled  the  dragon-seat,  and  his  face  described  as  the  dragon- 
countenance  ; his  banner  is  the  dragon  fiag,  and  after  his  death  he 
is  borne  aloft  by  dragons  to  the  regions  of  the  blessed. 

2.  Feng  is  the  name  of  the  male,  huang  the  name  of  the  female, 
of  a fabulous  bird  of  wondrous  form  and  mystic  nature,  the  second 
of  the  four  supernatural  creatures.  The  compound  of  the  two 
(feng-lmang)  is  the  generic  name  of  the  bird,  which  has  many 
symbolical  analogies  with  the  phoenix  of  the  Greeks,  and,  like  it,  is 
immortal,  has  its  dwelling  in  the  highest  regions  of  the  air,  and 
only  appears  to  mortals  as  a presage  of  the  advent  of  virtuous 
rulers,  or  an  emblem  of  an  auspicious  reign.  In  the  fabulous  times 
of  Huang  Ti  the  phoenix  made  its  nest  in  the  palace,  and  the 
ancient  Book  of  History  records  that  they  came  with  measured 
gambolings  to  add  splendor  to  the  musical  ceremonies  of  the  great 
Shun.  In  the  eastern  gateway  of  the  palace  of  to-day  a huge 
bronze  phoenix  hovers  under  the  roof  of  the  great  hall,  over  its 
nest,  which  is  also  fashioned  of  bronze  in  the  shape  of  a circlet 
of  clouds.  The  phoenix  has  always  been  taken  as  the  presage  and 
emblem  of  a virtuous  sovereign,  and  it  figures  still  as  the  special 
emblem  of  the  Mikado  in  Japan.  In  China  it  used  to  rank  above 
the  dragon,  which  was  the  emblem  of  a good  minister.  In  the 
joresent  day  it  has  become  the  special  emblem  of  the  empress,  and 
the  dragon  that  of  the  emperor.  In  poetry  the  inseparable  feng 
and  huang  are  models  of  conjugal  love.  The  phoenix  is  usually 
depicted  with  the  head  of  a pheasant  and  the  beak  of  a swallow, 
a long  flexible  neck,  plumage  of  many  gorgeous  colors,  a flowing 
tail,  between  that  of  an  argus  pheasant  and  a peacock,  and  long 
claws  pointed  backward  as  it  flies.  They  are  seen  flying  in  the 
midst  of  scrolled  cloads  mingled  with  forked  flames,  or  wending 
their  way  through  a close  floral  ground,  which  is  preferably  made 
up  of  sprays  of  the  tree-peony.  Three  times  three  is  the  lucky 
number  for  the  decoration  of  a vase,  just  as  we  find  nine  dragons 


594 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


on  another  vase  in  pursuit  of  whirling  jewels^  or  nine  lions  sport- 
ing with  as  many  brocaded  balls.  If  there  be  ten,  one  is  certain 
to  be  much  larger  than  the  rest,  and  it  will  be  the  parent  dragon 
or  phoenix,  with  nine  young  ones. 

3.  The  tortoise  [Kuei)  is  the  third  of  the  supernaturally  endowed 
creatures.  The  greatest  of  the  tribe  is  the  divine  tortoise,  which 
rose  out  of  the  river  Lo,  and  presented  to  the  gaze  of  Yu  the 
Great  a mystic  plan  of  numerals  inscribed  upon  its  back,  which  he 
deciphered  and  adopted  as  the  basis  of  moral  teaching  and  a clew 
to  the  philosophy  of  the  unseen.  The  shell  of  the  tortoise  was 
used  in  divination  by  the  ancient  Chinese,  who  augured  from  the 
lines  on  the  scorched  shell,  in  the  same  way  as  other  ancient  tribes 
used  to  augur  from  the  roasted  blade-bone  of  a sheep.  Like  the 
rest  of  the  sacred  group,  the  tortoise  is  given  a marvelous  longev- 
ity, even  a span  of  five  thousand  years,  and  after  a certain  age  it 
bears  the  sign  of  its  patriarchal  dignity  in  the  shape  of  a hairy 
tail.  As  an  emblem  of  strength  it  appears  in  Hindu  legends,  sup- 
porting an  elephant,  which  in  turn  bears  the  world  ; in  China  it  is 
represented  as  bearing  on  its  back  P^eng  Lai  Shan,  the  sea-girt 
abode  of  immortal  genii. 

4.  The  unicorn  [CliH-Un),  the  fourth  of  the  group  of  supernatural 
creatures,  has  its  generic  designation  compounded  of  the  names  of 
the  male  {c¥i)  and  of  the  female  (Im).  It  is  usually  written 
¥i-lin,  and  this  name,  under  the  form  of  Tcylin,  is  often  erroneously 
applied  in  European  ceramic  books  to  lions,  and  generally  to  other 
lionlike  grotesque  creatures  with  which  the  Chinese  fill  in  rocky 
landscapes  under  the  generic  name  of  liai-sliou^  or  sea-monsters, 
the  climieres  of  old  French  catalogues.  The  Chinese  unicorn  has 
the  body  of  a deer,  with  slender  legs  and  divided  hoofs,  the  head 
resembles  that  of  the  dragon,  the  tail  is  curled  and  bushy,  like  that 
of  the  conventional  lion,  and  the  shoulders  are  adorned  with  the 
fiamelike  attributes  of  its  divine  nature.  Its  appearance  is  a happy 
portent,  and  it  used  to  grace  the  palaces  of  the  ancient  emperors  of 
fabulous  times.  It  is  said  to  attain  the  age  of  a thousand  years,  to 
be  the  noblest  form  of  the  animal  creation,  and  the  emblem  of  per- 
fect good  ; and  to  tread  so  lightly  as  to  leave  no  footprints,  and  so 
carefully  as  to  crush  no  living  creature. 


Other  supernatural  animals  occur  occasionally.  They 
are  usually  composite  creations,  like  the  dragon-horse 


MOTIVES  OF  DECOEATION. 


595 


of  ancient  fable,  lionlike  monsters  with  the  heads  of 
wolves,  and  the  like.  The  fox  is  a beast  whose  nature 
is  deeply  tinged  with  supernatural  qualities,  and  it  bears 
a worse  reputation  in  China  than  its  brother  does  in 
European  fairy  tale.  It  is  a spirit  of  mischief,  of  super- 
natural cunning,  with  the  power  of  assuming  various 
forms,  its  favorite  and  most  baneful  transformation 
being  into  the  semblance  of  a young  and  beautiful 
girl,  in  which  shape  it  lures  its  victim  to  destruction. 
The  fox  is  the  courser  upon  which  ghostly  beings  ride, 
and  when  it  reaches  the  term  of  a thousand  years  it 
becomes  a Celestial  Fox,  characterized  by  a golden  color 
and  nine  tails,  and  serves  in  the  halls  of  the  Sun  and 
Moon.  The  hare  has  already  been  alluded  to  as  living 
in  the  moon,  where  it  sits  under  the  shade  of  the  Olea 
fragrans  tree,  pounding  the  elixir  of  life  with  pestle  and 
mortar.  Its  companion  in  the  moon  is  the  toad  {clCan^ 
cKu)^  into  which  the  lady  Ch’ang-ngo  was  changed, 
after  she  had  stolen  from  her  husband  the  drug  of 
immortality  which  had  been  given  to  him  by  the  god- 
dess Hsi  AVang  Mu,  and  taken  flight  with  her  precious 
booty  to  find  refuge  with,  the  moon.  These  legends 
appear  to  be  of  Taoist  origin,  and  the  animals  are  those 
that  the  solitary  hermit  was  accustomed  to  see  in  his 
mountain  retreat.  He  was  wont  to  gather  his  herbs 
in  the  light  of  the  full  moon,  and  this  luminary  was  an 
important  power  in  his  alchemistic  speculations.  The 
deer  is  another  of  his  sacred  animals ; it  is  represented 
bringing  the  Polyporus  fungus  (lAng-chili)  in  its  mouth, 
and  is  always  placed  near  the  deity  of  longevity  as  one 
of  his  peculiar  attributes. 

The  other  animal  attributes  of  Taoist  divinities  are 
the  tortoise  and  stork,  whence  comes  the  usual  birthday 
greeting,  May  your  years  be  those  of  the  tortoise  and 
stork  ! ’’  The  stork  (ho)  is  the  sacred  bird  par  excellence. 


696 


OKIENTAL  CEEAMIC  AET. 


and  is  supposed  to  attain  a fabulous  longevity.  The 
variety  usually  represented  is  the  Manchurian  crane 
{Grus  viridirostris)^  which  is  characterized  by  a plum- 
age of  white  and  black,  and  by  a bare  crimson  patch 
upon  the  crown.  It  must  not  be  confounded  with 
the  egret,  which  is  often  found  in  the  decoration  of 
porcelain  in  combination  with  the  lotus,  and  which  has 
no  mythological  attachments.  The  stork  is  the  aerial 
steed  of  some  of  the  genii,  and  it  brings  the  talismanic 
rods  of  fate  in  its  beak  from  the  other  world.  In 
pictures  of  the  Taoist  paradise  it  is  often  seen  swimming 
round  the  rock  on  which  the  sacred  peach-tree  is  grow- 
ing, or  gathering  in  large  flocks  upon  the  pine-clad 
shores  of  the  Mount  of  the  Immortals. 

There  are  also  a number  of  emblems  of  longevity 
selected  from  the  vegetable  kingdom,  which  supply 
frequent  motives  of  decoration.  Among  fruits  the  most 
prominent  place  is  given  to  the  peach  (fad).  It  is  an 
emblem  of  marriage,  as  well  as  a symbol  of  longevity ; 
the  early  odes  liken  a bride  in  her  graceful  elegance  and 
promise  to  a blossoming  peach-tree,  and  the  most  ancient 
superstitions  of  the  Chinese  attribute  magic  virtue  to  its 
twigs,  which  were  brought  in  the  beeks  of  sacred  birds. 
The  peach  is  the  tree  of  life  in  the  mystical  dreams  of 
the  Taoists ; it  grows  in  the  grounds  of  the  palace  of  the 
goddess  Hsi  Wang  Mu,  bearing  fruit  that  ripens  but 
once  in  three  thousand  years,  and  conferring  that  period 
of  life  upon  those  that  are  fortunate  enough  to  taste  it. 
The  peach  figures  with  the  pomegranate  and  the  Bud- 
dha’s-hand  citron,  as  ^Hhe  three  fruits”  {san  hud)  sym- 
bolical of  the  three  abundances  (san  td)^  viz.,  abundance 
of  years,  abundance  of  sons,  and  abundance  of  happiness. 

The  fungus  of  longevity  (chili).,  usually  called  ling- 
chill.,  ling  meaning  ^‘miraculous,”  is  a branched  woody 
fungus  of  brightly  variegated  coloring,  known  to  bot- 


MOTIVES  OF  DECOKATIOlSr. 


597 


anists  as  Polyporus  luciduSj  as  determined  by  Sir 
Joseph  Hooker  from  a dried  specimen  taken  by  me  from 
a Taoist  temple  at  Peking  to  the  herbarium  at  Kew. 
Chinese  myth  dilates  upon  its  rapid  growth,  its  vivid 
coloring,  and  its  durability.  It  sometimes  incloses 
curiously  a growing  plant,  so  that  blades  of  grass  appear 
to  be  sprouting  out  of  its  substance,  a combination  of 
good  omen ; more  propitious  still  is  a branching  stem 
bearing  seven  or  nine  heads,  and  this  sometimes  forms 
the  motive  of  the  shape  of  a flambe  vase,  the  gorgeous 
coloring  of  which  is  intended  to  represent  the  natural 
tints  of  the  variegated  fungus.  A branch  of  this  fungus 
is  placed  as  a magic  wand  in  the  hand  of  Taoist  genii, 
and  the  peculiar  shape  of  the  head  of  the  jeweled  ju4 
scepter,  which  has  been  frequently  referred  to,  betrays 
its  original  derivation  from  the  same  fungus  form. 

The  Chinese  gourd  is  another  of  the  chosen  emblems 
of  longevity  on  account  of  the  durability  of  its  dried 
fruit,  as  well  as  a symbol  of  fertility  from  the  quantity 
of  seeds  it  produces.  There  are  single  and  double 
gourds  of  varied  form,  cultivated  varieties  of  Lagenaria 
vulgaris^  the  calabash  or  bottle-gourd.  Bottles  and 
drinking-cups  have  been  made  of  its  dried  shell  from  the 
most  ancient  times,  and  it  is  still  used  in  temples  for 
libation-cups  and  ladles  for  sacrihcial  wine.  The  variety 
of  the  bottle-gourd  called  liudu^  the  double  gourd,” 
which  is  naturally  contracted  into  a waist  in  the  middle, 
is  the  pilgrim’s  gourd  excellence.  The  Taoist  hermit 
carries  one  strung  upon  his  girdle,  and  occasionally  con- 
jures spirits  and  apparitions  from  its  interior,  like  the 
magician  in  the  stories  of  the  Arabian  Nights. 

The  pine,  bamboo,  and  winter-blossoming  plum  {sung., 
chu^  mei)  are  constantly  grouped  together  as  a threefold 
symbol  of  longevity.  The  first  two  figure  as  evergreens, 
emblems  of  a green  old  age ; the  last  as  a tree  which 


598 


OKIENTAL  CEKAMIC  ART. 


throws  out  blossoming  twigs  from  its  gnarled,  worn,  and 
leafless  trunk  before  the  winter  is  over.  The  three  may 
form  the  sole  decoration  of  a vase,  or  be  combined  in 
Taoist  pictures  to  form  sacred  groves  in  their  mountain 
paradise,  or  a canopy  for  the  God  of  Longevity,  as  he 
sits  enthroned  on  the  “rock  of  ages”  {sliou  shan)j  wor- 
shiped by  the  motley  crowd  of  immortals. 

The  plum  {Prunus  domeBticd)  is  sacred  to  Lao  Tzh, 
w^ho  is  said  to  have  been  born  under  its  branches,  and 
three  of  its  purple  fruit  form  his  special  attribute.  This 
fruit,  called  li  in  Chinese,  is  to  be  distinguished  from 
the  smaller  and  sourer  fruit  called  mei  (Prunus  mume)^ 
the  blossoming  twigs  of  which  make  such  an  effective 
floral  decoration,  as  in  the  so-called  “hawthorn”  jars 
and  vases. 

This  charming  variety  of  prunus  is  the  typical  flower 
of  winter,  the  tree-peony  {PcBonia  moutan)  being  the 
typical  flower  of  spring,  the  lotus  {Nelumhium  sped- 
osum)  of  summer,  and  the  chrysanthemum  of  autumn. 
These  “Flowers  of  the  Four  Seasons”  [Ssu  Chi  Hud) 
are  a frequent  motive  for  the  decoration  of  the  four  faces 
of  a quadrangular  vase,  or  the  four  side  panels  of  a 
bowl.  The  amateur  of  the  chrysanthemum  is  T’ao  Yuan- 
ming ; the  lover  of  the  lotus,  the  poet  Li  T’ai-po ; and 
a pair  of  large  round  dishes  or  bowls  are  often  decorated 
with  companion  pictures  of  these  two  worthies  sur- 
rounded by  their  favorite  flowers.  T’ao  Yuan-ming 
was  a noted  scholar  and  poet  of  the  fifth  century,  who 
resigned  the  seals  of  office  in  preference  to  “bending 
his  back”  to  a superior  functionary,  remarking  that  it 
was  not  worth  while  to  “ crook  the  loins  for  the  sake  of 
five  measures  of  rice.”  After  he  had  retired  he  passed 
his  days  drinking,  playing  upon  the  lyre,  and  making 
verses  amid  the  chrysanthemums  that  embellished  the 
garden  of  his  retreat,  until  he  died,  427  a.  d.,  at  the  age 


MOTIVES  OF  DECORATION. 


599 


of  sixty-two.  Li  T’ai-po,  the  most  famous  of  the  poets 
of  China  for  his  erratic  genius,  romantic  career,  and 
devotion  to  the  wine-cup,  as  well  as  for  his  powers  of 
verse,  has  already  been  often  referred  to.  The  scene  in 
which  the  emperor  himself  is  handing  dishes  to  him  at 
a banquet,  while  his  favorite  and  haughty  concubine 
attends  with  the  poet’s  brush  and  ink-pallet,  and  the 
chief  privy  counselor,  Kao  Li-ssu,  pulls  off  his  boots, 
is  often  pictured  on  porcelain  as  the  ne  plus  ultra  of 
success  of  literary  genius. 

The  Chinese  artist  excels  in  flowers  and  birds.  The 
four  plants  to  which  he  devotes  the  most  attention  are 
the  primus  (mei),  the  bamboo  (cliu)^  the  orchid  (lari), 
and  the  chrysanthemum  (chu?),  and  most  art  books  con- 
tain a series  of  studies  of  these,  some  of  which,  pub- 
lished over  two  centuries  ago,  are  curious  examples  of 
the  technique  of  printing  in  different  colors.  Among 
the  other  flowers  used- in  decoration  the  following  may 
be  mentioned  : Shao-yao,  the  Paeonia  albiflora ; T’u-mi, 
the  Posa  rugosa\  Jui-hsiang,  the  Yiiurnum  ocloratissi- 
mum\  Modi,  the  Jasminum  sambac]  Lien-hua,  the 
Nelumhium  speciosmn ; Kuei-hua,  the  Olea  fragrans ; 
Hai-t’ang,  the  Pyrus  spectahilis  ] Chih-hua,  the  Gar- 
denia jlorida  \ Ting-hsiang,  the  Syringa  sinensis] 
Ch’iang-wei,  the  Posa  indica]  Mou-tan,  or  Pceonia 
rnoutan]  Yii-lan,  or  Magnolia  yulan]  Chi-kuan,  the 
Celosia  cristata]  Hu-tieh-hua,  the  Iris  japonica]  Hsiu- 
ch’iu,  the  hydrangea ; K’uei-hua,  the  hibiscus ; Chiu- 
hai-t’ang,  the  Begonia  discolor ; Ho-pao  moutan,  the 
Dielytra  spectahilis ; Shih-chn,  the  Dianthus  or  pink ; 
and  the  Shuidisien-hua,  the  ^^Water-fairy”  flower,  or 
Narcissus  tazetta.  Some  of  tljese  may  be  combined  to 
form  a floral  rebus,  or  they  may  be  massed  together  with 
spraj^s,  as  in  the  vase  sliown  in  Fig.  279.  Particular 
birds  also  are  commonly  associated  with  particular  trees 


600 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


and  flowers,  such  as  phoenixes,  peacocks,  or  pheasants 
with  the  Moutan  peony;  partridges  or  quails  with  mil- 
let ; swallows  with  the  willow ; storks  with  the  pine,  etc. 
The  composition  called  Po  Niao  CKao  Feng^  or  ^^The 
Hundred  Birds  paying  Court  to  the  Phoenix,”  represents 
all  the  diflEerent  kinds  of  birds  coming  in  pairs  to  gather 
round  a couple  of  phoenixes  which  are  seen  strutting 
proudly  in  the  foreground. 

Painters  of  figure  subjects  (^jen-wF)  have  a wider 
range  of  selection,  as  may  be  gathered  from  a glance 
at  the  catalogue  of  the  Anderson  Collection  which  is 
now  in  the  British  Museum.'^'  The  kind  of  pictures 
chosen  for  the  decoration  of  porcelain  is  often  a reflex  of 
the  manners  and  customs  of  the  times.  The  close  of  the 
Ming  dynasty  was  a period  of  luxury  and  indolence,  and 
the  decorated  porcelain  is  painted  with  pictures  of  court 
life,  with  bands  of  gayly  dressed  damsels  playing  instru- 
ments of  music,  and  with  all  phases  of  processional  pomp. 
Magistrates  are  represented  seated  in  state  at  the  justice- 
table,  and  parties  of  scholars  and  poets  are  grouped  in 
garden  pavilions,  drinking  wine  and  making  verses. 
The  emperor  Lung-cKing  (1567-72)  was  notorious  for 
his  profligacy  and  for  his  devotion  to  the  pleasures  of 
the  harem,  and  we  find  some  of  the  imperial  porcelain 
of  his  reign  so  defaced  with  erotic  scenes  that  there  is 
no  place  for  it  in  a decent  collection.  After  the  Manchu 
conquest  of  China  in  1644,  when  the  emperor  F^ang-hsi 
was  firmly  established  on  the  throne,  and  the  imperial 
porcelain  manufactory  was  once  more  at  work,  the 
decoration  reflects  a changed  scene.  Pitched  battles, 
single  combats  of  spearmen  mounted  on  party-colored 
horses,  and  military  processions  with  men  in  armor, 

* Descriptive  and  Ilistorieal  Catalogue  of  a Collection  of  Japanese  and  C hinese 
Paintings  in  the  British  Museum.  By  W.  Anderson,  F.  R.  C.  S.,  London, 
1886. 


MOTIVES  OF  DECORATIOIN^. 


601 


are  the  new  order  of  the  day.  The  ladies  of  the  court 
even  are  often  seen  mounted  on  horseback  and  engaged 
in  equestrian  sports,  which  the  emperor  watches  seated 
in  a raised  pavilion.  The  heroes  most  frequently  pic- 
tui*ed  are  the  military  commanders  of  the  troubled 
times  of  the  Three  Kingdoms,”  and  the  historical 
drama  supplants  for  the  moment  scenes  of  comedy. 
There  is  a certain  crude  vigor  in  the  art  of  the  earlier 
half  of  this  reign,  which  has  led  many  to  attribute  the 
productions  to  a more  archaic  period.  Before  the  end 
of  the  long  reign  of  sixty  years  a more  finished  style 
has  come  into  vogue,  and  the  strong,  brilliant  colors 
that  distinguish  the  older  style  are  gradually  being 
replaced  by  shades  of  softer  tint,  such  as  seem  to  befit 
the  new  themes,  which  are  illustrations  of  the  processes 
of  agriculture  and  silk-weaving,  pictures  of  the  liberal 
arts,  and  scenes  from  the  tales  of  the  popular  drama. 

Themes  from  the  classical  times  of  the  ancient  Book 
of  History  are  popular  subjects  of  illustration ; such 
as  the  story  of  Skun^  the  model  emperor  of  ancient 
times,  who  was  chosen  to  succeed  to  the  throne  on 
account  of  his  filial  piety  by  the  Emperor  Yao^  who  is 
pictured  approaching  with  a cavalcade  bearing  presents 
to  Shun  as  he  is  plowing  in  the  fields  with  an  ox  ; or 
that  of  Kiang  Tzu-ya,  the  trusted  counselor  of  Si  Po,  the 
prince  of  Chou^  in  the  twelfth  century  b.  c.,  who  is 
sitting  on  the  rock,  fishing  with  a rod,  when  the  prince 
comes  to  offer  him  the  minister’s  badge  of  ofiice  and 
a state  chariot  for  him  to  ride  in.  Among  literary 
subjects  may  be  mentioned  The  Seven  Worthies  of  the 
Bamiioo  Grove  (67m  Lin  CKi  Hsienf  a famous  asso- 
ciation of  learned  men  who  used  to  meet,  about  the 
year  275,  for  discussion  and  jovial  relaxation  in  a grove 
of  bamboos ; and  the  ‘‘  Orchid  Pavilion  ” {Lan  Hingf 
the  rendezvous  in  the  fourth  century  of  a party  of 


602 


OKIEOTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


distinguished  scholars,  whose  compositions  in  prose  and 
verse  have  survived  to  the  present  day  in  the  hand- 
writing of  the  celebrated  calligrapher,  Wang  Hsi  Chih, 
who  was  one  of  their  number.  A pattern  for  poor 
scholars  is  the  high  mandarin  of  the  Han  dynasty,  who 
is  seen  in  the  picture  reading  a book  while  carrying 
bundles  of  fagots,  as  the  humble  seller  of  firewood  used 
to  do  when  his  thirst  for  knowledge  led  him  to  read 
incessantly,  until  the  fame  of  the  wood-seller’s  learning 
was  noised  abroad,  reached  at  last  the  ears  of  the 
emperor,  and  led  to  his  appointment  to  office. 

The  “ Twenty-four  Paragons  of  Filial  Piety  ” and  the 
Virtuous  Heroines,”  whose  stories  as  models  of  chastity 
and  wifely  devotion  are  recorded  in  the  old  annals,  are 
familiar  to  all  students  of  Chinese  lore.  The  Chinese 
standard  of  female  beauty  is  seen  in  the  “Pretty  Girls”' 
{Mei  Jen^^  with  long,  graceful  figures,  which  the  old 
Dutch  collector  used  to  call  ‘^lange  ligsenP  The  artist 
occasionally  poses  the  figures  with  slender  bamboos 
waving  in  the  background,  or  willow-branches  drooping^ 
overhead,  as  accessory  suggestions  of  airy  grace  and 
willowy  elegance.  Others  are  scattered  in  a garden 
picking  flowers,  or  again  collected  in  four  groups  prac- 
ticing the  four  liberal  accomplishments  of  “writings 
painting,  music,  and  chess.”  Familiar  life  is  not  neg- 
lected by  the  artist,  and  ladies  and  children  are  seen 
in  the  midst  of  ordinary  household  surroundings,  em- 
bellishing the  interior  of  an  eggshell  dish,  or  decorating 
a charming  vase  of  the  famille  rose.  Children  are 
sympathetically  shown,  either  masquerading  in  mock 
procession,  or  flying  kites  and  playing  games,  such 
as  hobby-horse  and  blindman’s  buft*.  Stories  of  clever 
children  are  also  pictured,  like  that  of  the  rescue  of  the 
little  eleventh-century  boy  who  had  fallen  into  a large 
porcelain  fish -bowl  as  he  was  trying  to  reach  a frog^ 


MOTIVES  OF  DECORATION. 


603 


by  one  of  his  playmates,  who  had  the  presence  of  mind 
to  seize  a stone  and  break  a hole  in  the  side  of  the  bowl 
to  let  out  the  water,  while  the  rest  of  the  children  were 
running  away  affrighted,  leaving  their  comrade  to  drown. 
The  rescuer  was  Ssu-ma  Kuang  (1009-86),  who  after- 
ward became  one  of  the  most  distinguished  statesmen 
and  historians  of  the  Sung  dynasty. 


CHAPTER  XXL 


POECELAIN  MADE  FOE  EXPOETATION. SPECIAL  POEMS 

AND  DESIGNS. INDIAN  CHINA. AEMOEIAL  CHINA. 

JESUIT  CHINA.—  HINDU  STYLE. OEIENTAL  POECELAIN 

DECOEATED  IN  EUEOPE. — IMITATIONS. 

Down  to  the  end  of  the  Ming  dynasty  the  Chinese 
seem  to  have  carried  on  the  porcelain  manufacture 
on  their  own  lines,  and  decorated  it  after  their  own  taste; 
we  hear  nothing  of  novel  forms  or  special  designs  made 
for  exportation  to  foreign  countries.  There  had  been  a 
large  quantity  of  Chinese  porcelain  exported  to  Western 
countries  from  early  Mohammedan  times,  when  the 
Arabs  first  came  to  Canton  by  sea,  and  were  permitted  to 
establish  a colony  there  under  the  control  of  their  own 
magistrates.  Chinese  fleets  rode  in  the  Persian  Gulf,  as 
related  in  their  own  annals  of  the  ninth  century,  and 
confirmed  by  Mohammedan  writers  of  the  time.  Dur- 
ing the  Yuan  dynasty  (1280-1367),  when  the  same 
Mongolian  house  ruled  Persia  and  China,  the  relations 
between  the  two  countries  became  still  more  intimate, 
and  there  was  constant  traffic  by  land  as  well  as  by  sea, 
for  an  account  of  which  the  celebrated  Travels  of  Marco 
Polo  may  be  consulted.  In  the  Ming  dynasty  the  over- 
land route  was  barred  by  the  Mongolian  Timur  (the 
great  Tamerlane),  but  Chinese  ships  continued  to  go 
west,  touched  at  Ceylon  and  Ormuz,  passed  the  Straits  of 
Babelmandeb  into  the  Red  Sea,  to  land  cargo  at  Jidda, 
the  port  of  Mecca,  and  coasted  the  shore  of  Africa  as  far 
southward  as  Magadoxu  and  Zanzibar.  The  voyages 
are  described  in  detail  in  the  Chinese  annals  of  the  reigns 

604 


PORCELAIN  MADE  FOR  EXPORTATION. 


605 


of  Yung-lo  (1403-25)  and  Hsiian-te  (1426-35).  Early 
in  the  next  century  the  Portuguese  made  their  appear- 
ance in  these  seas,  and  from  this  time  no  more  Chinese 
junks  were  seen  in  the  Indian  Ocean.  The  great  mart 
was  in  the  Persian  Gulf,  and  any  porcelain  that  reached 
Europe  before  the  discovery  of  the  voyage  round  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope  would  have  come  by  caravan  to 
Cairo  or  to  Aleppo.  Ancient  Chinese  porcelain  has  been 
found  in  the  present  day  at  many  stations  of  the  route 
that  has  been  thus  briefly  sketched.  Collections  have 
been  gathered  from  Kandy,  and  from  other  parts  of  the 
interior  of  Ceylon;  many  of  the  older  specimens  in  the 
South  Kensington  Museum  were  purchased  in  Persia  by 
Major  Murdoch  Smith ; and  the  greater  part  of  the  old 
celadon  dishes  in  European  possession  are  described  a^s 
having  been  obtained  in  Cairo.  Chinese  celadon  has  also 
been  discovered  by  Sir  John  Kirk  in  ruins  at  Zanzibar, 
together  with  Chinese  ‘‘cash”  of  the  tenth  and  eleventh 
centuries.  Potsherds  of  the  same  peculiar  sea-green 
ware  have  even  been  dug  up,  we  are  told,  on  the  African 
mainland  farther  south,  on  the  sites  of  ruined  cities  in 
Mashonaland. 

In  the  year  of  the  Hejira  567  (a.  d.  1188)  we  find  the 
first  distinct  mention  of  porcelain,  out  of  China,  in  the 
record  of  a present  of  foi*ty  pieces  having  been  sent  to 
Nureddin,  the  Caliph  of  Syria,  by  his  lieutenant  Saladin, 
afterward  the  celebrated  hero  of  the  Crusades,  on  the 
occasion  of  his  conquest  of  Egypt.  It  penetrated  subse- 
quently to  the  principal  countries  of  Europe,  and  is 
classed  in  court  inventories  of  the  tliirteenth  and  four- 
teentli  centuries  among  the  most  precious  possessions  of 
sovereigns,  being  mounted  in  gold  and  silver  and  inlaid 
witli  jewels.  It  was  about  1440  that  the  Sultan  of 
Babylonia  (i.  e.,  Cairo,  which  was  often  called  Babylonia 
in  the  middle  ages)  sent  a present  of  three  bowls  and  a 


606 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


disli  of  Chinese  porcelain  (^porcelaine  de  SinanP)  to 
Charles  VII,  King  of  France.  In  1487  an  ambassador 
arrived  at  Florence  from  Egypt  vv^ith  valuable  presents, 
including  some  large  vases  of  celadon  porcelain  for 
Lorenzo  de’  Medici.  In  the  same  year  porcelain  is 
enumerated  in  the  Maritime  Laws  of  Barcelona  among 
the  imports  from  Egypt  into  Spain.  The  earliest  piece 
of  Oriental  porcelain  that  can  be  referred  to  as  having 
been  brought  to  England  before  the  Reformation  is  a 
pale  sea-green  bowl  mounted  in  silver  gilt,  which  is 
preserved  in  New  College,  Oxford,  under  the  name  of 
Archbishop  Warham’s  cup,  and  which  is  said  to  have 
belonged  to  that  prelate  (1504-32).  In  the  year  1506, 
Philip  and  Joan,  of  Austria,  who  had  taken  the  title  of 
King  and  Queen  of  Castile,  left  the  Low  Countries  for 
Spain,  but  were  driven  by  a storm  into  Weymouth, 
where  they  were  entertained  by  the  high  sheriff.  Sir 
Thomas  Trenchard.  When  the  king  took  his  leave  he 
presented  his  host  with  some  bowls  of  blue  and  white 
porcelain,  one  of  which  was  inclosed  in  massive  silver 
gilt,  Moresco  pattern,  and  one  of  them  is  said  to  be  still 
kept  in  the  Trenchard  family. 

Mounted  specimens  of  Elizabethan  date  are  not  so 
uncommon.  In  the  Blue  and  White  Catalogue  of  the  Bur- 
lington Fine  Arts  Club  {loc,  cit.,  page  3),  a basin  deco- 
rated in  four  panels  with  vases  of  lotus-flowers  and  birds, 
mounted  in  English  silver  gilt  (Elizabethan  hall-mark), 
and  lent  by  Sir  Wollaston  Franks,  is  described.  At  the 
same  time  there  were  exhibited  four  celebrated  pieces, 
mounted  in  the  same  style,  from  the  Burghley  House 
collection,  which  are  believed  to  have  been  in  the  Cecil 
family  from  the  time  of  Queen  Elizabeth.  One  of  the 
pieces,  painted  in  brilliant  blue  with  phoenixes  and 
chrysanthemums,  was  marked  with  the  date  of  the  con- 
temporary Chinese  Emperor  Wan-li  (1573-1619).  Mr. 


POECELAIN  MADE  FOR  EXPORTATION. 


607 


Cosmo  Monkhouse,  tlie  learned  editor  of  the  catalogue, 
says  in  his  Introduction : “ Perhaps  it  was  out  of  the 
same  ^ parcel  ’ of  china  that  the  Lord  Treasurer  Burghley 
offered  to  Queen  Elizabeth  one  porringer  of  ^ white  por- 
selyn  ’ garnished  with  gold,  and  Mr.  Eobert  Cecill  a ^ cup 
of  green  pursselyne,’  as  New  Year’s  gifts  in  1587-88.” 

After  the  discovery  of  the  route  by  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  porcelain  became  better  known  in  Europe.  The 
Portuguese  navigators  appeai*ed  on  the  shores  of  the  far 
East  in  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century,  and 
arrived  at  Canton  in  the  year  1517,  where  they  were  at 
once  admitted  to  trade.  Japan  was  opened  to  them  in 
1542  by  the  shipwreck  of  a Portuguese  vessel  on  the 
shore  of  the  island  of  Kyushu,  where  they  were  well 
treated  by  the  Japanese,  and  allowed  to  set  up  a trading 
establishment  at  Nagasaki.  During  the  time  that  the 
Portuguese  enjoyed  the  monopoly  of  the  East  Indian 
trade  they ’imported  splendid  collections  of  porcelain, 
including  vases  of  the  largest  size,  like  those  that  used 
to  be  installed  in  the  Royal  Palace  of  Alcantara,  now 
unfortunately  dispersed.  The  Dutch  succeeded  the 
Portimuese  in  the  control  of  the  trade  with  the  far  East. 
Van  Neck  established  a factory  at  Batavia  in  1602,  the 
Dutch  East  India  Company  was  formed  in  the  same 
year,  and  under  its  auspices  vast  quantities  of  poi'celain 
were  imported  into  Holland  and  the  north  of  Europe. 
A fine  selection,  made  1698-1722,  is  still  to  be  seen  in 
the  Johanneum  at  Dresden,  and  another  is  preserved  in 
the  palace  at  The  Hague. 

The  English  East  India  Company,  which  was  estab- 
lished in  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  did  not  for  a long 
peilod  after  its  foundation  succeed  in  opening  a direct 
trade  with  China,  being  excluded  by  the  Portuguese  and 
Dutch.  The  port  of  Gombron,  opposite  to  Ormuz,  in 
the  Persian  Gulf,  was  for  a long  time  the  chief  entrepot 


608 


OEIENTAL  CEEAMIC  AET. 


of  the  British  trade,  and  the  earliest  “ China  ware 
introduced  into  England  derived  its  name  of  Gombron 
ware  ” from  this  place.  In  1631,  among  the  wares  and 
merchandise  allowed  to  be  imported  from  India,  a 
catalogue  includes  “ China  dishes  and  puslanes  of  all 
sorts.”  In  1640  a factory  was  established  at  Canton,  and 
direct  trade  has  been  carried  on,  with  occasional  inter- 
ruptions,  since  that  date. 

With  regard  to  the  kinds  of  porcelain  imported,  a fund 
of  interesting  information  has  been  gathered  by  Du 
Sartel  (loo.  cit.,  pages  112-148)  from  French  catalogues 
of  the  eighteenth  century,  of  which  that  of  the  Fonsper- 
tuis  Sale  is  one  of  the  most  important,  containing  notes 
by  Gersaint,  a celebrated  expert  of  the  time.  The  ear- 
liest porcelain  imported  was  of  single  color,  principally 
celadon  or  white ; blue  and  white  followed,  as  confirmed 
by  Pere  d’Entrecolles,  writing  in  1712,  who  says  that  up 
to  that  date  this  was  almost  the  only  kind  exported  from 
China  to  Europe.  Gersaint  also  writes  in  the  same  strain 
in  1747. 

Tlie  porcelain  imported  seems  to  have  been  generally 
a selection  from  the  ordinary  contemporary  productions 
of  the  private  potters  of  Ching-te-chen.  The  work  of 
the  imperial  manufactoiy  could  only  have  been  exception- 
ally represented,  as  it  is  reserved  for  the  service  of  the 
emperor.  The  private  collections  of  Chinese  connoisseurs 
were  not  ransacked,  as  they  are  in  these  later  days,  so 
that  we  can  hardly  expect  to  find  any  important  exam- 
ples of  ancient  ceramic  art  among  the  piles  of  dishes,, 
plates,  and  tea  services  that  were  imported,  as  we  gather 
from  old  bills  of  lading,  by  the  hundred  thousand. 
Among  the  larger  decorated  vases  of  the  reign  of  K'^ang- 
hsi,  a certain  number  are  usually  set  aside  in  European 

* Catalogue  de  la  'eente  des  tableaux,  bijoux,  porcelaines,  etc.,  de  M.  Angram, 
Vicomte  de  Fouspertuis.  Paris,  1747. 


POECELAm  MADE  FOE  EXPOET ATION. 


609 


collections  because  they  happen  to  be  inscribed  with  old 
marks,  and  are  supposed,  moreover,  to  have  an  archaic 
aspect.  Representative  cabinets  of  so-called  Hsuan-te 
and  QKeng-hua  porcelains  are  filled  in  this  way,  although 
genuine  Ming  dynasty  porcelain,  which  is  rare  even  in 
China,  is  conspicuous  by  its  absence. 

It  was  in  the  reign  of  K'^ang-hd  (1662-1722)  that 
porcelain  seems  to  have  been  first  made  at  Ching-te-chen 
in  new  forms  and  special  designs  for  the  European 
market.  These  were  often  executed  after  European 
models  and  designs  taken  there  for  the  purpose  by 
native  agents  from  Canton.  The  earliest  pieces  with 
foreign  designs  were  made  for  Persia  and  the  Moham- 
medan market,  and  were  decorated  with  scrolls  of  Arabic 
writing,  generally  texts  from  the  Koran,  the  incorrect 
lettering  of  which,  apart  from  the  character  of  the  floi*al 
designs  with  which  they  were  associated,  betrayed  the 
Chinese  hand.  Next  came  Chinese  copies  of  the  old 
Imari  ware  of  Japan,  which  were  so  perfectly  executed 
during  the  reign  of  IVang-lisi  that  it  would  be  some- 
times difficult  to  distinguish  the  copy  from  the  original 
were  it  not  for  the  different  quality  and  ring  of  the 
paste.  In  later  days  Delft  ware  has  been  copied  in  a 
similar  way,  one  of  the  faience  plates,  originally  painted 
in  blue  after  Chinese  lines,  having  been  reproduced  in 
porcelain,  so  that  it  might  have  been  mistaken  for  the 
first  model,  if  the  Chinaman  had  not  tried  to  copy  the 
initials  of  the  signature  of  the  Dutch  decorator. 

Porcelain  has  also  been  decorated  in  China  for  the 
Hindustan  market  in  the  form  of  quadrangular  sweet- 
meat trays,  oblong  boxes  with  covers,  and  the  like, 
painted  with  copies  of  Indian  miniatures,  such  as  nautch 
girls  dancing  before  men  of  rank,  holding  up  swords  and 
flowei-s,  or  potentates  seated  on  marble  terraces  with 
attendants  standing  behind  holding  fans,  and  a line  of 


610 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


slender  arches  of  palace  architecture  rising  in  the  back- 
ground. The  cover  of  a betel-nut  box  of  this  class  is 
illustrated  by  Jacquemart  (loo,  cit.^  Plate  XVII,  Fig.  3), 
as  an  example,  however,  of  his  class  oi  porcelaine  hindoue, 
the  existence  of  which  is  highly  problematical.  A label 
is  occasionally  attached  to  these  pictures,  penciled  in 
gold  ; but  the  Arabic  inscriptions  are  always  very  incor- 
rectly written,  evidently  by  persons  unacquainted  with 
the  language,  and  the  unaccustomed  hand  is  detected  as 
readily  as  when  the  Chinese  artist  is  trying  to  form 
European  letters. 

The  usual  style  of  Arabic  inscriptions  on  Chinese  por- 
celain is  shown  in  Fig.  103,  an  eggshell  saucer-shaped 
dish,  with  designs  penciled  in  black  and  filled  in  with 
gold,  which  is  to  be  attributed,  from  its  technique,  to 
about  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century.  It  has  a 
medallion  in  the  middle  with  a dentated  border  from 
which  four  projections  extend  inward,  which  is  filled 
with  Arabic  writing,  and  a broad  belt  of  the  same  script 
on  a gold  ground  encircles  the  border  of  the  dish.  The 
rim  is  surrounded  by  a narrow  band  of  floral  scrolls  con- 
sisting of  alternate  sprays  of  peony  and  chrysanthemum 
of  purely  Chinese  design.  Two  dishes  of  the  same  shape, 
size,  and  technique  are  now  in  the  British  Museum."^* 

The  name  of  ‘‘porcelaine  des  Indes  ” in  France,  of 
“ India  china  ” in  England,  was  applied  generally  in  the 
, eighteenth  century  to  the  decorated  Chinese  porcelain 
which  was  imported  in  such  large  quantities,  and  eagerly 
souglit  after,  until  the  time  came  when  a similar  material 
could  be  produced  in  Europe.  Although  the  art  of  mak- 
ing hard  porcelain  was  discovered  in  Saxony  by  Bottger 
in  1708,  it  was  not  till  1760  that  it  was  made  at  Sevres, 
and  it  hai’dly  came  into  domestic  use  before  the  end  of 
the  eighteenth  century.  Meanwhile  it  was  made  and 
* See  the  Franks  Catalogue,  loc.  cit.,  Nos.  619,  630. 


POECELAIT^  MADE  FOR  EXPORTATION. 


611 


Specially  painted  in  China  for  exportation,  and  often 
from  designs  furnished  by  Europeans.  In  the  sale 
catalogue  of  the  collection  of  Vicomte  de  Fonspertuis  by 
Gersaint,  which  has  just  been  referred  to,  the  Chinese 
and  Japanese  are  generally  referred  to  as  ‘‘Indiens.”^ 
Some  confusion  would  have  been  avoided  if  the  term 
porcelain  of  the  East  India  Company  ” had  been  adopted 
instead  of  India  china.”  Jacquemart  has  ascribed  the 
porcelain  of  this  class  to  Japan,  but  on  very  slender 
grounds.  Others  by  a still  more  singular  hallucination 
have  attributed  it  to  Lowestoft  in  England,  although 
there  are  many  dated  specimens  anterior  to  1777,  the 
date  of  the  so-called  invention  of  hard  paste  at  Lowes- 
toft. Sir  A.  W.  Franks  has  exposed  these  fallacies  and 
proved  its  Chinese  origin.  A large  proportion  of  it  was 
evidently  painted  in  Canton  by  Chinese  artists,  the  por- 
celain being  brought  for  the  purpose  overland  from 
Ching-te-chen,  glazed  in  the  ordinary  white  state,  with 
the  addition  perhaps  of  a few  rings  or  outlines  in  under- 
glaze blue  defining  the  spaces  intended  to  be  filled  in 
with  colors.  The  style  was  similar,  and  the  colors 
employed  were  the  same  that  were  used  in  the  ateliers 
of  Canton  in  the  decoration  of  painted  enamels  on  copper^ 
which  are  a specialty  of  the  place,  under  the  name  of 
yang  tz  u^  or  “ foreign  porcelain,”  so  called,  we  are  told^ 
because  the  art  was  originally  introduced  from  Calicut 
in  India.  Precisely  similar  designs  occur  on  the  copper 
and  porcelain  objects  of  the  period,  which  were  molded 
in  identical  forms,  and  fired  in  the  same  mufile  kilns  to 
fix  the  colors.  The  porcelain  of  this  class  is  known  to 
the  Chinese  by  the  name  of  yang  ts'a%  or  ^‘foreign  colors.” 
It  is  comparatively  rare,  however,  in  China,  having  been 
principally  made  for  exportation  and  sent  abroad  at  the 
time  it  was  made. 

Many  of  the  services  have  on  them  the  armorial  bear- 


612 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


ings  of  the  persons  for  whom  they  were  made.  The  col- 
lection in  the  British  Museum  is  very  rich  in  this  class  of 
armorial  china,”  including  portions  of  services  made  for 
Frederick  the  Great,  and  for  the  royal  families  of  Den- 
mark and  France,  as  well  as  many  pieces  with  the  arms 
of  European  families  of  rank,  and  of  merchants  who 
are  known  to  have  traded  with  China.  A large  service 
was  made  for  the  palace  of  the  Swedish  kings  at  Grips- 
holm,  the  name  of  which  is  inscribed  on  the  pieces. 

The  large,  deep  plate  illustrated  in  Fig.  52,  which  is 
nearly  nineteen  inches  across,  is  an  earlier  specimen  of 
armorial  china  than  the  above.  The  decoration  is  partly 
in  underglaze  blue,  partly  in  overglaze  muffle  colors  of 
the  K''ang-lisi  period,  blue,  green,  yellow,  and  red,  with 
touches  of  gold,  and  the  rim  is  gilded. 

Some  of  the  earlier  pieces  decorated  with  foreign 
designs  were  painted  entirely  in  blue.  The  tall  cups 
with  covers  called  Keyser  cups,”  which  are  illustrated  in 
Sir  Henry  Thompson’s  Catalogue,  and  also  by  Jacque- 
mart,  are  painted  with  a broad  panel  containing  St.  Louis 
of  France  and  his  queen  on  a canopied  throne,  and  nar- 
rower alternate  panels  with  kneeling  figures  and  birds, 
and  have  inscribed  round  the  top,  l’empire  de  la  vertu 
EST  ETABLi  jusqu’au  BOUT  DE  l’univers.  The  inscription 
is  occasionally  misspelled  in  a way  that  at  once  betrays 
the  Chinese  hand  (see  page  106).  A second  well-known 
series  of  tall  cups  and  saucers  is  painted  in  blue  with  a 
Dutch  design  known  as  Kockock  in  het  Huisje  (the 
cuckoo  in  the  house);  a sketch  of  a small  building  on  a 
platform  with  trees  and  plants  and  two  birds  above. 

The  decoration  was  sometimes  copied  from  European 
pictures  brought  to  China  for  the  purpose,  so  that  we 
find  in  collections  of  Chinese  porcelain  sea  views  with 
Dutch  vessels,  punch-bowls  with  pictures  of  English  har- 
vesting and  of  the  harvest  feast  inscribed  underneath 


POECELAIN  MADE  FOE  EXPOETATION. 


613 


HAEVEST  HOME,  and  grotesquo  copies  of  the  famous  pic- 
tures of  the  elements  by  Francesco  Albani,  now  in  the 
gallery  at  Turin.  One  would  hardly  expect  to  see  an 
English  political  cartoon  on  Chinese  porcelain,  but  refer 
to  Franks  Catalogue,  loc.  cit.^  No.  625  : 

Punch-Bowl.  Cliinese  porcelain,  painted  in  colors  with  gild- 
ing; on  each  side  are  a pair  of  medallions  exactly  similar,  each 
forming  a satirical  coat  of  arms.  No.  1,  Bust  of  John  Wilkes; 
crest,  a lion  passant;  supporters.  Sergeant  Glyn  and  Lord  Temple; 
motto,  ALWAYS  READY  IN  A GOOD  CAUSE;  above  is  inscribed, 
WILKES  AND  LIBERTY.  No.  2,  Biist  of  Loi'd  Maiisfield,  with  a 
h}"dra  below;  crest,  a viper;  supporters.  Lord  Bute  and  the  Devil; 
motto,  JUSTICE  SANS  piTiE.  The  devices  on  this  bowl  appear  on  the 
heading  to  an  address  by  John  Wilkes,  ‘To  the  Gentlemen,  Clergy, 
and  Freeholders  of  the  County  of  Middlesex,’  dated  from  King’s 
Bencli  Prison,  Saturday,  June  18,  1V68.  They  are  entitled  ‘arms 

OF  LIBERTY  AND  SLAVERY.’  ” 

A Dutch  skipper,  detained  in  harbor  after  a voyage  to 
Ciiina,  would  have  a picture  of  his  ship  painted  on  porce- 
lain, as  shown  by  the  service  noticed  by  Jacquemart  and 
Le  Blant  (loc.  cit.,  page  384),  which  was  decorated  in 
colors  with  gilding,  with  a vessel  under  full  sail,  flying 
the  Dutch  flag,  and  inscribed  undei*neath,  t : schip. 

VEYBUEG  CEVOEET  I DOOE  : CAPITEYX  JACOB.  EYZIK  IN  *. 

CHINA.  iNT  lAAE.  1756  (The  ship  Vryburg,  conducted  by 
Captain  Jacob  Eyzik,  in  China,  in  the  year  1756).  A 
plate  of  similar  decoration,  described  in  the  Franks  Cata- 
logue (loc.  c^7.,  No.  598),  has  the  inscription,  written  in  a 
medallion,  cheis^  schooneman  opp^.  stueeman  op  t’schip 

VEYBUEG  : TEE  EEEDE  WANPHO  IN  CHINA  INT  lAAE  I 1756 

(Christopher  Schooneman,  chief  mate  of  the  ship  Vry- 
burg, in  the  roads  off  Wliampoa,  in  China,  in  the  year 
1756).  Whampoa  is  the  harbor  of  Canton,  and  the  plates 
were  doubtless  painted  in  that  city  while  the  ship  was  in 
port.  There  would  be  hardly  time  to  send  the  order  on 


614 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


the  long  overland  journey  to  Ching-te-chen,  and  it  is  still 
less  likely  that  the  artists  of  Nippon  had  anything  to  do 
with  them,  although  M.  Jacquemart  argues  so  at  some 

Occasionally  the  decoration  is  of  more  familiar  charac- 
ter. Fig.  361  represents  a saucer-shaped  eggshell  dish  in 
the  Walters  Collection,  painted  in  brilliant  enamel  colors 
with  gilding.  The  design  that  decorates  the  interior, 
composed  of  waving  foliations  mingled  with  paneled 
bands,  has  the  shape  of  a coat  of  arms,  and  it  is  sur- 
mounted by  the  figure  of  a white  goose,  the  Chinese 
emblem  of  marriage,  standing  upon  a gilded  visor  of  gro- 
tesque form,  looking  somewhat  like  a crest.  The  two 
oval  shields  displayed  side  by  side  in  the  middle  contain 
the  monograms  i.  v.  e.  and  i.  b.  upon  blue  grounds  of 
different  shade.  These  are  no  doubt  the  initials  of  the 
Dutch  bridabpair  whose  names  are  penciled  in  full  below 
within  a blue  band  in  gold  letters,  ian  : van  : ens  and 
IOANNA  BOCHOUTE.  The  band  of  scrolled  foliations  that 
encircles  the  above  designs  is  etched  in  gold.  The 
border  of  the  dish  is  decorated  with  a gilded  diaper 
interrupted  by  four  foliated  medallions.  Two  of  these 
contain  miniature  portraits  of  the  happy  couple,  the  other 
two  are  filled  with  symbols  of  good  omen,  a heart  between 
two  pairs  of  clasped  hands,  tied  by  ribbons  to  musical 
stones,  hung  with  beaded  tassels  and  waving  fillets. 

The  porcelain  made  to  order  for  the  European  market, 
with  which  the  Dutch  inundated  Europe  for  more  than  a 
hundred  years,  is  generally  overdecorated,  in  accordance 
with  the  foreign  taste.  Jacquemart  justly  distinguishes 
the  objects  made  at  the  same  time  which  were  decorated 
according  to  Chinese  taste  by  classifying  them  under 
the  title  of  porcelaine  artistique.”  A single  spray  of 
flowers,  a sacred  or  mythological  figure  encircled  by  a 
lightly  etched  floral  scroll  or  a key  border,  or  a dramatic 


POECELAIN  MADE  FOE  EXPOETATION. 


615 


scene  with  the  personages  in  antique  costume,  forms  thfe 
whole  decoration,  following  the  canons  of  Chinese  art. 
The  result  is  more  attractive  than  the  most  gayly  deco- 
rated scenes  of  familiar  life  framed  in  as  many  rings  of  dif- 
ferent floral  diaper  as  it  is  possible  to  get  into  the  space ; 
such,  for  instance,  as  surround  the  seven-bordered  eggshell 
plate  illustrated  in  Plate  X,  fascinating  as  this  is  from  its 
minute  finish.  The  vases  of  the  same  style  and  period 
being  covered  with  richly  dressed  officials  in  their  robes 
of  office,  have  been  sometimes  classed  apart  under  the 
title  of  “ mandarin  porcelaine.”  This  style  is  a favorite 
one  with  the  Cantonese  artist  to  the  present  day,  when  he 
is  working  for  his  foreign  patron,  although  the  native 
school  of  art,  following  always  the  canons  of  the  old 
masters,  disdains  the  modern  costume  of  everyday  life. 

Among  the  objects  made  for  Europe  are  found  wash- 
basins and  ewers  of  elaborate  form  completely  covered 
with  floral  brocaded  grounds  of  diverse  pattern,  inter- 
rupted in  the  middle  by  a medallion  with  a coat  of  arms. 
The  tea  services  which  were  imported  consisted  generally 
,of  a teapot  with  a hexagonal  or  octagonal  tray,  a pair  of 
ovoid  jars  with  covers  as  tea-caddies,  a graceful  cream- 
jug  with  cover,  one  large  bowl,  a variable  number  of  tea- 
cups with  or  without  handles,  sometimes  furnished  with 
saucers,  often  without,  and  a plate  or  two  for  cakes,  or  a 
couple  of  saucei’-shaped  dishes.  Few  perfect  sets  remain, 
but  several  separate  pieces  of  the  class  have  already  been 
figured.  Fig.  362  shows  a typical  teapot  with  a cup  and 
saucer  of  the  same  pattern,  which  are  not  so  elaborately 
decorated  as  some  of  the  services  of  the  period,  but  still 
somewhat  overloaded  with  floi-al  ornaments,  as  the  sjirays 
of  primus  with  birds  perched  upon  them  seem  to  be  a little 
cramped  for  want  of  space,  in  the  intervals  bet^reen  the 
foliated  panels  displaying  ch^i-lin  in  the  midst  of  brocaded 
flowers,  witli  which  the  rest  of  the  surface  is  covered. 


616 


OEIENTAL  CEEAMIC  AET. 


There  is  one  class  of  Chinese  porcelain  which  has  been 
dignified  with  the  name  of  “ Jesuit  china,”  as  it  was  sup- 
posed to  have  been  made  under  the  influence  of  the  Jesuit 
missionaries.  The  pieces  are  usually  painted  in  blue  and 
white,  and  date  from  the  earlier  part  of  the  reign  of 
K’'ang-hsi  (1662-1722).  They  are  characterized  by  hav- 
ing the  crucifix  and  other  sacred  symbols  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  faith  introduced  in  the  intervals  of  the  decora- 
tion, which  is  usually  of  the  ordinaiy  Chinese  style,  as 
may  be  seen  in  the  jar  illustrated  in  Plate  XIV,  which 
has  the  cross  and  three  nails  with  the  Christian  mono- 
gram I.  H.  S.,  inclosed  in  a quatrefoil  panel.  The  sym- 
bols in  these  specimens  are  penciled  on  the  paste  under 
the  glaze,  and  must  have  been  put  on  at  the  same  time  as 
the  other  part  of  the  decoration,  before  the  firing. 

Jacquemart  in  his  several  works  on  ceramic  subjects  has 
tried  to  establish  the  existence  of  both  Hindu  and  Siam- 
ese porcelain,  but  on  very  insufficient  grounds ; and  I am 
strongly  inclined  to  agree  with  Sir  Wollaston  Franks  that 
there  is  no  evidence  that  true  kaolinic  pottery  was  ever 
produced  either  in  Hindustan  or  in  any  of  the  countries 
of  the  peninsula  of  Farther  India.  They  have,  on  the 
contrary,  always  depended  on  China  and  Japan  for  their 
supply  of  porcelain  until  quite  recent  times,  when  a few 
factories  have  been  established  there  on  European  lines. 
The  class  of  pieces  on  which  Jacquemart  principally 
relied  is  well  exemplified  in  the  bowl  illustrated  in  Fig. 
368. 

It  is  necessary  to  say  a few  words  here  on  the  subject 
of  the  decoration  of  Oriental  poi*celain  in  Europe.  This 
was  first  attempted  in  Holland,  as  is  shown  by  M.  Havard 
in  his  researches  into  the  annals  of  the  corporation  of  Delft 
potters.*  It  was  about  1700  that  these  potters  are  said 
to  have  discovered  the  secret  of  the  preparation  of  a cer- 

* Histoire  de  la  faience  de  Delft.  Par  Henri  Havard.  Paris,  1877. 


POKCELAIN  MADE  FOE  EXPOKTATION. 


617 


tain  number  of  the  colors  of  the  muffle  stove.  These 
enamel  colors,  which  were  of  the  same  class  as  those  em- 
ployed by  the  Chinese,  were  used  not  only  for  their  own 
soft  faience,  but  also  in  the  decoration  of  hard  porcelain 
imported  from  the  far  East,  being  applied  on  white 
pieces,  or  on  pieces  spaced  with  a few  blue  lines,  as  pre- 
pared at  Ching-te-chen  for  the  artists  of  Canton,  which 
were  passed  on  to  Europe  for  the  purpose.  Other  pieces, 
in  which  the  decoration  appeared  to  Dutch  taste  to  be 
sparse,  had  the  white  ground  filled  in  with  various  acces- 
sories and  details  of  semi-Oriental  style,  the  result  being 
a curious  hybrid  combination  of  colors  as  well  as  of  styles. 
Some  of  these  may  be  seen  illustrated  by  Du  Sartel,  with 
the  piece  in  its  original  state  placed  side  by  side  with  the 
sur-decoration.  Gersaint,  the  “ expert  ” of  Paris,  in  his 
catalogue  published  in  1747,  descilbes  two  square  bottles 
of  porcelain  of  this  kind  painted  in  colors  with  figures 
of  men  and  tigers,  and  adds  that  ‘‘the  figures,  animals, 
and  other  ornaments  on  these  bottles  have  been  painted 
in  Holland,  as  is  done  there,  often  mat  d propos^  on  pieces 
of  fine  white  porcelain.” 

It  is  not  difflcult  to  distinguish  the  work  of  the  Dutch 
decorator  by  the  aspect  of  the  colors,  apart  from  the 
style ; the  Dutch  palette  comprised  black,  red  dei’ived 
from  iron,  a dull  blue,  and  a pale  green  ; the  four  enamels 
are  applied  in  strong  relief,  but  a]*e  wanting  in  vivacity 
and  transparency,  and  look  as  if  the  coloring  oxides  were 
not  sufficiently  developed.  The  red  is  especially  dis- 
tinctive, being  always  of  deep  brick-red  tint,  imperfectly 
glazed,  and  standing  out  in  tangible  mass,  piled  on,  as  it 
were,  with  a thick  brush.  The  Chinese  iron-red,  on  the 
contrary,  is  of  coi’al  tint,  is  perfectly  incorporated  with 
the  glaze,  and  affords  no  appreciable  relief  even  when 
most  intense  in  tone. 

Several  of  the  other  European  raanufactiu’ers  of  porce- 


618 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


lain  of  the  eighteenth  century  tried  their  skill  in  the  decora^ 
tion  of  Oriental  porcelain.  The  work  of  Saxon  artists  is 
seen  in  the  Dresden  Museum  placed  beside  the  primitive 
pieces  of  old  Japanese  porcelain  ; the  work  of  French  artists 
is  preserved  in  the  Musee  at  Sevres ; and  there  are  in  the 
British  Museum  several  examples  of  color  painting  from 
Bow  and  Chelsea,  and  of  transfer  printing  from  Worces- 
ter,  all  executed  on  Oriental  porcelain.  The  Musee  de 
Limoges  contains  an  interesting  series  of  specimens^ 
including  some  of  rare  Venetian  work,  like  the  Jap- 
anese vase  illustrated  by  Du  Sartel  {loc.  cit^  Fig.  117),, 
which  was  originally  an  artistic  production  of  an 
Oriental  artist  of  the  seventeenth  century,  simply  orna- 
mented with  a narrow  scroll  border  round  the  shoulder^ 
and  with  light  sprays  of  flowers  repeated  at  the  base  and 
round  the  neck,  penciled  in  coral-red  and  gold.  The 
Venetian  artist,  in  his  task  of  filling  in  this  chaste  and 
graceful  decoration,  had  at  his  disposal  only  the  black 
enamel  which  was  used  in  his  country  for  enameling 
upon  glass.  Treating  the  porcelain  vase  as  if  he  were 
decorating  one  of  the  feathery  glass  cups  that  he  was 
accustomed  to  handle,  he  first  completed  the  floral  scrolls 
on  the  neck  with  an  elaborate  band  of  birds  and  flowers 
of  charming  design,  and  then  painted  on  the  body  of  the 
piece  two  large  vases  with  Japanese  flowers  springing 
from  their  interior.  The  rest  of  the  space  was  filled  in 
with  a garden  scene,  enlivened  by  the  figures  of  two 
mandarins  with  strange  birds  and  insects  flying  round 
them,  painted  according  to  the  fancies,  more  brilliant 
than  exact,  which  the  Italian  artist  fondly  imagined 
about  the  things  of  the  far  East.  At  a later  date  much 
Oriental  porcelain,  principally  blue  and  white,  according 
to  Sir  Wollaston  Franks,  has  been  spoiled  by  painting  it 
in  tawdry  colors,  with  gilding — a detestable  process 
which,  he  says,  was  carried  on  not  long  ago  in  London. 


POECELAIlSr  MADE  FOR  EXPORTATION. 


619 


There  are  also  quite  modern  forgeries  on  which  coats  of 
arms  have  been  added  to  old  pieces  of  porcelain  painted 
in  colors,  where  the  sparseness  of  the  original  decoration 
left  room  for  such  additions ; these  can  be  detected  by 
the  different  conditions  of  the  old  and  new  enameled 
colors,  the  former  being  somewhat  altered  by  passing 
twice  through  the  fire. 

Sur -decoration  in  all  its  phases  is  also  practiced  in 
China.  It  may  be  contemporary  with  the  original  deco- 
ration, as  in  the  case  when  a blue  and  white  piece  has 
come  out  of  the  kiln  with  some  defect  of  the  glaze,  and  a 
spray  of  flowers  has  been  deftly  painted  on  in  enamel  ' 
colors  to  conceal  the  defect  and  fixed  in  the  muffie.  On 
the  other  hand,  it  may  be  quite  modern,  and  an  attempt 
may  be  made,  for  example,  to  increase  the  value  of  a blue 
and  white  vase  by  plastering  on  a fusible  enamel  of  some 
other  color,  such  as  the  yellow  of  antimony,  which  is 
easily  refired,  and  so  present  the  original  blue  designs 
with  a new  livery.  The  “ ginger-pot  ” illustrated  in 
Fig.  357  was  originally  an  ordinary  example  of  the 
reign  of  K’‘ang-lisi  (1622-1722),  marked  underneath  in 
blue  with  a double  ring,  and  had  the  scattered  prunus- 
blossoms  reserved  in  white,  on  a blue  ground  of  poor 
color,  traversed  in  the  usual  way  by  a reticulation  of 
darker  lines.  It  has  been  varied  by  having  the  petals  of 
the  alternate  flowers  filled  in  with  bright-green  and  dull- 
red  enamels,  so  as  to  present  a kind  of  formal  diaper 
studded  with  blossoms  of  these  two  shades.  The  red 
might  pass,  as  the  buds  of  the  prunus  are  naturally 
tipped  with  red,  but  the  glaring  inconsistency  of  green 
flowers  stamps  the  production  at  once  as  a forgery,  apart 
from  the  coloring,  which  is  certainly  not  that  of  the 
TCang-hsi  period,  if  it  be  Chinese  at  all. 

Another  kind  of  subsequent  decoration  is  shown  in 
Fig.  359.  It  is  a strongly  made  porcelain  bowl  of  the 


620 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


K'^ang-hsi  period  (1662-1722),  with  the  interior  painted 
in  blue  under  a white  glaze  with  chrysanthemum  scrolls 
spreading  over  the  field,  and  with  a fioral  border  round 
the  rim,  while  the  exterior  is  enameled  with  a dark- 
brown  monochrome  glaze  of  “ dead-leaf  ” type.  The 
chocolate-colored  glaze  has  been  pierced  through  to  the 
white  paste  underneath,  so  as  to  decorate  the  bowl  out- 
side in  intaglio  with  a broad  band  of  floral  sprays  and 
birds,  executed  in  European  style.  This  has  been 
worked  on  the  lapidary’s  wheel,  probably  in  Austria. 

The  Chinese  cut  porcelain,  hard  as  it  is,  is  cut  with  the 
utmost  facility  on  the  jade-cutter’s  lathe,  which  is  pro- 
vided with  cutting  disks  and  piercing  tools  of  soft  iron 
that,  when  in  work,  are  kept  constantly  moistened  with 
corundum  paste.  The  top  of  a chipped  vase  or  bowl 
will  be  shaved  off  evenly — ‘^barbered”  as  they  call  it — 
or  the  jagged  edges  of  a fracture  will  be  neatly  rounded^ 
for  a new  piece  of  porcelain  to  be  fitted  in  the  holes 
and  cemented  round  the  rim.  A reproduction  of  the 
original  design  is  then  painted  over  a f raid  in  common 
oil  colors.  The  Chinese  collector  has  a horror  of  a maa 
ping  (crack  or  other  small  defect),  and  infinite  trouble  is 
taken  to  conceal  one  by  carrying  sprays  of  flowers  along 
the  fissures,  or  even  by  investing  the  whole  of  the  white 
ground  of  the  vase  with  an  inky  coat  of  lampblack 
hardened  by  cement,  or  by  applying  a uniform  coat 
of  lacquer.  The  sur-decoi^ation  d f roid  will  become  dis- 
colored in  time,  and  it  may  be  detected  at  once  by 
a wash  of  weak  acid,  which  should  always  be  sponged  on 
in  case  of  doubt. 

The  question  of  the  modern  reproduction  of  ancient 
wares  is  a burning  one.  Caveat  emptor  ! The  would-be 
connoisseur  of  porcelain  must  buy  his  experience  while  he 
educates  his  eye.  Any  other  test  is  worthless.  Where 
the  demand  is  so  great  the  supply  threatens  to  become 


POKCELAIN  MADE  FOR  EXPORTATION. 


621 


unlimited.  At  the  Kioto  Exposition  of  1895  the  latest 
triumphs  of  the  Japanese  in  the  imitation  of  old  Chinese 
porcelain  were  exhibited  on  long  shelves ; the  Ching-te- 
chen  potters  are  daily  improving  in  their  reproductions 
of  the  finest  sang-de-hoeuf  and  blue  and  white  of  the 
K'^ang-Tisi  period,  and  even  the  tile  works  of  Pekmg  are 
busily  occupied  in  these  latter  days  in  the  manufacture 
of  single  colors  for  the  markets  of  the  United  States.  In 
Europe  the  old  Chelsea  potters  turned  out  Chinese  por- 
celain with  marks  complete ; the  earliest  Meissen  ware 
was  an  exact  copy  of  the  ancient  artistic  sort  of  Japan ; 
and  the  pride  they  take  at  Sevres  in  the  reproduction  oP 
Chinese  eggshell  is  proved  by  the  display  in  the  museum 
of  the  original  plate  and  its  copy,  placed  side  by  side, 
as  if  to  defy  the  visitor  to  distinguish  between  the  two. 
The  well-known  shop  of  Samson  at  Paris  is  full  of  all  the 
varieties  of  Oriental  porcelain  ” made  in  France,  but 
one  views  them  there  as  avowed  imitations.  It  is  differ- 
ent Avhen  one  sees  the  same  French  things,  as  I have  seen 
them,  in  the  back  room  of  a curio-dealer  at  Shanghai, 
purposely  begrimed  witli  real  Oriental  dirt  to  give  an  air 
of  antiquity,  and  the  casual  globe-trotter  is  more  apt  to 
be  deceived  under  such  altered  circumstances.  However 
it  may  be,  many  of  these  forgeries  find  their  way  into 
cabinets,  and  flaunt  for  a brief  while  their  borrowed 
plumes,  unti]  they  are  detected  as  impostors  and  banished 
to  another  sphere.  The  Walters  Collection  is  happily 
fi*ee  from  such  unauthorized  intruders,  so  the  question 
need  not  detain  us  further.  But  it  has  been  laid  down 
on  good  authority  that  doubt  is  one  of  the  first  requisites 
of  the  scientific  inquirer,  and  it  is  certainly  required 
m Cliina  for  tilings  Chinese  almost  more  than  in  other 
parts  of  the  globe. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


PORCELAIN  PRODUCTION  IN  THE  OTHER  PROVINCES  OF 

^ CHINA. THE  WHITE  PORCELAIN  OF  THE  PROVINCE  OF 

FUCHIEN. THE  TI-HSINO  BOCCARO  WARE  OF  THE  PROV- 
INCE OF  KIANGSU. THE  POTTERIES  OF  THE  PROVINCE 

OF  KUANGTUNO. 

ri'THE  province  of  Kiangsi  has  been  the  one  great  cen- 
JL  ter  of  the  porcelain  manufacture  during  the  present 
dynasty,  and  it  may  be  said  generally  that  nothing  of 
any  artistic  value  is  produced  elsewhere  in  China  in  the 
present  day.  In  earlier  times  a certain  amount  of  por- 
celain was  made  in  other  provinces  for  local  consumption, 
and  some  of  the  fabrics  attained  special  excellence  and 
even  acquired  a wider  vogue  under  some  of  the  past 
dynasties  when  directly  patronized  by  the  emperor  reign- 
ing at  the  time,  or  temporarily  stimulated  by  demands 
for  export  abroad,  but  most  of  the  different  manufac- 
tories have  failed,  either  from  want  of  support  or  from 
exhaustion  of  the  materials,  and  those  that  still  remain 
produce  now  nothing  worthy  of  their  old  renown. 

A list  of  these  potteries,  ancient  and  modern,  has  been 
compiled  by  Julien  Qoc.  cit.^  pages  li-lxvi),  and  the  differ- 
ent localities  referred  to  have  been  indicated  upon  a map 
of  China  prepared  by  him  for  the  purpose.  Thirteen  out 
of  the  eighteen  provinces  of  China  are  represented  in  this 
list,  but  many  of  the  potteries,  included  because  they 
liave  been  mentioned  only  once  perhaps  in  some  ancient 
book,  have  long  been  extinct,  and  some  of  the  others, 
like  that  of  Sin-p’ing,  in  the  province  of  Honan,  the 

622 


PORCELAm  PRODUCTION  IN  OTHER  PROVINCES.  623 


reputed  place  of  the  invention  of  porcelain,  are,  as 
we  have  endeavored  to  prove,  purely  hypothetical. 

The  principal  potteries  that  were  still  working  toward 
the  end  of  the  Ming  d3uiasty,  in  the  beginning  of  the 
seventeenth  century,  are  briefly  enumerated  in  the  THen 
hung  Ic'ai  %vu^  a little  manual  of  industrial  work  which 
was  published  at  that  time.  It  says  (Book  II,  folio  10) : 


“ The  white  plastic  clay  called  e-fu  is  required  for  the  fabrica- 
tion of  porcelain,  and  the  finest  and  most  beautiful  pieces  can  not 
be  made  without  it.  Throughout  the  whole  of  China  there  are 
only  a very  few  places  in  which  it  is  found — viz.,  in  the  north:  (1) 
at  Ting-chou,  in  the  prefecture  of  Chen-ting-fu  (province  of 
Chihli);  (2)  at  Hua-t’ing-hsien,  in  the  prefecture  of  P’ing-liang-fu 
(province  of  Shensi);  (3)  at  P’ing-ting-chou,  in  the  prefecture  of 
T’ai-yuan-fu  (province. of  Shansi);  (4)  at  Yu-chou,  in  the  prefec- 
ture of  K’ai-feng-fu  (province  of  Honan).  In  the  south  it  is  pro- 
duced (I)  at  Te-hua-hsien,  in  the  prefecture  of  Ch’uan-chou-fu 
(province  of  Fuchien);  (2)  at  Wu-Yuan-hsien  and  at  Ch’i-men- 
hsien — both  situated  in  the  prefecture  of  Hui-chou-fu  (province  of 
Anhui). 

“ In  the  potteries  of  Te-hua  there  are  fabricated  only  the  figures 
of  divinities  and  statuettes  of  famous  persons  artistically  modeled 
and  various  ornamental  objects  of  fantastic  form  not  intended  for 
actual  use.  The  porcelain  which  comes  from  the  districts  of  Chen- 
ting-fu  and  K’ai-feng-fu  is  occasionally  of  yellowish  shade.  The 
productions  of  all  the  other  districts  are  far  from  equaling  that  of 
Jao-chou-fu  (in  the  province  of  Kiangsi). 

“ The  two  kinds  of  porcelain  that  were  made  at  Li-shui  and  at 
Lung-ch’tian,  in  the  prefecture  of  Ch’u-chou-fu,  in  the  province  of 
Chekiang,  had  the  enamel  applied  after  the  pieces  had  been  fired. 
The  cups  and  bowls  (from  these  two  districts)  which  range  from 
sea-green,  or  celadon,  up  to  a dark-green  color  approaching  that  of 
lacquer,  are  called  Ch^u  Yao — i.  e.,  ‘ Ch’u  Ware,’  after  the  name  of 
the  prefecture. 

“With  regard  to  the  porcelain  which  is  so  eagerly  sought  after 
by  foreigners  from  all  the  four  quarters  of  the  world,  this  is 
all  fabricated  at  Ching-te-chen,  in  the  district  of  Fou-liang-hsien, 
and  the  prefecture  of  .Jao-chou-fu.  Porcelain  has  been  constantly 
produced  there  from  the  period  Ching-te-chen  (1004-07),  when  the 


624 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


imperial  manufactoiy  was  founded,  down  to  our  own  days,  although 
neither  of  the  two  materials  of  which  the  paste  is  made  is  pro- 
duced in  the  district.” 

The  porcelain  of  the  province  of  Chekiang  acquired 
some  renown  as  early  as  the  Chin  dynasty  (265-419), 
when  it  was  made  at  Wen-chou-fu,  and  in  the  T'‘ang 
dynasty  (618-906)  the  cups  of  Yueh-chou,  the  modern 
Shao-hsing-fu,  were  esteemed  above  all  others  for  tea 
services,  and  the  famous  ware  of  prohibited  color  ” 
reserved  for  imperial  use  was  produced  in  the  same  dis- 
trict. Now  there  remains  in  this  province  only  a small 
local  manufactory  at  Chapu,  a port  on  the  northern  shore 
of  Hangchou  Bay.  When  the  Emperor  ChHen-lung 
visited  the  province  of  Chekiang  in  the  year  1780, 
a series  of  illustrations  of  the  handicrafts  of  the  people 
was  presented  to  him,  Avhich  was  afterward  published 
under  the  title  of  T'^ai pHng  huan  lo  fou — ‘‘  Illustrations 
of  the  Vocations  of  Peaceful  Times” — and  which  has 
been  lately  republished.  The  fifty-eighth  of  the  one 
hundred  pictures  is  that  of  the  porcelain-seller  carrying 
his  fragile  wares  in  a couple  of  baskets  slung  npon 
a pole.  The  artist  says  in  his  description : 

In  the  province  of  Chekiang  they  have  made  porcelain  from 
ancient  times.  Tlie  prohibited  color  (pi  se  yao)  of  Yueh-chou,  the 
Lung-ch’iian  ware  (old  celadon),  and  the  Yao,  or  crackled 
celadon,  are  among  the  most  celebrated  of  its  productions  of  olden 
time.  With  regard  to  the  different  ceramic  productions  of  the 
present  day  the  porcelain  that  is  most  highly  valued  by  the  people 
for  eating  and  drinking  purposes  all  comes  from  Ching-te-chen  in 
the  adjoining  province  of  Kiangsi.  Potteries  have  been  recently 
established  in  Chekiang  at  Chapu,  where  they  make  vases,  basins, 
wine-cups,  rice-bowls,  and  the  like.  The  porcelain  is  white,  with 
designs  painted  in  blue,  and  the  potters  strive  to  emulate  their 
rivals  of  Jao-chou-fu.” 

Hangchou  is  one  of  the  places  thrown  open  in  Septem- 
ber, 1896,  to  foreign  residence  and  trade,  as  a result  of 


POKCELAIN  PRODUCTION  IN  OTHER  PROVINCES.  625 


the  recent  war  between  China  and  Japan  ; and  it  will  be 
interesting  to  inquire  whether  the  potteries  at  Chapu 
(the  port  of  Hangchou)  are  still  working,  and,  if  so, 
what  is  the  quality  of  the  production. 

The  potteries  at  Ting-chon  in  the  province  of  Chihli 
ceased  to  work  at  the  close  of  the  Ming  dynasty,  when 
we  found  Chou  Tan-chu’an  making  at  Ching-te-chen  re- 
productions of  ancient  four-legged  censers  of  the  peculiar 
ivoiy- white  finely  crackled  ware  that  used  to  be  produced 
at  Tiug-chou,  and  astonishing  his  contemporaries  by  his 
imitative  skill.  During  the  pi*esent  dynasty  all  the  Fen 
Ting  ware,  the  so-called  “ soft  paste  ” porcelain,  whethei 
plain  white  or  decorated  in  soft  underglaze  cobalt-blue, 
has  continued  to  be  made  in  Kiaugsi.  It  is  the  same 
with  many  of  the  other  old  wares ; the  Ju  Yao  and  the 
imperial  porcelain  {Kuan  Yao)  of  the  Sung  dynasty,  the 
old  celadons,  plain  and  crackled,  and  the  flambe  glazes 
of  ancient  Chun-chou  among  the  rest.  These  were  all 
attempted  to  be  reproduced  by  T’ang  Ying  in  the  reign 
of  Yung-cheng  (1723-35),  in  the  imperial  manufactory 
at  Ching-te-chen.  Their  original  localities  know  them 
no  longer. 

The  potteries  at  Tz’ti-chou  in  the  province  of  Chihli 
are  indeed  the  only  representatives  of  the  better  known 
manufactories  of  the  Sung  dynasty  that  have  continued 
to  turn  out  porcelain  down  to  the  present  day.  Their 
productions  were  not  much  esteemed  in  former  days, 
wlien  they  were  described  as  a kind  of  inferior  ‘^Ting- 
Yao,”  and  the  modern  work  is  still  less  valued,  its  only 
recommendation  being  a certain  archaic  simplicity  of 
foi’in  and  design.  The  paste  is  very  white,  but  it  is 
opaque  and  imperfectly  vitrified.  This  Tz’u-chou  ware 
is  well  known  i]i  Peking  and  throughout  northern  China, 
as  it  supplies  the  domestic  needs  of  the  common  people. 
Among  the  more  curious  objects  are  pillows  made  in  the 


626 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


shape  of  scantily  clothed  urchins  and  hollow  in  the 
interior,  so  that  they  can  be  filled,  if  it  be  desired,  with 
hot  water  in  cold  weather.  Rudely  molded  idols  and 
figures  of  Buddhist  and  Taoist  saints  are  also  produced 
here,  roughly  painted  in  different  shades  of  brown 
{tzu-chiri^  derived  from  iron  peroxide,  or  penciled  in  a 
dull  blue  with  manganiferous  cobalt  applied  over  the 
glaze. 

The  province  of  Fuchien,  in  the  south,  has  long  been 
noted  for  its  production  of  porcelain.  The  Ohien 
or  Chien  Yao — i,  e.,  ^‘Fuchien  porcelain” — of  the  Sung 
dynasty,  was  originally  fabricated  at  Chien-an-hsien,  in 
the  prefecture  of  Chien-ning-fu,  although  the  potteries 
were  moved  later  in  the  same  dynasty  to  Chien-yang- 
hsien,  which  is  within  the  bounds  of  the  same  prefecture 
farther  north.  The  porcelain  of  Chien-an  is  referred  to 
by  the  author  of  the  CYa  Lu,  a book  on  tea  written  in 
the  eleventh  century,  in  which  he  speaks  of  the  teacups 
of  Chien-an  under  the  name  of  ‘^leveret-fur  cups,”  and 
describes  them  as  being  of  thick  material  invested  with 
a soft  black  glaze  flecked  with  lighter  spots  like  the  fur  of 
a hare.  Other  authors  of  the  time  speak  of  the  black 
glaze  being  sprinkled  with  yellowish  tears.  These  cups 
were  the  most  highly  prized  of  all  by  the  enthusiasts  of 
the  competitive  tea  parties  of  the  time.  When  tea  clubs 
were  started  in  Japan  these  were  the  cups  that  were 
valued  by  the  Japanese  at  a hundred  ounces  of  silver 
each,  and  they  supplied  models  for  some  of  the  early  tea- 
jars  made  in  that  country,  the  dark,  speckled  glaze  of 
which  might  be  described  in  the  very  words  of  the  old 
Chinese  writers  of  the  Sung  dynasty  in  their  description 
of  this  fabric.'^'  The  manufacture  of  porcelain  in  this 

* A recent  letter  from  Japan  says  that  the  potter  Takenioto,  of  Tokyo,  is 
making  a specialty  of  black  glazes,  with  the  aim  of  rivaling  the  Chien  Yao  of 
the  Sung  dynasty,  and  has  succeeded  in  producing  many  varieties  of  mirror- 


POKCELAIN  PRODUCTION  IN  OTHER  PROVINCES.  627 


district  continued  to  flourish  during  the  Yuan  dynasty 
(1280-1367),  but  after  that  we  hear  of  it  no  more. 

Early  in  the"  Ming  dynasty,  if  not  before,  potteries 
were  established  at  Te-hua-hsien,  in  the  same  province  of 
Fuchien,  which  was  then  subject  to  Ch’uan-chou-fu,  but 
was  afterward  placed  under  the  jurisdiction  of  Yung- 
ch’un-chou.  These  potteries  are  still  woi’king,  and  are 
the  sole  source  of  the  well-known  Chien  Tz’u  of  to-day, 
which  is  different  from  the  older  ware  that  was  described 
under  the  same  name  of  “Fuchien  porcelain,”  being 
wliite  instead  of  black.  This  is  the  pai  “ white 
porcelain,”  excellence^  of  the  Chinese,  the  hlanc  de 
Chine  of  French  ceramic  writers.  It  differs  considerably 
from  other  Oriental  porcelain,  the  paste  of  smooth  tex- 
ture being  of  a creamy- white  tint  resembling  ivory,  while 
the  rich,  thick  glaze,  which  has  a satiny  aspect,  like  the 
surface  of  soft  paste  porcelain,  blends  closely  with  the 
paste  underneath.  These  potteries  became  I’enowned 
during  the  Ming  dynasty  (1368-1643)  for  their  figures 
of  Buddhist  divinities  and  saints — Kuan  Yin  or  Avalokita, 
as  the  Goddess  of  Mercy,  Mi-lo  Fo  or  Maitreya,  as  the 
Buddhist  Messiah,  and  Ta-mo  or  Bodhidharma,  the  last 
Indian  and  the  first  Chinese  patriarch,  being  the  three 
most  frequently  represented.  The  statuette  of  the  God- 
dess of  Mercy,  illustrated  by  M.  Grandidier  Qoc.  cit., 
Plate  X,  28),  furnishes  a striking  example  of  the  skill- 
ful modeling  of  the  Fuchien  potters.  A more  elaborate 
figure  of  the  many-handed  form  of  the  same  Pusa  is 
illustrated  from  the  Musee  de  Limoges  by  M.  du  Sartel 
(loc.  ciC  Plate  XVII,  Fig.  60).  The  divinity  is  seated 
upon  a lotus  thalamus,  with  one  pair  of  arms  folded  in 
front  with  the  fingers  raised  in  mystic  fashion,  while 


black  and  raven’s-wing-green  glazes,  of  leveret-fur  streaking  and  of  russet 
nmoss  dappling  ; more  varieties,  by  the  way,  than  I suspect  were  ever  turned 
out  from  the  original  kilns  in  China. 


1 


628  ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 

eight  other  pairs  of  arms  are  extended  in  every  direction, 
to  display  to  the  whole  world,  as  it  were,  the  various 
sacred  symbols  grasped  in  the  hands.  In  the  same  plate 
are  illustrated  two  groups  of  three  figures  gathered 
under  a pine-tree,  with  a rocky  background,  two  of  whom 
are  playing  chess,  molded  in  the  same  ivory-white 
porcelain.  These  are  scenes  from  the  legend  of  Wang 
Chi,  one  of  the  Taoist  patriarchs,  who  is  said  to  have 
flourished  under  the  Chin  dynasty  (265-419).  While 
wandering  in  the  hills  one  day  to  collect  firewood,  he 
found  two  aged  men  playing  chess,  and  laid  down  his 
axe  to  watch  the  game.  One  of  the  players  gave  h(m  a 
fruit-stone,  which  he  swallowed.  After  a while  they 
exclaimed,  “ It  is  long  since  you  came,  and  time  to  go 
home.”  He  found  that  the  handle  of  his  axe  had  moldered 
into  dust,  and  when  he  reached  home  many  generations 
had  passed  away  and  he  was  clean  forgotten,  so  he  retired 
again  to  the  mountains  and  devoted  himself  to  Taoism, 
till  he  was  finally  enrolled  among  the  immortals. 

The  natives  of  this  province  are  among  the  most 
superstitious  of  the  Chinese,*  and  their  religious  tempera- 
ment seems  to  be  reflected  in  the  character  of  their 
ceramic  productions.  The  rice-bowls  are  molded  with 
figures  in  relief  of  the  eight  Taoist  genii  worshiping  the 
Longevity  God,  and  the  ordinary  wine-cups  have  the  air 
of  sacrificial  libation-cups,  being  shaped  like  the  old 
carved  cups  of  rhinoceros  horn,  and  impressed  outside 
with  all  kinds  of  Taoist  sacred  emblems.  When  a mark 
is  attached  it  is  a religious  symbol  like  the  swastika,  or 
simply  the  name  of  the  potter,  stamped  somewhere  under- 
neath the  foot  or  on  the  I’everse  side  of  the  piece.  They 
were  not,  however,  above  woiking  for  the  European 
market,  as  is  proved  by  whole  shelves  of  European  figures 

*See  Social  Life  of  the  Chinese.  By  the  Rev.  Justus  Doolittle.  New  York, 
1867. 


PORCELAIN  PRODUCTION  IN  OTHER  PROVINCES.  629 


and  designs  molded  in  this  peculiar  white  poi*celain, 
which  are  exhibited  in  the  Johannenm  at  Dresden,  dating 
from  the  seventeenth  and  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth 
centuries. 

Three  pieces  of  Chien  Tz’ti  have  been  selected  from 
the  Walters  Collection  for  illustration  here.  The  cen- 
ser (lisiang  lu)  in  Fig.  371,  which  is  of  depressed, 
rounded  shape,  with  the  body  bulging  in  the  middle, 
is  molded  with  a floral  decoration  on  one  side  composed 
of  sprays  of  bamboo  and  peony-flowers  growing  from 
rocks,  worked  in  relief  under  the  ivory-white  translucent 
glaze  with  which  it  is  invested.  There  is  a circular 
panel  stamped  underneath,  with  four  archaic  characters 
in  the  middle,  Hsuan  te  nien  cliih — i.  e.,  Made  in  the 
reign  of  Hsuan-te  (1426-35)  ” — but  the  piece  does  not 
look  so  old. 

The  vase  in  Fig.  372,  of  solid  make,  has  the  globular 
body  ornamented  with  four  identical  sprays  of  prunus 
(mei  hud)  modeled  in  strong  relief,  and  the  neck,  which 
has  a wide  ring  projecting  horizontally  below,  is  en- 
circled above  by  a line  of  fret  succeeded  by  a band  of 
triangular  foliations,  while  a similar  band  deflnes  the 
shoulder  of  the  vase.  The  glaze  is  of  pure  ivory-white 
tint,  and  the  technique  generally  is  that  of  the  Ming 
dynasty. 

The  third,  a small  vase  illustrated  in  Fig.  373,  with 
w'ide  circular  base  and  short  cylindrical  body  rounding 
in  at  the  shoulder  to  a straight  tubular  neck,  is  an 
example  of  the  form  known  to  the  Chinese  as  hoof- 
shaped  vases  {gna  Hi  ])Hng).  It  is  molded  in  sliarp 
relief  with  the  eight  Buddhist  symbols  of  good  augury 
(pa  chi-hsiang)  enveloped  in  waving  fillets  and  leafy 
scrolls,  and  the  rims  are  defined  by  light  conventional 
foliations.  The  rich,  satiny  glaze  is  ivory-white  with 
a slight  creamy  tinge.  There  is  no  mark,  but  the  style 


630 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


of  execution  points  to  the  reign  of  OKien-lung  (1736- 
95),  or  somewhat  earlier. 

Two  typical  pieces  of  Chien  Tz’u  are  illustrated  in 
Plate  XIII.  In  the  little  wine-pot  molded  in  the  form  of 
a pomegranate  the  artist  has  reproduced  remarkably  well 
the  characteristic  tone  of  the  white  glaze.  In  the  teapot 
the  glaze  is  somewhat  grayer  in  shade,  but  very  rich 
and  lustrous,  and  the  unglazed  base  exhibits  the  pecu- 
liarly smooth  texture  of  the  paste.  A picked  specimen 
of  the  white  porcelain  of  Ching-te-chen  of  the  finest 
quality  is  illustrated  in  Plate  XC,  and  it  will  be  seen,  on 
comparison,  to  have  a slight  tinge  of  blue,  although  the 
glaze  is  of  perfect  purity  and  translucency  ; this  shade 
is  due  to  lime,  which  is  always  added  by  the  Chinese 
in  appreciable  quantity  to  give  fluidity  to  the  glaze 
when  the  porcelain  is  being  fired.  The  white  Fen-Ting 
glaze  is  quite  different  from  either  of  the  other  two^ 
as  may  be  seen  by  turning  to  Plate  LXXXIX,  an 
admirable  specimen,  to  be  referred  probably  to  the 
K''ang-lisi  period.  The  glaze  here  looks  thinner,  and 
it  has  a wavy  or  undulatory  surface,  as  it  seems  to  sink 
into  and  blend  intimately  with  the  siliceous  paste  under- 
neath ; the  ivory-white,  which  is  the  prevailing  tone, 
has  a creamy  tinge,  and  it  is  delicately  crackled  with 
an  infinity  of  fine  lines. 

There  is  a crackled  variety  of  the  Chien-Tz’u,  which, 
however,  I have  met  with  only  in  quite  modern  vases 
of  no  particular  merit  or  beauty,  having  the  glaze  deeply 
fissured  by  a wide  reticulation  of  colorless  lines ; so  that 
it  ought  not  to  be  confounded  with  the  delicately  crackled 
Fen-Ting  porcelain. 

In  addition  to  the  ivory-white  porcelain,  which  has 
given  the  Fuchien  potters  their  chief  reputation,  they 
also  make  a quantity  of  ordinary  domestic  ware  for 
local  consumption.  Missionaries  penetrate  to  all  parts 


POECELAIN  PEODUCTION  IN  OTHEE  PEO VINCES.  631 


of  the  interior  of  China  in  these  days,  and  one  of  them  * 
gives  a pleasing  sketch  of  the  potters  at  work  in  this 
district  which  is  worth  quoting : 

“ Tek-kwa  [the  local  pronunciation  of  the  Te-hua  of  the  man- 
darin dialect]  is  the  most  extensive  manufactoiy  of  china  in  the 
Fulikien  province.  The  valley  is  broad,  and  clothed  over  a con- 
siderable area  with  very  pretty  houses,  in  maiy^  cases  resembling 
Swiss  chalets.  Pottery,  pottery  everywhere,  in  the  fields,  in  the 
streets,  in  the  shops.  In  the  open  air  children  are  painting  the 
cups.  Each  artist  paints  with  his  own  color,  or  his  own  few 
strokes,  whether  a leaf,  a tree,  a man’s  dress  or  beard,  and  passes 
it  over  to  his  neighbor,  who  in  turn  applies  his  brush  to  paint  what 
is  his  share  in  the  decoration.  I have  seldom  received  a more 
courteous  and  cordial  welcome  than  from  these  artists  in  earthen- 
ware at  Tek-kwa.” 


The  writer  is  somewhat  vague  in  his  use  of  the  terms 
/‘china,”  “pottery,”  and  “earthenware”  in  this  short 
paragraph,  and  we  wish  that  he  had  looked  at  the  ware 
with  a technical  eye  and  told  us  the  exact  nature  of  the 
material.  The  Chinese  themselves  are  apt  to  be  just 
as  vague  in  their  definition  of  tz'u  (porcelain),  and  to 
find  their  ultimate  criterion  in  the  clear  ring  that  they 
can  produce  by  striking  the  object  with  their  long 
finger-nails.  This  test  is  not  infallible,  as  a perfectly 
vitrified  stoneware  of  colored  opaque  body,  if  it  be  not 
too  tliick,  will  give  as  musical  a ring  as  the  most  snowy 
and  translucent  pottery  of  pure  kaolinic  structure.  The 
two  ceramic  wares  of  China  that  still  remain  for  a word 
of  notice  would  nevertheless  always  be  rejected  by  a 
Chinese  connoisseur  from  his  porcelain  class,  although, 
straugely,  we  find  specimens  of  the  first,  the  faience  of  the 
province  of  Kuangtung,  so  often  figuring  with  porcelain 
vases  on  the  shelves  of  the  Occidental  connoisseur. 

* Er>ery-Day  Life  in  China,  or  Scenes  in  Fuhkien.  By  E.  J.  Dukes. 
London,  1885. 


632 


OEIENTAL  CEEAMIC  AET. 


This  is  the  Kuang-  Yao  of  the  Chinese,  the  Pottery 
of  Kuangtung.”  It  is  in  material  a colored  stoneware, 
the  fabric  passing  from  pale  yellowish-gray  through  buff 
and  various  intermediate  shades  of  yellow  and  red  to 
deep  brown.  All  kinds  of  things  are  made  of  it,  archi- 
tectural antefixal  ornaments,  cisterns,  fish-bowls,  and 
flower-pots  for  gardens,  religious  images,  sacred  figures 
and  grotesque  animals,  tubs  and  jars  for  storage,  domes- 
tic utensils,  and  vessels  for  eatiug  and  drinking,  and 
many  objects  of  ornament  and  fantasy — the  various 
articles,  in  fact,  that  are  made  in  other  parts  of  China  of 
porcelain.  The  ware  is  exported  to  all  parts  of  the 
world,  and  piles  of  it  are  to  be  seen  in  the  commoner 
stores  in  China  Town  at  San  Francisco. 

There  are  two  principal  centers  of  manufacture  in  the 
province.  The  first  is  in  the  vicinity  of  the  treaty  port 
of  Amoy,  from  which  it  is  exported  by  sea.  Dr.  S.  W. 
Williams,  in  his  description  of  the  principal  articles  of 
export  from  China,'^  says,  under  Chinaware : 

The  largest  part  of  tlie  export  at  present  consists  of  coarse 
blue  ware  to  India  and  the  archipelago.  Large  manufactories  of 
it  exist  at  Pakwoh,  a village  near  Shih-ma,  between  Amoy  and 
Changchou,  and  the  common  articles  of  domestic  use  find  their 
wa}^  from  Amoy  to  India  and  the  archipelago,  Siam,  and  over  the 
southern  provinces.  Its  fantastic  figures  and  uniformity  of  color- 
ing and  design  have  impressed  themselves  on  the  popular  mind 
of  Asiatics.  ...  Of  the  fine  ware,  which  is  made  at  King- 
te-chen  in  Jao-chou-fu,  not  so  much  is  exported.  Some  of  it  is 
brought  to  Canton  in  its  plain  state,  and  the  pieces  are  painted 
according  to  demand.  The  figures  are  sketched  in  Indian  ink,  and 
then  painted  with  water-colors  mixed  with  strong  glue;  the  pieces 
are  then  placed  in  a reverberating  furnace  about  half  an  hour,  and 
taken  out  and  washed  when  sufficiently  cooled.  The  division  of 
labor  in  the  preparation  and  painting  of  chinaware  is  carried  to 
a minuteness  not  often  seen  in  other  branches  of  native  art.” 

* The  Chinese  Commercial  Guide.  By  S.  Wells  Williams,  LL.  D.  Fifth 
edition,  Hong-Kong,  1863. 


PORCELAm  PRODUCTION  IN  OTHER  PROVINCES.  633 


The  second  manufactory  is  in  the  extreme  south  of 
the  province  of  Yang-chiang-hsien.  The  author  of  the 
Cliing-te-chen  T\ao  lu  says,  under  the  heading  of  Kuang- 
Yao : 

“ This  was  first  made  in  the  province  of  Kuangtung,  in  the 
district  of  Yang-chiang-hsien,  in  the  prefecture  of  Chao-ch’ing-fu. 
It  was  probably  fired  in  the  same  way  as  the  foreign  painted 
enamels  on  copper  (which,  the  author  tells  us  in  another  part  of 
his  book,  had  been  copied  from  those  made  at  Calicut  in  Hindu- 
stan), so  that  porcelain  is  included  in  the  official  description  of  the 
province  among  the  productions  of  Yang-chiang-hsien.  I have 
seen  censers  for  burning  incense,  vases,  cups  and  platters,  bowls 
and  round  dishes,  gourd-shaped  bottles  and  boxes  with  covers,  and 
the  like,  made  of  this  ware,  which  were  finely  decorated  in  the 
most  brilliant  colors;  but  in  style,  finish,  and  artistic  treatment  it 
is  not  to  be  compared  with  real  porcelain,  and  it  is  never  free 
from  unsightly  fissures  in  some  part  of  the  glaze  in  which  the 
body  of  the  piece  is  exposed  to  view.  Nevertheless,  the  repro- 
ductions that  have  been  made  at  Ching-te-chen,  under  the  super- 
intendence of  the  director  T’ang  Ying,  are  worth}^  of  attention 
for  the  beauty  of  their  coloring,  which  exceeds  by  far  that  of  the 
original  Kuang-Yao.” 

The  particular  glaze  referred  to  in  this  last  paragraph 
was  a souffle  blue.  It  figures  as  No.  17  in  the  list  given 
in  Chapter  XIII,  where  it  is  described  as  having  been 
copied  by  T’ang  Ying  from  an  ancient  specimen  of 
Kuang-Yao  which  had  been  sent  down  from  the  imperial 
palace  at  Peking  for  the  pui’pose.  The  glazes  of  the 
Kuang-Yao  are  often,  indeed,  of  the  mottled  and  varie- 
gated class,  the  prevailing  ground  being  blue,  which  may 
be  streaked  and  flecked  with  green  and  pass  into  olive- 
brown  toward  the  rim.  But  many  other  colors  occur, 
such  as  purple,  camellia-leaf  green,  and  stone-colored 
crackle;  they  are  usually  colors  of  i\\^  demi-grand  feu^ 
and  may  develop  the  most  brilliant  reds  of  sang-de-hoeuf 
tone,  as  in  the  figure  of  the  Buddhist  patriaiuh  Bodhi- 


634 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


dharma,  illustrated  in  Plate  XLI,  which  is  invested  in 
a robe  of  lustrous  crimson.  This  statuette  is  a typical 
example  of  Kuang-Yao,  and  exhibits  the  reddish-gray 
color  of  the  dense,  hard  material  in  the  parts  uncovered 
by  glaze.  On  the  vases  of  more  ancient  date  the  surface 
is  often  only  partially  enameled,  the  glaze  stopping  in  an 
irregular  line  as  it  runs  down  and  congeals  in  drops,  so 
that  a third  part  of  the  piece  may  be  left  bare.  In  this 
it  resembles  some  of  the  ancient  wares  of  the  Sung 
dynasty,  with  which  it  may  be  confounded  if  special 
attention  be  not  paid  to  the  pdte^  which  is  peculiarly 
dense  and  opaque,  although  it  may  occasionally  be  of 
a pale  grayish  tint  approaching  white. 

The  vase  in  Fig.  369  is  a characteristic  production  of 
the  potteries  of  Kuangtung.  Molded  of  solid  form,  with 
two  ring  handles  in  relief  springing  from  grotesque  lions’ 
heads,  it  is  invested  with  a thick,  translucent  glaze  of 
bright  green  tint,  mottled  with  dark  brown,  and  becom- 
ing grayish  blue  at  the  edges.  This  does  not  quite  reach 
the  bottom  of  the  vase,  ending  below  in  an  undulatory 
line,  so  that  the  brown  stoneware  body  is  exposed  to 
view  at  this  spot. 

The  bottle-shaped  vase  in  Fig.  370,  with  a pair  of 
lizardlike  dragons  (chbiJi-lung)  of  archaic  shape  project- 
ing in  openwork  relief  from  the  neck,  is  made  of  light 
but  hard  stoneware  of  brown  color.  It  is  covered  with 
a translucent  crackled  glaze  of  rich  emerald-green  tint,, 
passing  into  purplish  gray  at  the  rim  of  the  vase  and 
over  the  more  prominent  parts  of  the  accessory  modeling. 

In  Fig.  374  is  illustrated  one  of  the  quaint  little  recep- 
tacles for  water  {shui  cKmg)  designed  for  the  desk  of 
a Chinese  writer.  An  ancient  specimen  of  Kuang-Yao, 
judging  from  the  texture  of  the  paste,  which  is  of  pale 
buff  color,  and  the  celadon  hue  of  the  glaze,  it  is  molded 
in  the  form  of  a sacrificial  ox,  with  a small  oval  bowl 


PORCELAIN  PRODUCTION  IN  OTHER  PROVINCES.  635 


attaclied  to  the  mouth,  into  which  the  pencil-brush  may 
be  dipped.  A channel  leads  from  this  through  the 
mouth  of  the  ox,  the  body  of  which  is  hollowed  to  hold 
water,  and  the  back  is  pierced  with  a circularly  rimmed 
aperture.  The  design  is  adopted  from  one  of  the  ancient 
sacrificial  wine-vessels  of  bronze,  which,  however,  were 
usually  modeled  in  the  form  of  a rhinoceros,  and  this 
is  suggested  bydhe  spiral  folds  on  the  skin,  the  thick 
legs,  and  the  grotesque  outline  of  the  miniature  monster 
before  us. 

The  Chinese  ceramic  ware  that  remains  for  our  con- 
sideration is  the  Yi-lising  Yao^  which  derives  its  name 
from  its  place  of  production — Yi-hsing-hsien,  in  the  pre- 
fecture of  Chaug-chou-fu,  in  the  province  of  Kiangsu. 

It  has  been  cursoiily  referred  to  already  in  Chapter  VII, 
in  a notice  of  some  of  its  earlier  productions  during  the 
Ming  dynasty.  The  pottery  produced  here  is  a fine  kind  ^ 
of  stoneware  of  various  tints — buff,  red,  brown,  and 
chocolate-colored,  red  predominating.  The  Portuguese 
called  it  hoccaro^  and  the  name  has  remained.  Bottger, 
the  inventor  of  Saxon,  porcelain,  first  tried  his  hand  in 
the  imitation  of  this  material  in  1708,  with  some  success, 
although  his  essays  hardly  deserved  the  epitliet  of  porce- 
laine  rouge^  with  which  they  were  baptized.  The  Elers, 
who  established  a pottery  in  Staffordshire,  England,  also 
copied  the  red  varieties  with  great  exactness,  so  that  it  is 
not  always  easy,  according  to  Sir  Wollaston  Eranks,  to 
distinguish  their  productions  from  Oriental  examples. 

The  Chinese  prefer  this  fine  stoneware  to  any  other, 
even  to  true  porcelain,  for  the  infusion  of  tea,  and  for 
keeping  delicate  sweetmeats.  There  is  a special  book 
wliicli  is  often  quoted  (but  I liave  not  seen  the  original), 
called  Yang -listen  ming  liu  hsi,  written  by  Chou  Kao- 
clri,  an  author  of  the  seventeenth  century,  wlio  gives  an 
account  of  the  teapots  (ming  liu)  made  here  (Yang-hsien 


636 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


being  an  old  name  of  Yi-hsing).  These  teapots  are 
made  in  the  most  varied  and  fantastic  forms,  such  as^ 
a dragon  rising  from  waves,  a phcenix  or  other  bird,, 
a section  of  bamboo,  the  gnarled  trunk  of  a pine,  or  a 
branch  of  blossoming  prunus,  a fruit  such  as  a peach,, 
a pomegranate,  or  a finger-citron,  or  a flower  like  the 
nelumbium,  the  Chinese  lotus. 

Many  of  the  pieces  derive  their  sole  charm  from  the 
simple  elegance  of  the  form  and  the  soft  self-coloring  of 
the  fine,  close  faience  in  which  it  is  modeled.  Others  are 
ornamented  with  designs  molded  in  relief,  impressed 
with  delicate  diapers,  or  engraved  with  decorative 
designs.  Others,  again,  are  painted  in  enamel  colors,, 
applied  with  a brush  so  as  to  come  out  in  sensible  relief, 
or  inlaid,  as  it  were,  in  a ground  previously  prepared  for 
the  purpose,  the  technique  being  that  of  champleve 
enamel  on  copper.  The  enamel  colors  may  be  either 
single  or  multiple.  The  material  makes  a charming 
background  for  a spray  of  flowers  worked  in  clear  cobalt- 
blue  combined  with  a vitreous  flux,  or  for  a landscape 
lightly  penciled  in  the  soft  grayish  white  afforded  by 
arsenic.  The  decoration  in  multiple  colors  is  almost  too 
elaborate,  especially  when  the  piece  is  completely  covered,, 
so  that  none  of  the  ground  is  visible,  in  which  case  the 
nature  of  the  excipient  can  be  detected  only  by  examin- 
ing the  rim  of  the  foot  underneath. 

All  kinds  of  things  have  been  made  at  Yi-hsing-hsien 
of  this  peculiar  faience,  and  out  of  the  multitude  of 
objects  of  use  and  ornament  that  are  usually  made  in 
China  of  porcelain,  there  is  hardly  one  that  is  not  also  to 
be  found  in  hoccaro  ware.  This  last  material  is,  how- 
ever, considered  most  suitable  for  small  ohjets  de  luxe^ 
and  these  are  often  very  cunningly  and  minutely  finished. 
Miniature  teapots  and  fruit  and  flowers  of  charming 
design  are  made  to  hold  water  for  the  writer’s  pallet ; 


POECELAm  PKODUCTIOi^  IN  OTHER  PROVINCES.  637 


perfume-bottles,  rouge-pots,  powder-boxes,  trays,  saucers, 
and  other  nameless  accessories  for  the  toilet-table  of  the 
harem;  small  vases  for  flowers,  comfit-dishes,  chopstick- 
trays,  and  miniature  wine-cups  for  the  dinner-table.  The 
mandarin  wears  a thumb-ring,  a tube  for  the  peacock’s 
feather  in  his  hat,  and  has  enameled  beads  and  other  orna- 
ments for  his  rosary  made  of  this  material ; the  Chinese 
exquisite  carrier  a snuff-bottle,  the  tobacco-smoker  has 
his  water-pipe,  and  the  opium  devotee  the  bowl  of  his 
bamboo  pipe  artistically  inlaid  in  soft  vitrified  colors. 

Two  of  these  small  pieces  have  been  selected  for  illus- 
tration. The  first  (Fig.  23)  is  a snuff-bottle  of  brown 
Yi-hsing  ware,  decorated  with  a miniature  mountain 
landscape  of  temples,  pavilions,  and  bridges,  painted  in 
soft-toned  enamel  colors.  The  second  is  a little  receptacle 
for  water,  fashioned  out  of  pale  buff-colored  faience  in 
the  form  of  a folded  leaf,  and  imbued  with  autumnal 
tints,  the  outer  aspect  being  covered  with  a roughened 
brown  enamel,  while  the  interior  is  coated  purplish  gray. 
The  ivory  stand,  carved  in  openwork  with  bamboos  and 
flowers  and  mounted  upon  a second  rosewood  stand, 
shows  how  it  was  once  appreciated  in  China. 

Glazed  stoneware  is  made  in  the  other  provinces  of 
China,  but  nothing  of  artistic  value  or  interest  seems  to 
be  produced  that  can  be  compared  with  the  fine-grained 
hoccaro  of  Yi-hsing.  Potteries  near  Peking  have  been 
referred  to  as  producing  a kind  of  archaic-looking  ware, 
which  is  occasionally  enameled  in  brilliant  single  colors 
so  as  to  cover  the  ground  and  conceal  the  material. 
This  is  a kind  of  glazed  earthen^vare  or  terra-cotta,  and 
can  be  easily  scratched  with  a steel  point.  The  ordinary 
glaze  is  a reddish  brown  of  marked  iridescence,  shining 
with  an  infinity  of  metallic  specks,  an  effective  back- 
ground to  the  molded  decoration  which  covers  the  sur- 
face. The  designs  are  generally  of  hieratic  character. 


638 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


This  terra-cotta  is  largely  used  in  China  for  architec- 
tural purposes.  The  ruins  of  Wan-shou-shan  and  the 
other  imperial  summer  palaces  near  Peking  that  were 
burned  in  1860,  have  furnished  large  images  of  Kuan- 
Yin  enameled  with  turquoise-blue  and  other  soft  colors, 
smaller  Buddhist  images  that  were  inlaid  by  the  thou- 
sand in  the  brick  walls  of  their  temples,  and  dragons, 
k’i-lins,  phoenixes,  and  other  figures,  that  formed  the  ante- 
fixal  ornaments  of  the  roofs.  Not  the  least  interesting  of 
these  relics  are  the  shields  and  trophies  of  arms  of  Euro- 
pean design,  and  the  classical  figures  for  the  fountains  of 
the  Italian  palace  which  was  built  in  the  Yuan-Ming- 
Yuen  for  the  Emperor  CKien-lung  under  the  superin- 
tendence of  the  Jesuit  missionaries.  These  were  all 
made  in  the  encaustic  tile-works  near  Peking. 

It  has  been  imagined  by  some  that  porcelain  was  so 
common  in  China  that  it  usurped  the  place  of  all  other 
ceramic  wares,  but  this  is  not  the  case.  From  true 
kaolinic  pottery,  or  true  porcelain,  we  pass  through  all 
the  different  grades  of  faience  and  stoneware,  in  which 
the  material  becomes  gradually  coarser  and  less  perfectly 
vitrified,  till  we  come  to  ordinary  glazed  earthenware,  and 
finally  to  unglazed  terra-cotta,  which  is  roughly  fired  in 
an  open  kiln.  These  should  be  set  apart  in  collections, 
and  an  attempt  be  made  to  classify  them  according  to  the 
different  places  of  production,  as  well  as  in  chronological 
sequence.  The  study  is  not  without  interest,  as  the  de- 
velopment of  some  of  the  minor  potteries  that  have  been 
working  for  centuries  in  their  own  lines  occasionally 
throws  a side-light  on  the  gradual  progress  of  the  decora- 
tion of  porcelain.  Although  this  is  essentially  a Chinese 
art,  it  has  been  more  modified  by  external  influences  than 
some  of  its  humbler  sisters,  which  I would  venture  to 
bring  into  more  prominent  notice  for  that  reason. 


CHAPTER  XXIIL 


CHIlSrESE  BIBLIOGRAPHY  IN  RELATION  TO  THE 
CERAMIC  ART. 

SHORT  excursion  in  tlie  vast  field  of  Chinese  bibli- 


ography is  undertaken  here,  in  order  to  give  some  of 
the  principal  sources  of  information  that  have  been  availed 
of,  and  to  indicate  the  ground  that  is  open  for  further 
research.  In  the  course  of  it  the  Chinese  names  of  most 
of  the  books  that  have  been  quoted  in  the  preceding 
pages  will  be  given,  with  a reference  to  the  dates  of  their 
publication,  and  a brief  sketch  of  the  nature  of  their 
contents. 

Of  works  on  the  ceramic  art  that  have  been  published 
out  of  China,  two  special  books’^  are  available  for  refer- 
ence, in  addition  to  more  partial  bibliographical  lists 
which  accompany  some  of  the  general  works  on  pottery, 
such  as  the  one  of  which  the  title  is  quoted  below.f 
Some  idea  of  the  vast  extent  of  Chinese  literature  may 
be  gathered  from  the  scholarly  work  of  the  late  Alexan- 

* Bibliographie  ceramique.  Nomenclature  analytique  de  toutes  les  Publications 
faites  en  Europe  et  en  Orient  sur  les  arts  et  Vindustrie  ceramiques,  depnis  le  XVI^ 
siecle  jusqu’d  nos  jours,  par  Cliampfleury,  conservateur  du  Musee  de  Sevres. 
Paris,  1881. 

A List  of  Works  on  Pottery  and  Porcelain  in  the  National  Art  Library,  com- 
piled for  the  use  of  students  and  visitors,  by  R H.  Soden  Smith,  Science  and 
Art,  Department  of  the  Committee  of  Council  on  Education,  South  Kensing- 
ton Museum.  The  first  edition  was  published  in  1875,  but  revised  and  enlarged 
editions,  incorporating  later  additions  to  the  art  library,  have  since  been 
issued. 

+ Pottery  : LIow  it  is  made  ; its  Shape  and  Decoration.  Practical  Instructions 
for  Painting  on  Porcelain  and  all  Kinds  of  Pottery  rcith  Vitrifiable  and  Co7n- 
mon  Oil  Colors.  With  a full  bibliography  of  standard  works  upon  tlie  ceramic 
art,  and  forty-two  illustrations.  By  George  Ward  Nichols.  New  York,  1878. 


639 


640 


OEIENTAL  CEEAMIC  AET. 


der  Wylie,  agent  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society 
in  China, which,  extensive  as  it  is,  is  only  a short  epit- 
ome of  the  iJC  ^ ^ I®.  S?  ChHn  ting  Ssu 

T£u  chuan  sJm  tsung  mu^  the  voluminous  descriptive  cata- 
logue of  the  Imperial  Library  of  the  present  dynasty, 
which  was  drawn  up  by  command  of  the  Emperor 
CliHen-lung^  and  completed  in  1790.  The  library  is 
arranged,  as  indicated  by  the  title  of  the  catalogue,  in 
Ssu  or  Four  Divisions,”  viz..  Classics,  History, 
Philosophy,  and  Belles-Lettres^  and  the  catalogue  alone 
consists  of  two  hundred  books. 

The  Five  Classics  or  Canonical  Books  in  the  first  di- 
vision, which  have  been  occasionally  referred  to  in  our 
text,  include : 

1.  The  Yi  Ching^  ‘‘Book  of  Changes,”  which  is  sa 

highly  reverenced  by  tlie  Chinese  on  account  of  its  antiquity  and 
the  unfathomable  wisdom  which  is  supposed  by  them  to  lie  con- 
cealed under  its  mystic  symbols.  These  are  tlie  jua  the  eight 
trigrams  of  ancient  divination,  which  are  often  represented  on  por- 
celain of  all  periods,  especially  on  ritual  vessels  of  the  Taoist  cult. 

2.  The  Shu  Ching^  “Book  of  History,”  a collection  of 

state  documents  of  the  “Three  Ancient  Dynasties,”  ranging  from 
the  time  of  Yao  and  Shun  in  the  third  millennium  b.  c.,  down  to 
the  reign  of  P'ing  Wang  of  the  Chou  dynasty,  which  ended  in  the 
year  b.  c.  720. 

3.  The  Shih  CJdng,  “ Book  of  Odes,”  a collection  of 

songs  of  homage  and  popular  ballads,  three  hundred  and  eleven  in 
number,  selected  by  Confucius  from  among  those  current  in 
ancient  times  in  the  various  petty  states  into  which  China  used  to 
be  divided. 

4.  The  — j|jSj  San  Li^  “ Th  ree  Rituals,”  comprising  the  Chou 
Li^  the  Ritual  of  the  Chou  dynasty,  the  Yi  Li,  “ Decorum  Ritual,” 
and  the  official  Li  Chi,  “Book  of  Rites.”  The  first  of  the  three, 
the  “ Ritual  of  the  Chou,”  is  the  most  interesting  to  us  in  the  pres- 
ent connection,  because  it  contains  a short  notice  of  the  govern- 
ment potters  of  the  period  under  the  two  headings  of  fao  jen, 
“ potters,”  who  worked  on  the  wheel,  and  fang  jen,  “ molders,” 

Notes  on  Chinese  Literature.  By  A.  Wylie.  Shanghae,  1867. 


CHINESE  CEKAMIC  BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


641 


showing  that  these  two  branches  of  the  handicraft  were  already 
distinguished  at  this  early  period.  The  cooking  utensils  and  sacri- 
ficial utensils  that  they  made  seem  to  have  been  of  common  clay, 
and  were  directed  to  be  sold  in  the  market  under  certain  official 
regulations.  The  particulars  are  contained  in  the 
hung  chi,  “ Artificer’s  Record,”  which  forms  the  sixth  section  of 
the  classic.  The  names  and  dimensions  of  the  vessels  are  given  in 
the  original,  but  little  else  is  known  about  them,  and  Chinese 
authorities  even  differ  as  to  whether  the  pottery  of  the  time  was 
glazed  or  not.  The  fi-gures  in  the  — j[[S  ^],  San  Li  Tou,  “ Illus- 
trations of  the  Three  Rituals,”  in  twenty  books,  by  Nieh  Tsung-yi, 
who  lived  in  the  tenth  century  a.  d.,  and  in  the  other  illustrated 
commentaries  of  more  modern  date,  are  generally  imaginary  and 
more  or  less  fanciful. 

5.  The  ^ Ch’un  ChHu,  “ Spring  and  Autumn  Annals,”  i& 
the  only  one  of  the  five  canonical  books  that  was  actually  compiled 
by  Confucius.  It  is  the  history  of  his  native  state  of  Lu  (in  the 
present  province  of  Shantung),  from  722  to  484  b.  c.,  derived  from 
the  official  records  of  the  Chou  dynasty. 

In  Chinese  bibliography  the  dictionaries  are  placed 
after  the  classics.  The  most  ancient  of  them  is  the  J^rli 
Ya,  ^ a relic  of  the  Chou  dynasty,  which  at  one 
time  used  to  rank  as  one  of  the  canonical  books.  The 
commentary  which  is  always  associated  with  the  text 
was  written  by  Kuo  P’u  of  the  third  century  a.  d.,  but 
the  accompanying  illustrations  date  only  from  the  Sung 
dynasty,  about  the  tenth  century.  The  next  dictionary 
is  the  Shuo  Wen,  which  is  devoted  to  an  explana- 

tion of  the  ancient  characters  in  which  the  classics  Avere 
originally  Avritten  ; it  Avas  compiled  by  Hsii  Shen  at  the 
close  of  the  first  century  a.  d.,  and  was  presented  by  him 
to  the  Emperor  An  Ti  in  the  year  1 21.  The  largest  of 
the  dictionaries,  and  the  one  that  is  invaluable  for  special 
research,  is  the  n tl  P’’ei  %oen  yun  fu,  Avhich 
Avas  compiled  under  the  special  superintendence  of  the 
Emperor  K\ing-hsi,  and  published  in  I7II  in  1 10  thick 
octavo  A^olumes.  The  foreign  Chinese-English  diction- 


642 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


aries  need  hardly  be  alluded  to  here  ; those  by  Williams 
and  Giles  are  the  best. 

The  second  great  division  of  Chinese  bibliography 
includes  the  works  on  history,  geography,  and  kindred 
subjects.  The  ‘‘Twenty-four  Dynastic  Histories”  form 
the  first  class.  Contemporary  records  are  written  day  by 
day  by  the  state  historiographers  in  China,  and  one  of 
the  first  duties  of  a new  dynasty,  when  it  is  firmly  estab- 
lished on  the  dragon  throne,  is  to  appoint  an  imperial 
commission  to  compile  an  official  history  of  the  preceding 
dynasty  from  the  archives  preserved  in  the  historiog- 
raphers’ office.  These  histories  are  therefore  practically 
contemporary.  They  are  all  framed  on  a nearly  uniform 
model,  the  general  arrangement  being  in  three  sections,  as 
follows : 

1.  Imperial  Records^  containing  a succinct  chronicle  of  the 
several  emperors  of  the  dynasty.  2.  Memoirs,  consisting  of  a 
succession  of  articles  on  Mathematical  Chronology,  Rites,  Music, 
Jurisprudence,  Political  Economy,  State  Sacrifices,  Astronom}^, 
Natural  Plienoraena,  Geography,  and  Literature.  3.  Narratives, 
comprising  official  biograpliies  of  all  persons  of  eminence,  and  end- 
ing with  a short  description  of  any  foreign  nations  that  happen  to 
have  sent  embassies  to  China  during  the  period. 

The  official  histories  commence  with  the  ^ 

Chi,  by  Ssu-ma  Ch’ien,  who  lived  b.  c.  163-85,  and  who 
has  been  termed  the  Herodotus  of  China.  His  Histori- 
cal Hecords,  in  130  books,  start  from  the  most  remote 
antiquity  and  extend  down  to  tlie  year  b.  c.  122.  The 
otlier  dynastic  histories  that  have  been  occasionally 
referred  to,  generally  by  quotations  from  individual 
biographies,  are  the  Sui  Shu,  “ Book  of  the  Sui 

[dynasty],”  covering  tlie  years  581-617  ; the  voluminous 
T'^ang  Shu,  “Book  of  the  TVing’’’’  (618-906); 
the  Sang  Shih,  “ History  of  the  Sung  ” (960- 

1279),  the  most  extensive  of  all,  comprising  as  it  does 


CHINESE  CEKAMIC  BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


643 


496  books;  and  the  Ming  Sliili^  History  of  the 

Ming'^'^  (1368-1643),  which  is  the  last  of  the  series  of 
twenty-four. 

Works  on  geography  and  topography  follow  next  in 
order.  The  series  of  topographical  writings  in  China  is 
justly  pronounced  by  Mr.  Wylie  (loc.  cit,  page  35)  to  be 
unrivaled  in  any  nation  for  extent  and  systematic  com- 
prehensiveness. Leaving  out  of  account  the  sections 
devoted  to  geography  in  the  several  dynastic  histoiles, 
there  are  separate  official  works  on  every  part  of  the 
empire.  At  the  head  of  these  may  be  placed  the  % 
^ OKing  Yi  tung  chili,,  in  500  books, 
which  is  a geography  of  the  whole  empire,  published 
about  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century  under  imperial 
patronage.  This  takes  up  the  various  provinces  seriatiniy 
giving  under  each  an  account  of  the  astrological  divisions, 
limits,  configuration  of  the  country,  officers,  population, 
taxes,  and  renowned  statesmen.  Under  each  prefecture 
and  department  is  a more  detailed  description  of  the 
various  districts,  giving,  in  addition  to  the  above,  the 
cities,  educational  institutes,  hills  and  rivers,  antiquities, 
passes,  bridges,  defenses,  tombs,  temples,  men  of  note, 
travelers,  female  worthies,  religious  devotees,  and  produc- 
tions of  the  soil.  Besides  the  above  general  compilation 
there  are  separate  topographical  accounts  of  each  of  the 
eighteen  ^ (sheng')  ‘‘provinces,”  of  every  (/m)  “pre- 
fecture  ” and  (clwit)  “ department,”  of  almost  every 
^ (Jisien^  “ district  ” or  “ county,”  and,  in  many  cases,  of 
smaller  towns  included  in  the  district. 

The  province,  for  example,  of  Kiangsi,  which  interests 
us  more  particularly,  containing  as  it  does  the  great 
center  of  the  manufacture  of  porcelain,  has  a general 
description  called  B iM  jS?  O hieing  hsi  thing  chih, 
which  has  been  very  often  quoted.  This  was  first  pub- 
lished in  the  reign  of  Chia-ching  (1522-66)  of  the  Ming 


644 


OKIENTAL  CEEAMIC  ART. 


dynasty ; two  new  and  revised  editions  were  issued  dur- 
ing the  reign  of  K'’ ang-Tisij  and  another,  ranch  enlarged, 
was  completed  in  162  books  in  the  next  reign  (1732), 
under  the  superintendence  of  Hsieh  Min,  who  was  then 
governor  of  the  province.  In  the  reign  of  T’^ung-cJiih, 
after  the  Taiping  rebellion  had  been  put  down,  an 
imperial  commission,  whose  names  and  titles  fill  six  folios 
of  the  book,  was  appointed,  under  the  presidency  of  the 
viceroy,  Tseng  Kuo-fan,  to  make  a new  revision.  It  was 
completed  in  1882,  and  the  result  is  the  bulky  work  in 
180  books  which  is  now  before  us.  The  account  of  the 
imperial  porcelain  manufacture  forms  part  of  the  ninety- 
second  book,  under  the  heading  of  T''ao  Cheng ^ ‘^Porce- 
lain Administration.” 

There  were  other  descriptive  works  on  the  province  in 
circulation  before  the  publication  of  the  above,  of  which 
the  ^ ^ ^ ^ §2?  5^  chang  ta  sliih  ch%  or  “ Record 
of  Important  Affairs  of  the  Province,”  under  its  ancient 
name  of  Yii-chang,  is  the  most  important.  This  was 
written  by  Kuo  Tzu-chang,  a president  of  the  Board  of 
War  in  the  Ming  dynasty. 

The  Jao  chon  fu  chih^  is  the  official 

description  of  the  prefecture  Jao-chou-fu,  in  the  province 
of  Kiangsi,  which  has  Fou-liang-hsien  as  one  of  the  seven 
districts  or  counties  under  its  jurisdiction.  The  edition 
before  me  is  dated  the  eleventh  year  of  the  reign  of 
T’’ung-chih  (1872)  ; it  reprints  several  of  the  prefaces  of 
the  older  editions,  the  first  of  which  is  dated  in  the 
cyclical  year  hsin-wei  (1511)  of  the  reign  of  Cheng-te  of 
the  Ming  dynasty.  There  are  thirty-two  books,  the  third 
of  which,  devoted  to  “ Bridges,  Antiquities,  Customs  of 
the  People,  and  Natural  Productions,”  includes  an  article 
on  the  porcelain  industry,  which  is  appended  to  the  last 
section,  under  the  heading  of  T'^ao  OKang^ 

Imperial  Porcelain  Manufactory.” 


CHINESE  CERAMIC  BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


645 


A still  more  complete  account  of  tlie  ceramic  industry 
is  the  one  that  is  included  in  the  ^ ^ Fon  Hang 
hsien  chilly  “The  Description  of  Fou-liang-hsien,”  which 
has  been  so  often  quoted  in  these  pages,  and  which  is 
referred  to  in  some  detail  in  the  introductory  chapter  of 
this  work  as  one  of  our  chief  authorities  on  the  subject. 
The  earliest  edition  of  this  work  was  published  during 
the  Sung  dynasty,  in  the  year  1270  ; the  edition  at  our 
disposal  was  the  otRcial  revision  issued  in  the  reign  of 
Tao-kuang  (1821-50).  The  eighth  book  contains  a 
memoir  on  porcelain  from  the  official  standpoint,  entitled 
mm,  Fao  Clieng^  “Porcelain  Administration.” 

There  is  no  official  description  of  Ching-te-chen  itself 
in  the  regular  series,  but  the  place  of  one  is  fairly  well 
filled  by  the  ^ ^ Cliing  te  chen  Fao  lu^ 

“ Description  of  the  Porcelain  of  Ching-te-chen.”  This 
was  published  under  direct  official  sanction,  as  described 
in  the  preface  by  Liu  Ping,  the  chief  magistrate  of  the 
district,  and  is  dated  1815.  It  contains  a good  map  of 
the  town,  a plan  of  the  imperial  potteries,  and  fourteen 
woodcuts  illustrating  the  different  processes  of  manufac- 
ture, sketched  by  an  artist  on  the  spot. 

Gigantic  encyclopaedias  made  up  of  extracts  from  exist- 
ing works,  classified  under  different  headings  according 
to  the  subject-matter,  form  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
features  of  Chinese  literature.  The  ^ ® Fai 

pHng  yu  lan^  which  is  very  often  referred  to,  was  com- 
piled in  1,000  books,  divided  into  fifty-five  sections,  after 
a mandate  issued  by  the  second  emperor  of  the  Sung 
dynasty  in  the  year  977.  The  largest  of  all  is  the 
^ ^ Yung  lo  ta  tien^  the  vast  cyclopaedia  of  the 
Emperor  Yung~lo  of  the  Ming  dynasty,  who  appointed  a 
commission  of  scholars  in  1403  to  collect  in  one  body  the 
substance  of  all  the  classical,  historical,  philosophic,  and 
literary  works  hitherto  published,  embracing  astronomy. 


646 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


geography,  the  occult  sciences,  medicine.  Buddhism^ 
Taoism,  and  the  arts.  Their  work  was  completed  in 
1407,  and  the  result  was  22,877  books,  besides  the  table 
of  contents,  which  occupied  sixty  books.  It  was  ordered 
by  the  emperor  to  be  transcribed  for  printing,  but  the 
expense  was  too  great,  and  it  still  remains  in  manuscript, 
although  many  ancient  and  rare  works,  that  would  other- 
wise have  been  irretrievably  lost,  have  been  pieced 
together  again  from  the  extensive  quotations  in  the 
manuscript  columns  and  reprinted  separately.  From  this 
we  may  pass  on  to  the  ChHn 

ting  Tc>u  chin  fou  shu  chi  cKeng^  the  huge  cyclopaedia  of 
the  Emperor  K^ang-hs%  the  second  of  the  present 
dynasty,  which  contains  10,000  cKiXan  or  “ books.”  It 
gives  426,304  extracts,  long  and  short,  from  older  books, 
which  are  arranged  under  6,109  headings,  distributed 
among  thirty-two  classes,  and  the  full-page  illustrations 
number  8,041.  These  illustrations  are  executed  in  the 
style  of  the  Ming  dynasty,  which  is  celebrated  for  its 
woodcuts,  and  the  printing  was  done  wuth  movable 
copper  type  cast  expressly  for  the  purpose,  ordinary 
Chinese  books  being  pi'inted  from  wood-blocks.  There 
is  a complete  example  of  the  original  quarto  edition^ 
which  was  limited  to  about  100  copies,  in  the  British 
Museum,  and  a new  edition  has  been  recently  published 
in  octavo  form  at  Shanghai  by  the  aid  of  the  photolitho- 
graphic  process.  There  are  some  curious  illustrations  in 
this  encyclopaedia  under  the  heading  Porcelain,  but  of 
importance  from  a literary  and  antiquarian  point  of  view 
only. 

Books  on  art  come  next  for  a word  of  notice.  The 
Chinese  have  methodical  treatises  of  more  than  a thou- 
sand years’  standing  on  writing,  painting,  engraving, 
music,  and  the  kindred  subjects  that  are  grouped  to- 
gether under  the  name  of  liberal  arts.  An  elaborate 


CHINESE  CEKAMIC  BIBLIOGKAPHY. 


647 


treatise  on  painting,  in  ten  books,  appeared  during  the 
T'’ang  dynasty  (618-906),  entitled  ^ ^ p2> 

Li  tai  ming  Tiua  clii^  Records  of  the  Celebrated  Pictures 
of  Different  Dynasties,”  by  Chang  Yen-yuan,  with  descrip- 
tive and  historical  details  regarding  the  art,  having  refer- 
ence particularly  to  a hereditary  collection  of  paintings 
in  the  family  of  the  author,  and  accompanied  by  bio- 
graphical sketches  of  the  artists.  The  ^ ® 

Hsilan  ho  liua  is  a description,  in  twenty  books,  of 

the  pictures  in  the  imperial  collection  during  the  Hman- 
lio  period  (1119-25).  There  is  a companion  publication 
called  ^ ^ Hsilan  ho  shu  phi,  containing  speci- 

mens of  the  calligraphy  of  successive  ages  gathered  from 
the  imperial  archives  of  the  same  time.  But  all  the 
older  books  have  been  supplanted  by  the  large  compila- 
tion which  was  refei’i’ed  to  in  Chapter  V under  the  title 
of  Imperial  Cyclopaedia  of  Celebrated  Writers  and  Paint- 
ers^ the  ^ ^ til  ^ ^ ^ ChHn  ting  P^ei  wen 

dial  sliu  hua  p'^u.  This  was  drawn  up  by  a commis- 
sion appointed  by  the  Emperor  IP ang-hsi^  who  wrote 
the  preface  himself  when  the  book  was  published,  in  the 
forty-seventh  year  of  his  reign  (1708).  The  titles  of  the 
principal  authorities,  which  are  cited  in  the  introduction, 
number  1,844.  The  cyclopaedia  comprises  100  cMian,  or 
books,  and  it  is  divided  usually,  in  Chinese  fashion,  into 
sixty-four  or  volumes.  It  is  a perfect  mine  of  infor- 
mation, giving  instructions  in  the  arts  of  writing  and 
painting,  descriptions  of  manuscripts  and  pictures,  no- 
tices of  celebrated  collections  and  collectors,  and  of  the 
certificates  of  authenticity  which  they  are  in  the  habit  of 
writing  on  the  scrolls,  biographical  notices  of  writers  and 
artists,  etc.  None  of  the  artists  on  porcelain,  however, 
seem  to  be  mentioned  by  name,  although  there  aro 
occasional  references  to  the  designs  used  in  ceramic  dec- 
orations, as  in  book  xii,  folio  24,  which  gives  a long  list 


648 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


from  official*  sources  of  the  motives  of  decoration  em- 
ployed in  the  eighth  year  of  the  reign  of  Ghia-ching 
(1528). 

The  Chinese,  it  is  well  known,  have  the  greatest  rev- 
erence for  antiquity,  and  the  study  of  ancient  relics 
and  of  the  inscriptions  upon  them  forms  another  impor- 
tant branch  of  literature.  Archaeologists  classify  the 
specimens,  which  are  constantly  being  dug  up  from 
the  ground,  under  the  two  headings  of  6^ Am,  “Metal,” 
and  Shili^  “ Stone.”  The  former  class  includes  sacrificial 
vessels,  musical  instruments,  and  ordinary  utensils  of 
bronze,  bronze  mirrors,  bronze  weapons,  and  coins ; the 
latter  class  comprises  stone  sculptures  in  bas-relief, 
carved  inscriptions,  Buddhist  images  and  other  figures, 
prehistoric  stone  weapons,  vessels  and  utensils  of  neph- 
rite or  other  kinds  of  jade,  archaic  pottery,  inscribed 
bricks  and  tiles,  etc.  There  are  separate  works  on 
ancient  bronze  vessels  and  on  swords  dating  from  the 
fifth  and  sixth  centuries  a.  d.,  but  they  include  much  that 
is  legendary.  The  most  important  of  the  old  books  on 
ancient  bronzes  now  in  circulation  is  the  ^ 
m Hsilan  ho  Po  hu  €ou  lu,  “ Illustrated  Description 
of  Antiquities  published  in  the  Hsuan-ho  Period,”  in 
thirty  books,  which  was  compiled  by  Wang  Fu  in  the 
beginning  of  the  twelfth  century,  and  has  been  fre- 
quently reprinted  since.  It  is  usually  printed  together 
with  the  ^ K''ao  hu  fou,  “Illustrated  Examina- 

tion of  Antiquities,”  the  description  of  a similar  collec- 
tion of  older  date  written  by  Lli  Ta-lin  in  1092,  in  ten 
books ; and  with  a smaller  work  in  two  books  entitled 

Illustrations  of  Ancient  Jade.” 
Another  collection  of  the  Sung  dynasty  is  the  ^ ^ 

Shao  hsing  chien  hu  fou^  “ Illustrated  Mirror  of 
Antiquities  of  the  Shao-hsing  Period  ” (1131-62),  which 
furnished  a model  for  the  porcelain  censer  with  fish 


CHINESE  CERAMIC  BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


649 


handles  of  the  reign  of  Hsuan4e  of  the  Ming  dynasty, 
referred  to  in  Chapter  VII.  The  most  magnificent  work 
of  this  class  of  more  recent  times  is  the  illustrated  de- 
scriptive catalogue  of  the  imperial  collections  at  Peking, 
entitled  IS  Hsi  cliHng  hu  chien^  which  was 

published  by  the  Emperor  CKien-lung  in  1751  in  forty- 
two  folio  volumes ; the  ® m w.  1^,  Hsi  chUing  hsu 
cTiien^  in  fourteen  folio  volumes,  is  a supplement  to  the 
above  catalogue^-  still  unpublished,  and  circulating  in  a 
few  manuscripts  only ; and  the  ^ ^ Ning  shou 

hu  chien^  is  another  work  similar  to  the  preceding,  also 
as  yet  unpublished,  which  is  written  and  illustrated  in 
the  same  superb  style,  twenty-eight  volumes  in  folio, 
being  the  description  of  the  collection  of  antiquities  in 
the  Ning-shou  Kung,  another  of  the  palaces  within  the 
prohibited  city  at  Peking.  The  original  edition  of  the 
Hsi  cKing  hu  chien  costs  several  hundreds  of  dollars  in 
China,  but  it  has  been  lately  so  perfectly  reproduced  at 
Shanghai  by  photographic  process,  in  small  octavo,  that 
it  is  within  the  reach  of  every  collector,  and  it  ought  to 
be  at  hand,  for  the  study  of  bronze  forms  and  designs. 

The  ^ fra  1^  ^ SJiu  chbing  yuan  cJien  shu 
tang^  which  was  quoted  in  Chapter  V (page  98),  is  very 
different  from  the  above,  being  merely  an  ordinary 
official  inventory  in  manuscript  of  the  furniture  and 
specimens  of  art  work  on  daily  exhibition  in  the  Shu- 
ch’ing  Yuan,  one  of  the  palaces  in  the  Western  Gardens 
(^Hsi  Yuan^  on  the  northern  shore  of  the  large  lake  in 
the  imperial  city,  corrected  to  the  thirteenth  year  of 
CJda-cli'ing  (1808). 

The  standard  woi’k  on  ancient  jade  is  the 
jMI  1^,  Ku  yu  t^ou  Illustrated  Description  of 

Ancient  Jade,”  in  100  books,  with  more  than  700  full- 
page  woodcuts.  It  was  compiled  by  an  imperial  com- 
mission, composed  of  the  notorious  Lung  Ta-yuan  and 


650 


OEIENTAL  CEEAMIC  AET. 


eight een  other  members,  including  one  writer  and  four 
artists,  appointed  by  the  second  emperor  of  the  South- 
ern Sung  dynasty,  and  it  was  completed  in  the  year 
1176.  A manuscript  copy  was  purchased  for  the  Im- 
perial Library  in  1 77 3 ; the  Emperor  ChHen-lung  ordered 
it  to  be  printed  in  the  palace,  and  it  appeared  in  1779, 
with  a preface  dedicating  it  to  the  emperor.  Some 
doubts  have  been  expressed  by  native  scholars  as  to  the 
authenticity  of  the  book,  but  on  more  or  less  slender 
grounds,  and  we  may  accept  the  imperial  imprimatur  as 
a sufficient  warrant.  The  genuine  character  of  many  of 
the  objects  figured  may  be  more  justly  criticised ; there 
is  certainly  no  ground  for  the  remote  antiquity  that  is 
ascribed  to  some  of  the  inscribed  pieces. 

In  addition  to  these  special  works  there  are  several 
books  of  a wider  scope  devoted  to  the  general  subject  of 
antiquities  and  objects  of  art.  The  Ming  dynasty  was  dis- 
tinguished for  this  kind  of  research,  and  the  authors  of  the 
four  following  books,  which  have  been  quoted  more  than 
once  in  our  pages,  all  belong  to  that  time  ; each  one  gives 
a short  chapter  on  porcelain.  They  are  all  before  me  now, 
and,  arranged  in  the  order  of  their  publication,  are : 

1.  The  ^ 1^,  Ko  Ten  yao  lun^  Discussion  of 

the  Principal  Criteria  of  Antiquities,”  in  thirteen  books, 
by  Tsao  Ch’ao,  published  in  the  reign  of  Hung-wu^  the 
founder  of  the  Ming  dynasty,  in  the  year  1387.  A 
revised  and  enlarged  edition  was  prepared  by  Wang  Tso 
and  issued  in  1459.  The  new  editor  always  carefully 
marks  the  additions  made  by  him,  so  that  the  text  of  the 
original  edition  may  be  easily  distinguished.  The  follow- 
ing table  of  contents  will  give  some  idea  of  the  scope 
of  the  work,  which  is  interesting  from  its  early  date : 

Book  I.  Ancient  Lyres,  and  other  stringed  musical  instruments. 

Book  II.  Old  Manuscripts,  with  a discussion  of  the  distinctive 
characteristics  of  the  paper  and  ink. 


CHINESE  CERAMIC  BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


651 


Book  III.  Inscriptions  from  ancient  stone  tablets  and  other 
monuments,  classified  according  to  the  provinces  from  which  the 
rubbings  were  obtained. 

Book  IV.  Select  Extracts  from  Previous  Authors  on  the  subject. 

Book  V.  Old  Pictures,  with  a discussion  of  the  peculiar  water- 
colors  employed,  and  other  marks  of  authenticity. 

Book  VI.  Precious  Stones  and  Jewels,  including  jade,  agate, 
moss-agate,  rock-crystal,  glass,  cat’s-eyes,  emeralds,  pearls  of  dif- 
ferent kinds,  garnets,  rubies,  sapphires,  lapis  lazuli,  coral,  and 
amber;  rhinoceros  horn  and  ivory,  with  reference  to  concentric 
openwork  spheres,  libation-cups,  and  other  carvings;  gold,  silver, 
steel,  and  inlaid  Iron-work,  white  metal;  sacred  figures  occurring  in 
natural  stones;  ancient  bronzes  and  methods  of  distinguishing 
false  antiques,  etc. 

Book  VII.  Ancient  Ink  Pallets,  with  an  account  of  the  natural 
stones  suitable  for  their  fabrication,  references  to  pottery  pallets, 
and  to  pallets  made  of  ancient  tiles  and  potsherds.  Curious 
Stones;  jet  and  variegated  stones  used  for  inlaying  furniture, 
minerals  resembling  jade,  agate,  or  mother-of-pearl  used  for  carv- 
ing, etc.  Ancient  Pottery  and  Porcelain;  with  notes  on  the  pro- 
ductions of  different  manufactories,  commencing  with  the  ancient 
azure-tinted  products  of  the  Ch’ai  potteries,  and  ending  with  the 
contemporary  wares  of  the  imperial  potteries  of  Fou-liang-hsien. 
There  are  brief  references  to  Korean  pottery,  and  to  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  process  of  painting  in  enamels  on  copper  from  the 
Arabs  (Ta-shih)^  in  which  the  editor  tells  us  that  the  same  color- 
ing materials  were  employed  as  in  the  cloisonne  enameling  on 
copper  {Fo-lang  ChHen),  which  was  so  called  because  it  originally 
came  from  Bj^zantium. 

Book  VIII.  Lacquered  Work;  painted  lac,  carved  cinnabar  lac, 
lac  inlaid  with  gold,  lacquered  furniture  inlaid  wdth  mother-of- 
pearl,  etc.  Brocaded  and  embroidered  silks,  silk  stuffs  woven  on 
the  loom  with  threads  of  different  colors.  Asbestos  cloth,  carpets 
of  silk  and  wool.  Foreign  Woods,  sandalwood,  rosewood,  ebony, 
and  other  fragrant  or  variegated  kinds.  Varieties  of  Bamboo. 

Book  IX.  Description  of  Objects  for  the  Study  and  Library. 
Brushes,  cakes  of  ink  from  different  parts,  principal  paper  factories, 
seal  vermilion,  books  and  their  care,  etc. 

Book  X.  Collections  of  Essays  and  Prefaces  of  old  authors  on 
the  subject. 

Book  XI.  Miscellaneous  Researches,  Part  I.  On  Jade  Seals.  On 
Iron  Tablets  of  Authority. 


652 


OEIENTAL  CEEAMIC  AET. 


Book  XII.  Miscellanies,  Part  II.  Wording  of  Imperial  Edicts.. 
Official  Girdles,  with  a description  of  the  jade,  gold,  silver,  and 
other  appendages  that  were  worn  upon  them  at  different  times  as 
tokens  of  rank. 

Book  XIII.  Miscellanies,  Part  III.  On  a series  of  illustrations 
depicting  the  process  of  rice-culture  and  of  silk-weaving.  Re- 
searches on  the  old  palaces  of  the  Sung  and  Yuan  dynasties. 

2.  The  fjl]^  JVi  hu  lu^  Description  of  Anti-^ 

quarian  Inquiries,”  is  a work  of  the  same  character  as 
the  last,  but  smaller,  being  an  account  in  four  books  of 
old  manuscripts,  pictures,  antiquities,  and  other  objects 
of  art  and  curiosity,  etc.,  by  Ch’en  Chi-ju,  an  author  of 
the  Ming  dynasty,  which  was  published  in  the  middle 
of  the  sixteenth  century. 

3.  The  m m CKing  pi  ts'ang,  ‘‘  Collection  of 
Artistic  Rarities,”  is  another  little  work  in  two  books  on 
antiquities,  pictures,  brocaded  silks,  ancient  bronzes,  por- 
celain, seals,  jewels,  and  miscellaneous  objects  of  art,, 
by  Chang  Ying-wen,  who  wrote  the  last  page  on  the  day 
he  died.  It  was  published  by  his  son  Chang  Ch’ien-te,, 
the  author  of  a book  on  flowers,  vases,  and  the  art  of 
arranging*  flowers  in  them,  which  will  be  alluded  to 
presently,  and  who  wrote  the  preface  for  his  father’s 
work,  which  is  dated  1595.  There  is  a curious  notice  in 
the  second  book  of  a visit  to  an  exhibition,  called  CTCing 
Wan  Hui — i.  e.,  Exposition  of  Art  Treasures  ” — which 
was  held  in  the  province  of  Kiangsu  in  the  third  month 
of  the  fourth  year  of  the  reign  of  Lung-cTiHng  (1570),. 
the  objects  being  loaned  for  the  purpose  by  four  of  the 
principal  families  of  the  province. 

4.  The  t$  ^ ^ “ General  Survey 

of  Art  Objects,”  which  was  referred  to  in  Chapter  V,  is 
perhaps  the  best  work  of  the  class  that  is  under  consid- 
eration. It  was  written  by  Ku  Ying-t’ai,  in  the  reign  of 
IHen-chH  (1621-27)  of  the  Ming^  but  remained  in  manu- 


CHINESE  CEEAMIC  BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


653 


script  till  the  beginning  of  the  present  dynasty,  when  it 
was  printed  by  Li  Tiao-yiin,  with  a preface  signed  by 
himself  as  editor.  It  comprises  sixteen  books,  which 
make  two  octavo  volumes  bound  in  Chinese  style.  The 
second  book  is  devoted  to  porcelain,  under  the  several 
headings : 

1.  The  Ju-cbou,  Imperial,  and  Ko  potteries,  of  the  &ung 
dynasty,  with  lists  of  the  different  objects  made  in  the  last  two 
potteries  arranged  in  three  classes  according  to  their  artistic  value. 
2.  The  Ting-chou  potteries,  with  a list  of  the  most  important 
objects  produced  there  in  the  Sung  dynasty.  3.  The  ancient 
Lung-ch’iian  potteries,  with  an  account  of  the  grass-green  celadon 
porcelain  made  there  in  the  Sung  dynasty,  and  a list  of  the  objects 
that  are  considered  most  worthy  of  notice.  4.  Ancient  potteries 
of  the  province  of  Fuchien.  5.  Description  of  the  ceramic  pro- 
duction of  Chiin-chou  during  the  Sung  dynasty.  6.  The  Arabian 
enamels  on  copper.  7.  Glassware.  8.  Ancient  and  modern  pro- 
di^ctions  of  Jao-chou,  referring  to  the  porcelain  made  at  Ching- 
te-chen. 

There  is  only  the  briefest  notice  in  this  last  section 
of  the  older  porcelain  of  the  Sung  and  Yuan  dynasties, 
but  the  productions  of  the  writer’s  own  dynasty  (the 
Ming')  are  described  at  greater  length,  under  the  sev- 
eral reigns  of  (1403-24),  Hsilan-te  (1426-35), 

CK eng-hiia  (1465-87),  and  Cliiorching  (1522-66),  and 
Ku  Ying-t’ai  is  constantly  quoted  by  connoisseurs  as  the 
best  authority  for  this  period. 

Literature  is,  as  it  were,  a religious  cult  for  the  Chinese 
scholar,  and  he  cherishes  the  tools  of  his  craft  as  almost 
sacred.  There  is  a small  class  of  books  written  in  this 
connection  on  the  furniture  and  literary  apparatus  of  the 
study,  among  which  certain  articles  of  porcelain  find 
a place.  One  of  the  earliest  of  the  books  of  this  class  is 
the  ^ Pi  Citing^  Canon  of  the  Pencil  Brush,”  by 
Wang  Hsi-chih,  a celebrated  calligrapher  who  lived 


654 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


321-379;  he  wrote  down  the  poems  of  the  club  that 
used  to  meet  in  the  Lan  T’ing  or  Orchid  Pavilion,” 
and  down  to  the  present  time  these  poems,  as  written  by 
Wang,  continue  to  be  cut  in  stone  all  over  China  as 
models  of  handwriting.  The  ^ Wen  fang 

ssu  phtj  is  one  of  the  older  books  on  the  materials  of  the 
study,  which  was  compiled  by  Su  Yi-chien  in  986.  It 
consists  of  four  parts,  which  treat  respectively  of  pencils, 
ink-pallets,  ink,  and  paper,  with  remarks  on  the  various 
descriptions  and  characteristics,  historical  memoranda, 
and  essays  and  stanzas  appended  to  each  section. 

The  ^ ^ K’’ao  fan  yii  sliih^  hj  T’u  Lung, 

a writer  of  the  sixteenth  century,  is  another  general 
handbook  for  the  man  of  learning  and  culture,  of  some- 
what wider  scope,  discussing,  as  it  does,  in  order : 

Printed  Books,  Ancient  Inscriptions,  Manuscripts  and  Callig- 
rapliy,  Painting  and  Artists,  Paper,  Ink,  Brushes,  Pallets,  Mu^ic 
and  the  Lyre,  Perfumes  and  Incense-burning  Apparatus;  Tea,  its 
choice  brands,  preparation,  tea-drinking  utensils;  Flowers,  their 
cultivation  in  pots  and  their  display  in  vases;  Storks  for  the  garden 
and  the  different  varieties  of  goldfish;  the  Country  House  in  the 
Hills,  its  library,  medicine-room,  summer-house,  Taoist  and  Bud- 
dhist shrines,  and  outdoor  pavilion  for  drinking  tea;  Furniture, 
materials  for  the  study,  traveling  apparatus,  etc. 

It  is  a curious  epitome  of  antiquarian  information, 
extending  to  boats  and  fishing-rods,  as  well  as  describing 
the  forms  of  vases,  etc.,  and  ends  with  the  pictures  of 
two  double  and  single  gourds,  which  are  recommended 
as  the  lightest  and  most  elegant  of  wine-flasks  for  the 
pilgrim  to  carry  on  his  girdle  when  traveling. 

The  work  of  the  present  dynasty  of  this  class  that  is 
the  most  frequently  referred  to  is  the  Wen 

fang  ssu  T^ao^  an  examination  of  the  belongings  of  the 
scholar  by  T’ang  Ping-chiin,  which  was  published  in 
eight  books  in  the  forty-seventh  year  of  the  reign  of 


CHINESE  CEKAMIC  BIBLIOGEAPHY. 


655 


CKien-lung  (1782).  It  is  illustrated  with  a portrait 
of  the  author  and  a picture  of  his  study,  with  palms, 
dryandra-trees,  and  bamboos  growing  from  rocks  in  the 
background  of  the  pavilion  in  which  he  is  seated  with 
an  open  volume  on  the  table. 

The  first  two  books  are  devoted  to  ink-pallets  of  carved  stone, 
illustrated  b}^  forty-six  full-page  woodcuts  of  appropriate  designs. 
Book  III  contains  an  account  of  paper,  ink,  and  brushes,  and  an 
investigation  of  ancient  pottery  and  porcelain.  This  last  is  mostly 
a medley  of  quotations  from  older  writers,  strung  together  some- 
what loosely,  -and  generall}^  without  acknowledgment  of  the 
sources  from  which  they  are  derived,  and  it  contains  little  that 
can  not  be  found  under  better  auspices  in  the  T’’ao  Shuo. 
Book  IV  is  on  ancient  bronzes  and  the  means  of  distinguishing 
modern  imitations;  on  jade,  ancient  and  modern,  its  history  and 
characteristics,  with  notes  on  the  minerals  that  resemble  it;  on 
lyres,  ancient  and  modern.  Book  V treats  of  the  history  of  the 
written  character,  books,  and  paintings,  and  Book  VI  of  the  art  of 
literaiy  composition.  Books  YII  and  VIII  give  an  account  of  the 
drug  ginseng,  and  a collection  of  essays  and  miscellaneous 
inquiries. 

The  special  books  on  tea  and  its  preparation  occasion- 
ally throw  some  light  on  the  porcelain  of  the  correspond- 
ing time  in  their  description  of  the  cups  and  other 
utensils  employed  in  its  infusion.  We  should  know 
nothing  of  the  early  fabrics  of  the  T^ang  dynasty  (618- 
906)  were  it  not  for  the  ^ CVa  Cliing^  the  ^‘Tea 
Classic,”  written  by  Lu  Yii  in  the  middle  of  the  eighth 
century,  the  contents  of  which  have  been  briefly  sketched 
in  Chapter  I (page  14).  The  author  discusses  the  colors 
of  the  different  glazes,  and  gives  the  palm  to  the  pale- 
blue  cups  from  Yueh-chou,  as  imparting  an  agreeable 
greenish  tinge  to  the  yellow  liquid.  The  writers  of  the 
Svng  dynasty  (960-1279),  on  the  contrary,  such  as  Ts’ai 
Hsiang,  who  wrote  the  ^ i|^,  CTCa  Lu,  ‘‘Description 
of  Tea,”  in  the  eleventh  century,  prefer  the  black  cups 


656 


OEIENTAL  CEEAMIC  AET. 


mottled  like  hare’s  fur,  which  came  from  X)hien-an 
(Chien-chou),  as  showing  the  last  trace  of  the  whitish 
tea-dust  that  remained  in  the  bottom  in  the  course  of 
their  competitive  trials.  The  earliest  book  on  the  sub- 
ject  is  the  ChJuan  Odes  on  Tea,”  by  Tu  Yu,  a poet 
of  the  Chin  dynasty  (265-419),  and  he,  as  well  as  many 
of  the  other  old  versifiers,  is  often  quoted  when  the 
ceramic  productions  of  the  time  happen  to  be  touched 
upon  by  them.  Some  of  the  Simg  dynasty  books  on  tea 
are  illustrated  with  woodcuts,  like  the  ^ OKa 
by  Ku  Yuan-ch’ing,  published  in  1269,  which  gives  curi- 
ous pictures  of  the  little  copper  roller,  the  miniature 
stone  grinding-mill,  the  gauze  sieve,  the  little  “ tea-jar 
for  the  dust,  made  of  carved  vermilion  lac,  the  teacup 
with  its  vertically  striated  bowl  and  widening  mouthy 
the  graceful  ewer  for  boiling  water,  of  which  the 
best,  the  author  tells  us,  were  made  at  this  time  of 
gold,  the  bamboo  whisk,  and  the  napkin,  or  duster  of 
brocaded  silk.  No  teapot  was  used  at  this  period;  the 
hot  w^ater  was  poui-ed  on  a carefully  weighed  quantity  of 
tea-dust  put  into  the  cup,  and  stirred  with  the  whisky 
which  is  exactly  like  that  used  to-day  in  other  countries 
in  the  preparation  of  more  inebriating  “ drinks.”  The 
winner  in  the  “ tea-fight  ” was  he  whose  tea  withstood  the 
most  waters,”  and  whose  sediment-trace  lasted  longest 
on  the  bottom  of  the  bowl.  For  teapots  we  must  con- 
sequently refer  to  more  modern  works,  like  the  ^ ^ 
^ Yang  hsien  Ming  hu  hsi,  Account  of  Celebrated 
Teapots  of  Yang-hsien  (an  old  name  of  Yi-hsing),”  by 
Chou  Kao-ch’i,  which  is  a disquisition  on  those  of  the 
peculiar  brown  boccaro  ware  which  is  still  made  at  Yi- 
hsing-hsien,  near  Shanghai.  Two  special  books  on  vases 
were  published  toward  the  close  of  the  Ming  dynasty,  in 
the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century,  which  have 
been  quoted  in  Chapter  XVII,  viz.,  the  ^ PHng 


CHINESE  CERAMIC  BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


657 


shili^  History  of  Vases,”  by  Yuan  Hung-tao,  and  the 
^ PHng  htta  p’u,  a small  treatise,  in  one  book, 

on  vases  (^pHng)  and  the  art  of  arranging  cut  flowers  Qiud) 
in  them,  by  Chang  Ch’ien-te,  already  alluded  to  as  the 
author  of  an  introduction  to  his  father’s  book  on  antiqui- 
ties entitled  C King  pi  ts’ang^  which  was  dated  1595. 

The  forms  of  the  ritual  vases  used  by  the  emperor  in 
the  various  sacrificial  ceremonies  at  which  he  ofiiciates  are 
all  figured  and  minutely  described  in  the  various  official 
books,  such  as  the  ^ ^ ffij?  CKin  ting 

la  CKing  Hui  tien  tou^  the  imperial  illustrated  edition 
of  the  statutes  of  the  reigning  dynasty,  a voluminous 
compilation  in  eighty  books,  accompanied  by  102  books 
of  plates.  For  Buddhist  and  Taoist  ritual  vessels  refer- 
ence must  be  made  to  the  canonical  books  of  the  two 
religions.  The  principal  Taoist  writer,  who  has  been 
quoted  once,  is  Chuang  Chou,  who  lived  in  the  fourth 
century  b.  c.,  and  left  the  work  in  ten  books  called  ^ 
Chuang  Tz%  which  has  been  translated  into  English. 

The  most  important  manual  industries  of  the  Chinese 
are  rice-cultivation  and  silk-weaving,  the  former  being 
the  work  of  the  men,  the  latter  of  the  women.  There  is 
an  annual  ceremony  celebrated  at  the  Temple  of  Agricul- 
ture at  Peking,  during  which  the  emperor  plows  a furrow, 
followed  by  the  chief  officers  of  state ; and  the  empress 
picks  mulberry-leaves  and  feeds  silkworms  on  a stated 
occasion  each  year,  accompanied  by  the  ladies  of  the 
court,  before  worshiping  the  tutelary  Goddess  of  Sericul- 
ture at  the  temple  which  is  consecrated  to  her  inside  the 
palace.  The  different  processes  of  work  have  been  fa- 
vorite subjects  for  artists  of  all  periods.  The  Emperor 
K\ing-hsi,  the  second  of  the  reigning  dynasty,  wu*ote  a 
preface  and  composed  a sei-ies  of  verses  to  illustrate  the 
two  sets  of  drawings  executed  by  Chiao  Ping-chen,  an 
official  of  the  Astronomical  Board,  which  are  published 


658 


OEIENIAL  CEEAMIO  AET. 


in  the  f p ^ ^ il,  Yii  cUh  Keng  CMh  T'ou, 

Imperial  Edition  of  Illustrations  of  Agriculture  {Keng) 
and  Weaving  {Ohih)^'’  which  has  been  referred  to  already, 
and  which  was  published  in  the  thirty-fifth  year  of  his 
reign  (1696).  The  plates,  twenty -three  in  each  set,  are 
engraved  in  the  finest  style  of  Chinese  art,  and  have  the 
imperial  verses  on  the  page  opposite  each  picture  inclosed 
in  a broad  frame  containing  a pair  of  imperial  dragons 
represented  rising  fi*om  the  sea  in  pursuit  of  the  flaming 
jewel  of  omnipotence.  Apart  from  their  artistic  value 
they  afford  naturalistic  scenes  of  ordinary  Chinese  life, 
and  it  would  be  interesting  to  compare  them  with  the 
twenty  illustrations  of  the  ceramic  industry  described  in 
Chapter  XV,  which  seem  to  have  been  drawn  up  on  the 
same  model,  should  these  last  ever  be  recovered  from 
their  hiding-place  in  the  palace  libraries. 

There  is  a little  manual  of  Chinese  industry  called 
% X m , Kie^i  hung  hai  wu^  illustrated  with  pic- 
tures, which  was  compiled  by  Sung  Ying-sheng  and  pub- 
lished in  the  year  1637,  toward  the  close  of  the  Ming 
dynasty,  and  which  gives  a brief  account  of  the  various 
industrial  processes,  arranged  in  three  books  in  the  follow- 
ing order : 

Book  I notices  agriculture,  different  kinds  of  cultivated  corn,  and 
processes  of  irrigation;  culture  of  silkworms,  silk-winding,  and 
silk-weaving;  dyeing  of  stuffs,  manufacture  of  the  colors  employed, 
including  indigo-blue,  safflower-red,  and  yellow  extracted  from  tbe 
flowers  of  the  Sophora  japo7iica\  winnowing-machines  and  mills 
for  grinding  corn;  salt  from  sea-  and  river-water,  rock-salt  obtained 
by  mining;  sugar,  honey,  and  methods  of  preserving  fruit.  Book 
II  refers  to  the  work  of  the  potter,  to  tile-  and  brick-making,  and 
to  porcelain;  the  metals  and  their  different  alloys  used  in  the  cast- 

* There  is  a copy  of  this  book,  which  is  very  rare,  iu  the  Biblioth^que 
National  at  Paris.  Some  of  the  articles  in  it  have  been  translated  by  Stanislas 
Julien  and  published  in  the  proceedings  of  L’Academie  des  Sciences  and  in  the 
Journal  Asiatique. 


CHINESE  CERAMIC  BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


659 


ing  of  sacrificial  utensils,  images,  cannon,  mirrors,  and  money; 
boats  and  carts;  axes,  spades,  files,  knives,  saws,  anchors,  needles, 
and  gongs;  mineral  lime,  lime  from  oyster-shells,  coal;  crystallized 
products,  alum,  iron-sulphate,  copper-sulphate;  sulphur,  arsenic; 
mineral  and  vegetable  oils;  the  manufacture  of  paper,  paper  from 
the  mulberry  i^Broussonetia  papyrifera),  paper  from  bamboo. 
Book  III  describes  such  metals  as:  Gold,  silver,  copper,  including 
bronze,  brass,  and  white  metal,  tin,  iron,  zinc,  lead,  white  lead,  and 
red  lead.  Arms:  Bows,  shields,  gunpowder,  saltpeter,  cannon, 
fowling-pieces;  mines,  cinnabar,  vermilion,  ink,  coloring  materials; 
spirit  distilled  from  corn;  precious  stones,  pearls,  diamonds,  jade, 
agates,  rock-crystal,  and  glass. 

Some  of  the  books  that  come  under  the  class  of  miscel- 
lanies have  occasionally  been  quoted  when  they  touch  on 
the  ceramic  art — for  example,  the  STiiliiDu 

han  a general  miscellany  of  affairs  and  things,  by 
Huang  Yi-cheng,  which  was  published  in  forty-one  books 
in  the  year  1591  ; and  the  ^ CKcmg  ivu  civilly  a 
somewhat  similar  miscellany  of  rather  later  date.  The 
Lun  Heng,  referred  to  in  Chapter  XV,  is  a much 
earlier  w6rk,  being  a critical  disquisition  by  Wang 
Ch’ung,  one  of  the  most  philosophical  waiters  of  the 
Han  dynasty,  who  lived  a.  d.  19-90. 

Collected  works  of  individual  authors  form  one  of  the 
principal  divisions  of  the  fourth  and  largest  class  of 
Chinese  literature,  which  is  usually  known  as  belles- 
lettres.  The  titles  chosen  for  these  works  are  often  of  a 
fanciful  nature,  so  as  to  give  the  uninitiated  no  clew  to 
the  name  of  the  anthor.  In  the  account  in  Chapter  VII 
of  the  porcelain  of  the  reign  of  CTie’ng-liua^  for  example, 
two  authors  are  referred  to.  The  first  is  Kao  Shih-ch’i, 
a miscellaneous  writer  who  lived  1645-1704;  he  is 
quoted  under  his  literary  appellation  of  Haugen^  ‘‘The 
Tranquil,”  as  Kao  T’an-jen ; his  collected  works  are  en- 
titled Kao  Chiang-tshm  chi^  Chiang-ts’un 

chi  being  a favorite  nom-de-plnme  of  the  anthor.  The 


660 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


collected  works  of  the  second  author  are  quoted  under 
their  title  of  ^ JP^u-shu  ting  cTiij  Memoirs 

of  the  Pavilion  for  Sunning  Books,”  which  was  the  hall- 
name,”  or  library-name,  of  Chu  Yi-tsun  (1629-97),  a cele- 
brated scholar  and  poet.  He  was  the  author  of  the  Jih 
Jisia  chiu  wen^  a fine  historical  and  archaeological  descrip- 
tion of  Peking  in  many  volumes,  and  was  altogether  a 
most  voluminous  writer,  his  literary  works,  which  were 
published  under  the  above  nom-de-plume^  filling  no  less 
than  eighty  books. 

There  are  two  illustrated  books  on  the  making  of  ink 
which  should  have  been  noticed  before,  as  the  woodcuts 
which  were  originally  designed  as  models  for  the  molds 
in  which  the  cakes  of  ink  were  pressed  are  very  finely 
executed,  and  supply  a rich  fund  of  information  on 
Chinese  art  motives.  The  authors,  according  to  the  edi- 
tors of  the  Imperial  Library  Catalogue,  who  notice  both 
books  at  some  length,  were  both  good  scholars  and  culti- 
vated artists,  clever  in  writing  all  the  ancient  and  modern 
styles  of  character,  and  their  works  are  full  of  antiquarian 
and  symbolical  lore.  For  this  reason  they  are  most  use- 
ful to  the  foreign  inquirer  into  such  subjects.  The  first 
of  these  two  books  is  the  Clteng  shiJi  mo 

yuan^  Collection  of  Ink  of  the  Ch’eng  Factory,”  in 
twelve  books,  by  Ch’eng  Chiin-fang,  of  Hi-Hsien,  in  the 
province  of  Anhui.  This  is  a large  collection  of  cuts, 
exhibiting  artistic  designs  for  cakes  of  ink,  drawn  from 
many  different  sources,  sacred  and  profane.  There  is  a 
series  of  eulogistic  prefaces  at  the  beginning,  one  of  which 
is  by  the  celebrated  Italian  Jesuit  priest  Matteo  Ricci, 
the  founder  of  Roman  Catholic  missions  in  China.  His 
preface,  dated  the  thirty-third  year  of  Wanli  (1605),  is 
signed  with  his  Chinese  name,  “Li  Ma-t’ou,  of  Ou-lo-pa 
(Europa),  composed  and  written  with  a quill  by  himself.” 
It  includes  a complete  syllabary  written  in  the  Italian 


CHINESE  CERAMIC  BIBLIOGEAPHY. 


661 


Band  and  reproduced  in  facsimile,  and  the  worthy  father 
has  contributed,  besides,  three  European  woodcuts  as 
designs  for  ink,  one  of  which  depicts  the  Destruction  of 
Sodom  and  Gomorrah,”  by  way  of  inculcating  a moral 
lesson  on  heathen  readers.  The  second  work  is  the 
^ ^ “ Description  of  Ink  of  the 

Fang  Factory,”  in  six  books,  by  Fang  Yti-lu,  a fellow- 
townsman  and  trade  rival  of  Ch’eng,  who  was  the 
imperial  maker  of  the  time,  and  accused  Fang  of  stealing 
his  secrets  and  pirating  his  ink.  The  work  of  the  latter, 
however,  is  a"  fine  specimen  of  xylography  executed  in 
the  finished  style  of  the  Ming  dynasty.  It  was  published 
in  six  books,  in  the  year  1588,  and  contains  385  cuts  of 
cakes  of  ink  of  all  sizes  and  shapes,  exhibiting  a large 
number  of  antiquarian,  symbolical,  and  mythical  designs, 
the  same  as  those  which  are  often  used  in  the  painted 
decoration  of  porcelain.  Although  fairly  eclectic  in  his 
religious  views,  the  author  shows  a certain  predilection 
for  Buddhism,  and  he  gives  in  the  fifth  book,  which  is 
devoted  to  the  Buddhist  cult,  an  interesting  collection  of 
emblems  and  pictures,  as  well  as  a series  of  circular  mir- 
rors and  amulets  containing  inscriptions  in  ancient  San- 
skrit and  representations  of  old  manuscripts  written  on 
palm-leaves  tied  together  in  bundles.  One  or  two  of  the 
most  sacred  are  inscribed  with  the  quaint  label  Pu  Vo  mo, 
Not  to  be  rubbed,”  as  if  it  were  expected  that  the  ink 
should  be  treated  as  a relic  and  not  used  in  the  ordinary 
way.  The  cakes  of  ink  molded  with  his  signature  are 
cherished  as  works  of  art  by  collectors  of  the  present 
day. 

Having  disposed  briefly  of  the  writers  on  other  sub- 
jects who  touch  more  or  less  cursorily  on  the  ceramic  art, 
or  who  throw  indirectly  some  light  on  the  question,  we 
come  at  last  to  the  special  authors  on  pottery  and  porce- 
lain. These  are,  unfortunately,  very  few  in  number. 


662 


OEIENTAL  CEKAMIC  ART. 


The  subject  is  looked  upon  by  the  literati  of  the  high 
school  from  two  points  of  view : either  that  the  ordinary 
bowls,  cups,  and  dishes  of  every  day  are  too  common  for 
their  notice,  or  that  porcelain  vases  and  the  like  of  elab- 
orate form  and  brilliant  decoration  are  too  meretricious^ 
and  therefore  unsuited  to  the  simple  tastes  of  a scholar. 
There  is  always  a censor  ready  to  remonstrate  with 
an  emperor  who  is  inclined  to  patronize  the  art,  on  the 
ground  of  expense  ; calling  his  attention  to  the  ancient 
kings,  whose  sacrificial  vessels  were  recorded  to  have 
been  of  plain  pottery,  and  who  are  said  to  have  deemed 
glaze  too  great  a luxury  for  their  earthenware.  The 
ancient  sages,  according  to  some  modern  commentators^ 
knew  everything,  and  they  explain  away  the  primitive 
character  of  rudimentary  art,  as  shown  by  relics  recov- 
ered from  the  ground,  by  such  theories  of  voluntary 
abnegation  on  their  part ; they  were  only  afraid  of 
exacting  too  much  from  the  people. 

The  earliest  memoir  that  we  have  on  the  ceramic 
industry  treats  it  from  an  economic  point  of  view,  dep- 
recates the  exactions  of  the  mandarins  of  the  Yuan  or 
Mongol  dynasty,  who  looked  at  it  only  as  a source  of  reve- 
nue,  and  remonstrates  with  them  as  squeezing  the  poor 
Chinese  potters  so  remorselessly  that  they  were  driving 
away  the  industry  from  its  old  seat  at  Ching-te-chen. 
This  memoir,  under  the  title  of  T''ao  Chi 

Liio^  “ Abstract  of  Ceramic  Records,”  by  ^ 115,  Chiang 
Ch’i,  has  been  preserved  in  the  annals  of  the  district 
of  Fouliang  ever  since  it  was  first  printed  there  in 
the  edition  that  was  published  in  the  year  1322.  It  has 
been  tfanslated  in  Chapter  VI,  and  therefore  requires  no 
further  notice  here. 

There  is  no  special  writer,  as  far  as  I know,  during  the 
Ming  dynasty,  and  we  have  derived  most  of  our  infor- 
mation from  the  accounts  of  the  imperial  manufactory 


CHINESE  CERAMIC  BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


663 


detailed  in  the  official  geographical  works,  in  connection 
with  what  has  been  gathered  from  contemporary  writers 
on  art  subjects.  These  accounts  are  strikingly  elucidated 
by  the  water-color  drawings  of  the  illustrated  album 
^ ^ Li  Tai  Ming  T''zu  T''ou  Pu^  Illus- 

trated Description  of  the  Celebrated  Porcelain  of  Differ- 
ent Dynasties,”  by  Hsiang  Yuan-p’ien,  wffiich  dates  from 
the  latter  part  of  the  sixteenth  century,  and  wdiich  has 
been  fully  described  in  Chapter  V. 

T’ang  Ying,  the  most  celebrated  of  the  super- 

intendents of  the  imperial  manufactory  during  the  pres- 
ent dynasty,  is  the  author  of  the  ^ T''ao 

Yell  Poll  Sliuo^  the  description  of  the  twenty  illustrations 
of  the  manufacture  of  porcelain,  which  was  translated  in 
Chapter  XV.  The  other  articles  from  his  pen  which 
have  been  referred  to  were  mostly  wu’itten  as  introductory 
to  or  as  part  of  the  accounts  of  the  work  of  the  imperial 
factory  in  the  official  books.  The  articles  are  entitled 
m m 12,  Pao  cli'eng  chi^  Records  of  the  Ceramic 
Manufacture,”  or  ^ Tf;  Pao  cPeng  skill  yil 

‘‘  Leaflets  of  the  Regulations  of  the  Ceramic  Manu- 
facture.” They  are  doubtless  included  in  the  collected 
Avorks  of  T’ang  Ying,  which  the  author  of  the  Cliing4e-clien 
Pao  lu  (Book  VI,  folio  3)  refers  to  as  having  been  issued 
Avith  an  introductory  eulogistic  preface  by  Li  Chii-lai  of 
Liu-ch’uan,  in  the  province  of  Kiangsi,  but  which  I have 
not  had  an  opportunity  of  consulting. 

The  special  Avork  on  the  ceramic  art  that  is  always 
referred  to  Avhen  the  subject  is  discussed  by  the  learned 
in  China  is  the  p^  Pao  Sliuo,  a comprehensive 
description  of  pottery  and  porcelain  by  Chu  Yen,  Avhich 
Avas  first  published  in  the  thirty-ninth  year  of  the  reign 
of  the  Emperor  C liHen-lung  (1774).  The  author  3^, 
Chu  Yen,  whose  literary  appellation  AA^as  m jii,  T ’ung- 
cli’uan,  was  also  known  as  Li-t’ing,  the  latter  being 


664 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


his  “ hall-name  ’’  or  nom-de-plume,  under  which  a selec- 
tion of  his  writings  was  published.  He  was  a native  of 
Hai-yen,  in  the  province  of  Chekiang,  and  was  a volu- 
minous writer,  judging  from  a long  list  of  his  works 
given  in  the  preface,  which  was  composed  by  a relative 
of  the  author  to  introduce  a new  edition  of  the  T'^ao 
Shuo  issued  in  the  year  1787,  which  is  the  best  edition. 
This  list  comprises  twelve  difterent  works  besides  the 
present  one,  which  is  characterized  as  being  the  most 
important  of  all,  and  includes  A Commentary  on  the 
Shuo  Wen^^''  the  ancient  dictionary  of  the  second  century 
A.  D.,  Selections  from  old  Prose  Authors  and  Poets 
of  the  T''ang  and  other  Dynasties,”  ‘instruction  for 
Playing  the  Lyre,”  “ On  the  Art  of  Versification,”  etc., 
winding  up  with  a “ Collection  of  Verses  of  his  own 
[Li  T’ing’s]  Composition.”  He  is  described  by  his  con- 
temporaries as  a learned  scholar  and  antiquarian,  and 
when  he  was  appointed  in  the  year  1767  to  a post  in  the 
secretariat  of  Wu  Shao-shih,  who  was  the  governor  of  the 
province  of  Kiangsi  from  1766  to  1771,  he  at  once  pro- 
ceeded to  study  the  history  of  the  ceramic  industry,  the 
porcelain  of  Ching-te-chen  being  the  most  important 
product  of  the  province  of  Kiangsi. 

The  title  T^ao  Shuo  means  literally  “Discussion  of 
Pottery,”  the  word  fao  being  equivalent  to  “ pottery  ” 
(la  ceramique)  in  its  widest  sense,  and  made  to  comprise 
all  kinds  of  clay  objects  fired  in  the  kiln,  so  as  to  include 
the  different  varieties  of  earthenware,  glazed  and  unglazed, 
faience  and  stoneware  as  well  as  porcelain.  The 

form  of  the  book  consists  of  a series  of  extracts  bearing 
on  the  subject  gathered  from  the  wide  field  of  native 
literature,  in  the  course  of  which  nearly  a hundred  and 
fifty  different  authors  are  quoted.  This  is  accomplished 
by  a running  commentary  in  the  form  of  notes,  which 
are  distinguished  by  having-  the  character  an  prefixed  to 


CHINESE  CERAMIC  BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


665 


■each  paragraph,  and  by  having  the  columns  of  type 
printed  on  a lower  level,  so  as  to  leave  a wider  interspace 
at  the  top  of  the  page.  The  general  scope  of  the  work 
will  be  indicated  by  a glance  at  the  table  of  contents 
which  follows  : 

Book  I.  Discussion  of  Modern  Times.  An  account  of  the  por- 
celain made  at  Jao-chou-fu  during  the  present  dynasty.  The  de- 
rscription  of  the  twenty  illustrations  of  the  porcelain  manufacture 
from  the  Imperial  Library,  written  in  1743  by  T’ang  Ying,  director 
of  the  imperial  manufactory. 

Book  II.  Discussion  of  Ancient  Times.  The  invention  and 
■early  history  of  pottery.  Researches  on  the  productions  of  the 
different  potteries,  from  the  beginning  of  the  T’’ang  dynasty,  in 
618,  to  the  close  of  the  Yuan  dynasty,  in  1367. 

Book  III.  Discussion  of  the  Ming  Period.  The  Jao-chou-fu 
potteries  and  the  porcelain  produced  at  the  imperial  manufactory 
there  during  the  Ming  dynasty  (1368-1643).  The  processes  of 
manufacture  during  this  dynasty  under  the  headings:  1.  Materials 
and  Colors.  2.  Departments  of  Work.  3.  Coloring  Materials  and 
their  Preparation.  4.  Painted  Decoration  in  Underglaze  Cobalt- 
Blue.  5.  Embossed  Work,  Incised  Designs,  Decoration  in  Gold 
and  in  Overglaze  Enamel  Colors.  6.  The  making  of  the  Cases  or 
Seggars.  7.  Furnaces  and  the  Methods  of  Charging  them.  8. 
Rules  for  Firing  the  Porcelain. 

Book  IV.  Discussion  of  Particular  Ceramic  Objects,  Part  I.  1. 
Objects  of  the  Yang  and  Yil  (third  millennium  b.  c.),  referred  to 
in  old  books.  2.  Objects  of  the  dynasty  (b.  c.  1122-249). 

3.  Objects  of  the  Han  dynasty  (b.  c.  206-a.  d.  224).  4.  Objects 
of  the  Wei  dynasty  (a.  d.  221-264).  5.  Objects  of  the  Chin 

dynasty  (a.  d.  265-419).  6.  Objects  of  the  contemporary  Southern 

and  Nortliern  d3niasties  (420-588).  7.  Objects  of  the  Sui  dynasty 

(589-617). 

Book  V.  Discussion  of  Particular  Ceramic  Objects,  Part  II.  8. 
Objects  of  the  T^ang  dynasty  (618-906).  9.  Objects  of  the  five 

dynasties  (907-959).  10.  Objects  of  the  dynasty  (960-1279). 

11.  Objects  of  the  Yuan  dynasty  (1280-1367). 

Book  VI.  Discussion  of  Particular  Ceramic  Objects,  Part  III. 

12.  Objects  of  the  Ming  dynasty  (1368-1643).  Description  of 
some  sacrificial  utensils  made  for  imperial  worship.  Porcelain  of 
the  reign  of  Yung-lo.  Porcelain  of  the  reign  of  IlsiXan-t^.  Por- 


666 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


celain  of  tbe  reign  of  Ch’’eng~hua.  Porcelain  of  the  reign  of  Chia- 
ching,  under  the  headings:  (1)  Specimens  painted  in  blue  on  a 
white  ground.  (2)  Blue  specimens;  being  eitlier  decorated  in 
white  reserve  on  a blue  ground,  or  coated  with  single-colored 
glazes,  viz.,  in  cobalt-blue  of  ligliter  or  darker  shade,  or  in  tur- 
quoise-blue derived  from  copper.  (3)  Specimens  decorated  in 
blue  outside,  witli  the  interioi*  of  tlie  bowl  or  cup  glazed  white. 
(4)  White  porcelain;  either  plain,  or  with  decoration  incised  at 
the  point  in  the  paste  under  the  white  glaze.  (5)  Brown  porcelain 
of  the fond-laque  or  “dead-leaf”  type;  in  two  shades  of  dark 
brown  or  “ old  gold  ” tint,  either  plain  or  engraved,  under  the  glaze. 
(6)  Single  colors,  such  as  coral-red,  green,  and  imperial  yellow,  and 
mixed  decorations,  not  included  in  the  other  classes.  Porcelain  of 
the  reign  of  Lung-cKing,  Porcelain  of  the  reign  of 
including:  (a)  Specimens  in  blue  and  white;  (5)  Specimens  deco- 
rated in  enamel  colors;  (c)  S])ecimens  of  single  colors,  and  of 
complicated  decoration  not  included  in  the  other  two  classes. 
Reproductions  of  the  ivory-white  Ting-chou  porcelain.  The  dawn- 
red  wine-cups  and  the  eggshell  cups  of  Hao  Shih-chiu,  a celebrated 
potter  of  the  reign  of  Wan-li. 

In  the  1787  edition  of  the  T''ao  Shuo,  which  is  now 
before  me,  there  are  no  less  than  four  eulogistic  prefaces 
and  appendices  from  different  hands.  One  of  them, 
dated  in  the  cyclical  year  ehia-iou  (1774),  is  by  Pao 
T’ing-po,  the  learned  editor  and  publisher  of  the  large 
collection  of  reprints  issued  in  the  eighteenth  century 
under  the  title  of  ChiJi  pu  tsu  chai 

ts’ung  shu.  Some  Chinese  books  are  to  be  found  only  in 
these  vast  collections  of  reprints,  which  are  analogous  to 
Bohn’s  Miscellany,  only  that  all  the  works  are  published 
at  the  same  time  instead  of  being  issued  at  intervals.* 

The  work  that  has  just  been  described  is  mainly 
literary  and  antiquarian  in  its  character,  and  it  is,  besides, 
more  than  a century  old.  For  a more  recent  account  of 
the  ceramic  art  in  China  we  must  turn  to  the  ^ ^ ^ 

* See  Wylie’s  Notes  on  Chinese  Literature.  The  Appendix,  pages  205-224, 
contains  the  titles  of  some  of  these  collections  and  lists  of  their  contents. 


CHINESE  CEEAMIC  BIBLIOaEAPHY. 


667 


Cliing  te  clien  T^ao  lu^  History  of  the  Ceramic 
Industry  at  Cliing-te-cben,”  which  has  been  partially  and 
somewhat  imperfectly  translated  into  French."^  In  the 
professed  translation  there  is  a complete  rearrangement 
of  the  order  of  the  books,  and  a short  analysis  of  the 
plan  of  the  original  may  not  be  out  of  place  here.  The 
author,  Lan  P’u,  whose  literary  appellation  was  Pin-nan, 
was  a native  of  Ching-te-chen,  who  lived,  he  tells  us,  in 
the  midst  of  the  porcelain  works,  and  was  constantly 
taking  notes  of  the  various  technical  details  with  a view 
to  publishing  a book  on  the  subject.  But  he  died 
toward  the  end  of  the  reign  of  CKien-lung^  at  the  close 
of  the  eighteenth  century,  and  his  manuscript  was  put 
by  for  twenty  years,  his  widow  lacking  funds  to  publish 
it.  In  the  sixteenth  year  of  the  reign  of  Cliia-cKing 
(1811)  a new  governor,  or  chief  magistrate,  named  Liu 
Ping,  was  appointed  to  Fou-liang-hsien,  and  he  happened 
to  engage,  as  teacher  for  one  of  his  sons,  Cheng  T’ing- 
kuei,  who  had  been  educated  as  a scholar  by  Lan  P’u. 
The  professor  introduced  his  old  master’s  book  to  the 
notice  of  the  new  governor,  who  requested  him  to  edit 
it,  and  it  was  finally  published  in  the  year  1815,  with  a 
preface  by  Liu  Ping,  and  a post-face  by  the  editor,  Cheng 
T’ing-kuei.  As  explained  in  the  aj)pendix,  the  editor 
rearranged  the  manuscript  and  divided  it  into  eight 
sections,  which  form  Books  II  to  IX  of  the  printed  work. 
Book  I contains  a map  of  the  district,  a plan  of  the 
imperial  manufactory,  and  a series  of  fourteen  illustra- 
tions of  the  different  processes  of  work,  which  were 
sketched  on  the  spot  by  Cheng  Hsiu,  a brother  of  the 
editor,  and  offer  a fairly  complete  picture  of  the  industry 
as  it  is  carried  on  in  the  present  day.  The  plates  in  the 
French  translation  differ  considerably  from  these,  being 

* Histoire  et  Fabrication  de  la  Porcelaine  Chinoise.  Ouvrage  traduit  du 
Chlnois,  parM.  Stanislas  Julien,  Membre  de  I’lnstitut.  Paris,  1856, 


668 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


squeezed  laterally  into  half  the  space,  and  being,  besides,.! 
occasionally  combined  together,  so  as  to  confuse  some  of 
the  details  of  the  work,  and  they  have  even  been  com-, 
pleted,  when  thought  necessary,  by  the  insertion  of  parts 
of  pictures  taken  from  Chinese  albums  of  much  older 
date.  The  descriptions  of  the  fourteen  illustrations  are 
mostly  abridged,  as  is  avowed  by  the  editor,  from  those 
of  the  famous  twenty  illustrations  described  for  the 
Emperor  OKien-lung  by  T’ang  Ying.  Book  X,  entitled 
Supplementary  Observations,”  is  mainly  the  work  of 
the  new  editor,  assisted  by  a string  of  collahorateurSy 
some  with  technical  knowledge  of  the  art  derived  from 
personal  experience,  whose  names  he  gives  at  the  end  of 
the  book. " 

The  following  is  the  original  table  of  contents : 


Book  I.  Illustrations  of  Technical  Processes  with  Descriptions. 

Book  II.  Records  of  the  Imperial  Porcelain  Manufactory  under 
the  reigning  dynasty.  Origin  of  the  various  kinds  of  porcelain 
made  at  Ching-te-chen. 

Book  III.  Technical  Catalogue,  enumerating  the  different  fur-^^ 
naces  and  the  classes  of  firemen  employed,  the  various  branches  of 
manual  decorative  and  artistic  work,  the  auxiliary  branches  of  work,, 
the  forms  and  designs  of  objects,  the  various  kinds  of  glazes  and 
the  coloring  materials  used  in  their  preparation,  etc. 

Book  IV.  General  Account  of  the  Porcelain  Manufacture  as  it  is- 
carried  on  in  the  present  day. 

Book  V.  Examination  of  the  porcelain  made  at  Ching-t^-ch^n 
during  successive  dynasties,  beginning  with  the  first  year  (583)  of 
the  period  Chih-t^,  in  the  reign  of  the  last  sovereign  of  the 
dynasty,  and  ending  with  the  reign  of  C hHen-lung  of  the  present 
dynasty  ( 17 36-95). 

Book  VI.  Examination  of  the  different  kinds  of  ancient  porcelain 
that  are  now  imitated  at  Ching-te-chen. 

Book  VII.  Investigation  of  ancient  ceramic  wares.  Examination 
of  the  ceramic  productions  of  the  different  provinces  and  districts, 
including  those  of  the  present  day.  Investigation  of  foreign  pro- 
ductions, referring  cursorily  to  Korean  ceramic  ware,  and  to  painted 


CHINESE  CERAMIC  BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


669 


and  cloisonne  enamels  on  copper  introduced  into  China  from  the 
West. 

Book  VIII.  Miscellaneous  quotations  on  the  ceramic  subject  from 
dilferent  authors,  Part  I.»^ 

Book  IX.  Miscellaneous  quotations  on  the  ceramic  subject. 
Part  II. 

Book  X.  Supplementary  observations  on  some  points  in  the  fore- 
going work  by  the  editor,  Cheng  T’ing-kuei. 

The  first  and  last  books  are  the  additions  of  the  new 
editor,  who  tells  us  that  the  other  eight  represent  the 
original  work,  in  his  own  words,  of  his  old  master 
Lan  P’n. 

The  Tao  Lu  is  indispensable  for  an  inquirer  into  the 
technology  of  the  ceramic  industry  in  China,  and  its 
statements  may  be  relied  upon  as  being  generally  taken 
from  actual  personal  knowledge,  but  in  the  historical  and 
critical  accounts  of  the  ancient  productions  it  is  decidedly 
inferior  to  the  T'ao  Shuo.  The  author  relies  mainly  on 
the  Wm  Fang  Ssu  K'^ao^  which  has  already  been  referred 
to  as  one  of  the  least  critical  of  those  which  relate  to 
the  apparatus  of  the  scholar’s  study. 

With  the  exception  of  mere  manuals  for  the  use  of  the 
curio-dealer,  I have  seen  nothing  of  later  date,  so  that  we 
have  no  more  recent  work  of  authority  on  the  subject, 
and,  in  truth,  the  decadence  of  the  ceramic  art  in  modern 
times  is  so  rapid  that  it  scarcely  deserves  a chronicler. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

KOKEA. 

Korea  an  intermediary  between  China  and  Japan.  A class  of  early 
Japanese  decorated  porcelain  wrongly  attributed  to  Korea. 
Questionable  existence  of  an  indigenous  ceramic  art  in  the 
country.  Notices  in  Chinese  literature  of  early  Korean  pro- 
ductions. Ancient  crackled  and  celadon  examples  in  Korea. 
Korean  Mishima  ware  and  other  early  encaustic  decorations. 
Relics  dug  up  from  tombs.  Modern  ceramic  manufactures. 

Korea  is  situated  midway  between  China  and  Japan, 
and  derives  its  chief  importance  from  having  been 
the  medium  of  the  introduction  of  the  arts  and  sciences 
from  the  mainland  of  Asia  into  the  Japanese  islands.  The 
earlier  ceramic  relations  of  the  three  countries  have  been 
cursorily  summed  up  in  Chapter  II,  and  it  was  noticed 
there  how  the  Japanese  traced  back  the  source  of  each 
successive  step  in  their  practice  of  the  ceramic  art  either 
to  Korea  or  to  China.  Korea  would  seem,  however, 
merely  to  have  played  the  part  of  an  intermediary,  and 
to  have  carried  on  to  Japan  the  knowledge  of  technical 
points  which  it  had  derived  from  China  in  the  course  of 
its  traffic  with  the  latter  country.  This  traffic  has  been 
principally  carried  on  by  sea  from  the  points  of  the  prov- 
ince of  Shantung.  Korea  has  only  recently  been  thrown 
open,  but  the  country  has  been  thoroughly  explored  dur- 
ing the  last  few  years,  and  it  is  now  known  that  no 
artistic  pottery  is  produced  there  in  the  present  day,  and 
no  indisputable  evidence  of  any  original  skill  in  former 
times  has  been  discovered. 

Before  the  poverty  of  the  land  was  laid  bare  it  was 
possible,  with  some  show  of  probability,  to  attribute  to  it 

670 


KOKEA. 


671 


the  possession  of  unknown  art  treasures,  and  Jacquemart 
accordingly  endowed  Korea  with  a class  of  decorated 
porcelain  of  artistic  beauty  and  perfect  finish,  which  he 
styled  Famille  arclmique  de  Coree^  under  the  mistaken 
idea  that  the  mixed  Japanese  and  Chinese  character  of 
the  designs  indicated  an  intermediate  origin.  We  are 
indebted,  however,  to  his  artistic  faculty  for  the  separa- 
tion of  this  class  from  other  Oriental  porcelains,  and  for 
its  correct  designation  as  archaic,”  for  it  seems  really  to 
have  been  one  of  the  earliest  productions  in  enamel  colors 
of  the  Arita  kilns  of  Japan.  The  porcelain  of  this  class 
was  among  the  first  brought  to  Europe  from  Japan  by  the 
Dutch,  whose  original  trading  establishment  was  at  Hi- 
rado,  not  far  from  the  Arita  kilns.  The  importation  of 
the  artistic  ware  appears  to  have  ceased  before  the  end  of 
the  seventeenth  century,  so  that  specimens  were  eagerly 
sought  for  by  the  earlier  collectors  in  Europe,  who  gave 
them  a prominent  place  in  their  cabinets  under  the  name 
oi  premiere  qualite  coloriee  du  Japan,  The  description  of 
several  pieces  may  be  found  in  the  Catalogue  de  la  vente 
de  M,  Randan  de  Baisset,  which  was  compiled  by  the 
French  expert  Julliot  in  1777,  who  writes: 

“ The  late  collector,  endowed  with  a delicate  and  severe  taste, 
gathered  together  important  examples  of  several  kinds,  and  most 
particularly  of  the  ancient  Japanese  porcelain  called  premiere 
qualite,  coloriee^  for  which,  as  a true  connoisseur,  he  had  a special 
predilection.  This  porcelain,  of  which  the  composition  is  now 
entirely  lost,  has  always  captivated  the  attention  of  amateurs  by 
the  fine  grain  of  its  beautifully  white  paste,  the  charming  tints  of 
its  soft  reds,  the  velvety  tones  of  its  clear  greens,  and  its  intense 
sky-blue.  The  merits  of  this  class  of  porcelain  are  perfectly  recog- 
nized, so  that  some  of  the  best  collections  are,  or  have  been,  com- 
posed of  it,  which  alone  is  its  sufficient  eulogy.” 


This  peculiar  class,  in  fact,  is  readily  identified  by  its 
fine  compact  paste  of  ivory-white  tone,  which  has  been 


672 


OEIENTAL  CEKAMIC  AET. 


justly  likened  to  that  of  the  Hirado  blue  and  white  por- 
celain, invested  with  a thin  non- vitreous  glaze,  and  simply 
decorated,  in  soft  enamels,  with  a few  formal  flowers  sym- 
metrically posed,  or  a clump  of  bamboos  rising  from 
behind  a trellis  fence  of  straw.  The  flowers  are  usually 
the  iris,  chrysanthemum,  pink,  or  peony ; the  light  orna- 
mental borders  are  triangular  or  rectangular  frets  or  zig- 
zags ; birds  or  symbolical  animals  are  rarely  seen,  still 
more  rarely  figures.  The  designs,  sketched  either  in 
black  or  in  red,  are  lightly  touched  with  soft  colors,  com- 
bined with  the  perfect  harmony  that  distinguishes  old 
Japanese  art ; the  decoration  being  sparingly  applied,  as 
if  to  display  as  much  as  possible  of  the  perfectly  white 
ground.  The  dominating  color  is  a well-glazed  iron-red 
of  rich  tone ; the  other  colors,  applied  in  enamels  so  as  to 
stand  out  in  relief  upon  the  surface,  are  a pale  clear 
green,  a pure  sky-blue,  a light  yellow,  and  a brilliant 
black ; the  gold  is  applied  more  solidly  than  usual ; blue 
under  the  glaze  is  excluded.  The  vases  and  jars  are  gem 
erally  small  and  of  polygonal  outline,  of  molded  forms, 
and  not  fashioned  upon  the  wheel ; the  bowls  and  cups 
are  fluted  and  flanged,  and  often  provided  with  socketed 
stands.  A typical  example  of  this  charming  class  is  rep- 
resented by  the  sake-bottle  of  square  section  illustrated 
in  colors  in  Plate  XCVII,  Fig.  1,  which  is  reasonably 
attributed  to  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century. 

Some  other  specimens  are  illustrated  in  colors  by  Du 
Sartel,  in  La  Porcelaine  de  Chine,  to  which  reference  has 
often  been  made. 

Pieces  of  this  peculiar  type  supplied  the  first  models 
for  many  of  the  early  porcelain  works  of  Europe.  At 
Meissen  the  imitations  were  very  close,  as  may  be  seen  in 
the  Dresden  Museum,  where  the  originals  and  the  copies 
are  purposely  exhibited  side  by  side.  They  were  also 
copied  at  St.  Cloud;  at  Chelsea,  on  pieces  bearing  the 


KOREA. 


673, 


earliest  mark — the  raised  anchor ; at  Bow,  on  the  plates 
decorated  with  quails,  and  elsewhere.  There  is  a bowl 
of  Bow  porcelain  in  the  British  Museum  decorated  in  the 
same  style  as  the  plates  with  quails,  having  an  inscrip- 
tion upon  it  stating  that  it  was  painted  by  Thomas 
Croft  in  1760  in  the  old  Japan  taste”;  which  shows,  as 
Sir  Wollaston  Franks  remarks,  that  both  in  England 
and  France  this  porcelain  was  recognized  to  be  Japanese, 
and  of  some  antiquity.”  So  it  was  in  China,  for  it  was 
exactly  reproduced  in  the  factories  at  Ching-te-chen  dur- 
ing the  second  half  of  the  reign  oi  K'‘ ang-hsi  (1662-1722),. 
under  the  name  of  Tung  Yang  T^ai  or  Japanese  colors, 
so  that  some  care  must  be  taken  not  to  confound  these 
early  Chinese  copies  with  the  originals,  the  main  crite- 
rion being  the  different  qualit}^  of  jpdte^  besides  the 
frequent  occurrence  of  spur-marks  ” underneath  the 
foot  of  the  Japanese  pieces. 

This  appears  to  have  been  the  earliest  decorated  porce- 
lain brought  in  any  considerable  quantity  to  Europe  from 
the  East.  It  was  imported  into  Holland  in  the  ships  of 
the  Dutch  East  India  Company  and  distributed  by  them 
under  the  title  of  porcelaine  des  Indes.  The  Dutch  seem 
also  to  have  exercised  some  influence  over  its  decoration 
in  Japan,  according  to  an  interesting  passage  quoted  by 
Jacquemart  from  the  account  of  the  embassy  of  the  Dutch 
Governor  who  was  sent  by  the  company  to  Yedo  in  the 
year  1634,  and  who  was  rewarded  afterward  for  the  suc- 
cess of  his  mission  by  being  given  the  monopoly  of  the 
valuable  traffic  in  porcelain.  We  are  told  there  : f 


* The  slender  projections  of  the  paste  designed  to  support  the  piece  and  pre- 
vent contact  with  the  floor  of  the  kiln  are  technically  known  as  “ cock-spurs.” 
They  are  broken  off  afterward,  and  leave  small  rough  marks  on  the  glaze. 
They  are  found  occasionally,  although  rarely,  on  Chinese  pieces.  The  Chi- 
nese technical  term  is  fo-chih,  or  “ supporting  twigs.” 

f Amhassades  Memorahles  de  la  Compagnie  des  Indes  Orientales  des  Provinces 
Unies  vers  les  Empereurs  du  Japon.  Amsterdam,  1680,  folio;  II®  partie,  p.  102. 


674 


OEIENTAL  CEEAMIC  AET. 


‘‘  While  the  Siear  Wagenaar  was  preparing  for  his  return  voyage 
to  Batavia,  he  received  21,567  pieces  of  white  porcelain;  and  a 
month  previously  a very  large  quantity  had  arrived  at  Disma  [that 
is,  Desima  or  Deshima],  which,  however,  had  ‘not  had  a great  sale 
because  there  were  not  flowers  enough  upon  it.  For  some  years 
past  the  Japanese  have  applied  themselves  to  this  kind  of  work 
with  much  industry,  and  they  have  become  so  skillful  at  it  that  not 
only  the  Dutch,  but  even  the  Chinese  buy  of  them.  The  best  por- 
celain is  that  which  is  made  at  Fisen  (Hizen),  the  earth  at  no  other 
place  being  so  white  or  so  flne  as  it  is  here.  The  Sieur  Wagenaar, 
a great  connoisseur,  and  very  clever  himself  at  this  kind  of  work, 
invented  a flower  design  upon  a blue  ground  which  was  found  to  be 
so  pretty  that  out  of  two  hundred  pieces  on  which  he  had  it  painted 
not  a single  one  remained  unsold,  so  that  there  was  not  a shop  with- 
out some  of  it  on  display.” 

The  first  porcelain  manufactory  in  the  province  of 
Hizen  was  founded  in  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth 
century  near  Arita  by  Li  Sanpei  (or  Risampei),  a Korean 
potter  who  was  brought  over  in  1598  in  the  suite  of 
Prince  Nabeshima.  He  discovered  the  necessary  mate- 
rials in  the  neighborhood  in  the  Idzumi  Mountains,  and 
initiated  the  Japanese  workmen  in  the  new  art.  The 
earliest  decoration  is  said  to  have  been  penciled  in  cobalt- 
blue  under  the  glaze  after  the  fashion  of  the  faience  that 
previously  had  been  made  there.  The  honor  of  acquiring 
for  Japan  the  art  of  painting  in  enamel  colors  applied 
over  the  glaze  is  generally  attributed  to  Tokuzayemon,  a 
native  of  Imari  in  the  same  province,  who  is  supposed  to 
have  learned  it  from  a Chinese  resident  at  Nagasaki  about 
the  middle  of  the  century.  But  the  clear  vitreous  enamel 
colors  of  the  inuffie  stove  which  distinguish  this  class  of 
porcelain  were  not  known  at  this  time  in  Chinese  ceramic 
decoration,  and  when  they  were  introduced  into  China, 
in  the  latter  half  of  the  reign  of  K'*ang-hsi,  their  source 
was  acknowledged  to  be  foreign.  In  India  they  had 
been  previously  used  for  centuries  in  enamel  painting 


KOEEA. 


675 


upon  metal.  Their  introduction  into  Japan  seems  to 
have  been  due  to  the  Dutch,  at  a time  when  the  factories 
at  Ching-te-chen  were  closed  on  account  of  the  wars  at 
the  end  of  the  Ming  dynasty,  and  their  usual  supplies  of 
porcelain  from  that  source  had  failed.  The  influence  of 
the  Dutch  in  the  further  development  of  the  ceramic  art 
in  Japan  is  shown  in  a more  marked  degree  in  the  poly- 
chromatic ^^old  Imari  ware,”  which  gradually  supplanted 
the  more  artistic  and  simply  decorated  porcelain  that  has 
just  been  referred  to.  This  porcelain,  decorated  in  the 
style  of  the  many-colored  Chinese  production  of  the 
Wan-li  period  with  blue  under  the  glaze  in  combination 
with  overglaze  enamel  colors  and  gilding,  became  the 
established  ware  of  the  Hizen  potteries  by  the  year  1680. 

Fig.  381  shows  a typical  example  of  one  of  the  more 
finely  decorated  pieces  of  the  period.  The  foliated 
border  and  the  interior  of  the  dish,  divided  into  panels 
by  lines  of  underglaze  blue,  are  filled  with  diapers  of 
varied  design,  and  the  slope  is  encircled  by  a broad  band 
with  four-clawed  dragons  of  Chinese  type  disporting  in 
clouds.  The  overglaze  colors  are  a full  iron-red,  brilliant 
green,  yellow,  and  manganese-purple,  the  last  three  being 
in  strong  relief.  The  under  surface  of  the  rim  is  roughly 
painted  in  dark  blue  under  the  glaze  with  sprays  of 
flowers  and  symbols  in  panels.  There  are  several  spur- 
marks  underneath. 

This  is  a choice  specimen  of  the  richly  ornamented 
Avare  knoAvn  in  Europe  par  excellence  as  “Old  Japan,” 
Avhich  AA^as  fashioned  and  decorated  expressly  for  the 
European  market,  and  Avas  imported  in  large  quantities 
into  Europe  toAvard  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century, 
Avhen  Augustus  the  Strong  filled  his  Japanese  Palace 
Avitli  the  magnificent  jars  and  beakers  and  the  huge 
dishes.  AAdiich  are  still  displayed  in  the  museum  at  Dres- 
den. There  is  no  longer  any  question  here  of  sparse 


676 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


decoration  such  as  we  are  told  made  the  older  porcelain 
unsalable,  the  surface  being  covered  with  mythological 
monsters  and  gorgeously  plumaged  birds  in  the  midst 
of  profuse  floral  sprays  of  chrysanthemum  and  peony. 
There  is  no  space  in  a modest  Japanese  interior  for  such 
monstrosities,  and  the  native  connoisseur  can  hardly  be 
brought  to  acknowledge  them  as  genuine  productions  of 
his  own  country,  any  more  than  he  will  accept  the  large 
vases  decorated  with  armies  of  mail-clad  figures  or  legions 
of  saints  that  are  painted  in  Yokohama  to-day  for  the 
foreign  market,  and  which  figure  in  the  West  as  fail- 
representatives  of  the  modern  ceramic  art  of  Japan. 

This  long  digression  is  preparatory  to  the  introduction 
of  the  vexed  question  of  the  existence  of  polychromatic 
decoration  in  Korea  before  the  date  of  its  introduction 
into  Japan.  The  description  of  three  remarkable  speci- 
mens may  be  quoted  from  the  catalogue  * of  the  Brinkley 
Collection,  which  was  exhibited  at  the  Boston  Museum 
of  Arts  in  1884,  where  they  are  described  as  ^‘Korean 
Ware.” 

“Elephant,  on  stand.  Height,  five  and  a half  inches;  length, 
seven  inches.  Heavy  stoneware,  covered  with  a cream-colored 
glaze  slightly  crackled.  The  trappings  of  the  elephant  are  black; 
his  feet,  ears,  mouth,  and  howdah -cloth  are  of  a reddish  brown. 
Date,  1260.” 

“Vase,  with  narrow  base  and  swelling  body.  Height,  thirteen 
inches;  diameter,  twelve  inches.  Stoneware,  cream-colored  glaze 
finely  crackled.  Round  the  base  and  shoulder  are  lines  and  a band 
of  diaper.  On  the  sides  are  three  large  medallions  bordered  by 
broad  black  lines.  One  medallion  contains  the  figure  of  an  old 
man  seated;  behind  him  is  a fir-tree  with  a gourd  hanging  from 
its  branches;  before  him,  conventional  waves  and  a design  intended 
to  represent  the  constellation  of  ursa  major  {^Sh’chiya  no  hoshi). 
The  second  medallion  contains  a stork  flying  down  toward  reeds 

* Collection  of  Japanese,  Chinese,  and  Korean  Porcelain,  Pottery,  and  Faience, 
illustrating  all  the  Best-known  Wares  of  the  Three  Countries,  p.  Ill,  Nos. 
779-781. 


KOKEA. 


677 


and  lotus-plants.  The  third,  an  open  lily,  surrounded  by  leaves. 
All  the  decoration  is  in  very  dark  brown,  and  the  inside  is  covered 
with  a glaze  of  that  color.  Date,  1300.” 

“Vase,  with  narrow  base  and  swelling  body.  Height,  eleven 
and  a half  inches;  diameter,  twelve  inches.  Stoneware,  covered 
inside  and  outside  with  a cream-colored  glaze.  Round  the  neck 
are  two  bands  of  floral  scroll  in  red  and  green  enamels.  Round 
the  base  a band  of  conventional  leaves.  Round  the  body  are  three 
large  medallions.  In  one  is  a man  seated  on  a fish  swimming  in 
green  waves;  in  the  distance  are  mountains  and  a castle.  In 
another  are  two  figures  with  trees,  a hill,  etc.,  in  grfeen  and  red. 
Date,  1300.  [This  is  a very  remarkable  specimen.  Korean  ware 
decorated  with  colored  enamels  is  exceedingly  rare — so  much  so, 
indeed,  that  its  very  existence  has  been  doubted.  The  present 
specimen  has  been  preserved  in  the  province  of  Kaga,  in  Japan, 
since  1598.]” 

There  is  another  archaic-looking  ware  often  attributed 
by  Japanese  experts  to  Korea,  which  has  crude  designs 
lightly  penciled  in  dull  blue  overlaid  with  a deeply 
crackled  glaze  of  grayish  tone.  The  paste  is  of  open 
porous  texture,  like  the.  old  Tingchou  productions  of 
China,  and  the  general  aspect  of  the  pieces  reminds  one 
of  the  ancient  crackled  wares  of  Chinese  origin  treasured 
by  the  Dayaks  in  Borneo  and  in  other  islands  of  the 
Eastern  Archipelago.  A specimen  which  was  brought 
from  Japan  as  a piece  of  ancient  Korean  ware  is  pre- 
sented in  Fig.  134.  It  is  a small  globular  vase  roughly 
decorated  in  dark  blue  with  a broad  baud  round  the 
body  containing  two  lions  sporting  with  filleted  balls, 
and  a narrow  band  of  conventional  ornament  encircling 
the  shoulder.  The  thick  glaze,  of  ivory-white  tone,  is 
crackled  with  deeply  fissured  lines,  and  covers  the  base, 
only  leaving  the  foot-rim  exposed,  which  is  white,  of 
porous  texture,  but  intensely  hard ; there  is  no  mark 
inscribed  underneath. 

With  regard  to  the  porcelain  objects  sent  from  Japan 
as  old  Korean  it  is  necessary,  first,  to  show  that  the 


678 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


particular  piece  is  not  a modern  reproduction ; sec- 
ondly, that  it  is  not  an  old  piece  of  one  of  the  less 
known  Chinese  wares  which  may  have  been  brought  to 
Japan  through  Korea.  There  are  two  Chinese  wares, 
for  instance,  which  often  figure  as  Korean  upon  the 
shelves  of  museums.  The  first  is  the  Tz’u-chou  ceramic 
ware  of  the  Chihli  province,  which  is  decorated  in  shades 
of  brown,  and  like  the  peculiar  class  of  Satsuma  known 
as  Sunkoroku,”  to  which  reference  will  presently  be 
made.  The  second  is  the  ivory-white  porcelain  of  the 
province  of  Fuchien.  Ten  pieces  of  so-called  Korean 
ivory-white  porcelain  were  exhibited  at  the  Boston 
Museum  of  Arts  in  1884.  Captain  Brinkley  says,  in 
regard  to  this  ivory-white  porcelain,  that  ^4t  is  often 
exceedingly  difficult  to  distinguish  it  from  Chinese  ware, 
and,  indeed,  the  question  is  still  open  whether  the 
so-called  Korean  ivory-white  is  not  porcelain  of  Chinese 
manufacture,  which  found  its  way  to  Japan  through 
Korea.  Japanese  experts  maintain  obstinately  that  such 
is  not  the  case.  They  profess  to  recognize  without 
difficulty  a difference  between  the  Chinese  and  Korean 
paste,  and  by  way  of  historical  confirmation  adduce 
the  authenticated  fact  that  from  the  time  of  her  inva- 
sion by  Taiko’s  armies  (1596),  and  the  consequent  paral- 
ysis of  all  her  art  industries,  Korea  entirely  ceased  to 
send  Japan  any  specimens  of  the  beautiful  ivory-white 
porcelain,  though  its  great  value  to  the  latter  country,  as 
well  as  Korea’s  intimate  relations  with  China,  rendered 
such  a traffic  more  than  ever  probable.” 

There  is  also  an  ancient  brown  stoneware  attributed 
to  Korea  coated  with  a thick  crackled  glaze  resembling 
very  closely  the  old  Chinese  crackle  of  the  Yuan  dy- 
nasty (1280-1367),  which  has  been  illustrated  in  Fig.  3. 

The  only  certain  information  that  we  have  about  old 
Korean  porcelain  is  derived  from  Chinese  sources.  The 


KOEEA. 


679 


first  Chinese  author  who  alludes  to  it  at  any  length  is 
Hsii  Ching,  who  wrote  the  Hsuan-ho  feng  shih  Kao-li 
tou  ching, ^ an  illustrated  description  of  the  country, 
customs,  and  institutions  of  Korea  {Kao-1'1),  in  forty 
books,  after  his  return  from  a mission  to  the  country  on 
the  occasion  of  an  accession  of  a new  kiag,  in  1125. 
The  maps  and  illustrations  which  originally  accompanied 
the  manuscript  were  unfortunately  lost  before  the  book 
was  printed  for  the  first  time,  in  the  year  1167.  The 
following  is  a literal  translation  of  his  notes  upon  the 
subject : 

‘‘  There  is  a ceramic  ware  made  in  Korea  of  green  color,  which 
is  called  by  the  natives  of  the  country  ‘kingfisher  green.’  In  these 
latter  years  the  pieces  have  been  more  skillfully  fashioned,  and  the 
color  of  the  glaze  lias  also  been  much  improved.  There  are  wine- 
pots  {chiu  tsun)  molded  in  the  shape  of  melons,  with  small  lids  at 
the  top  surmounted  by  ducks  squatting  in  the  midst  of  lotus- 
flowers.  The  Koreans  are  clever  also  in  the  making  of  bowls  and 
dishes  [ican,  tieh)^  wine-cups  and  teacups  {pei,  ou),  flower  vases 
{hxia  pHxig),  and  hot-water  vessels  for  tea-drinkers  {fang  chaxi)^ 
which  are  all,  generally  speaking,  copied  from  the  forms  of  the 
Ting-chou  wares  (of  China),  so  that  I need  only  allude  to  tliem  and 
not  illustrate  them  by  figures,  only  giving  the  wine-pots,  as  being 
of  novel  and  original  design. 

“ In  Korea  the  table  vessels  used  at  entertainments  for  eating 
and  drinking  are  usually  made  of  gilded  metal  or  of  silver,  although 
they  esteem  green  porcelain  ware  more  highly  than  either  of  these 
two  materials.  They  have  incense-burners  {hslang  lu)  shaped  like 
lions,  which  are  also  of  ‘ kingfisher  green  ’ color,  the  four-footed 
monster  being  represented  seated  upon  a lotus  leaf  with  tilted 
margin,  which  forms  the  stand  of  the  urn.  This  is  one  of  the 
most  ingenious  and  striking  of  their  ceramic  designs;  the  other 
forms  are  for  the  most  part  modeled  after  the  shapes  of  the  ancient 
imperial  porcelain  of  Yueh-chou,  or  from  the  modern  productions 
of  the  kilns  of  Ju-chou. 

“ The  pottery  made  by  the  Koreans  includes  also  large  water-jars 
{w^ng)^  with  Inroad  bellies  and  contracted  necks  ending  in  very 

*See  Notes  on  Chinese  Literature,  by  A.  Wylie,  loc.  cit.,  p.  46. 


680 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


small  mouths,  which  are  as  much  as  six  feet  high  and  four  and  a 
lialf  feet  in  diameter,  and  hold  between  fifty  and  one  hundred 
gallons  of  water  each.  These  are  used  for  storing  water  on  the 
boats  passing  upon  the  sea  between  islands  when  water  is  difiicult 
to  procure,  so  as  to  carry  on  board  a sufficient  supply.” 

The  term  kingfisher  green,”  used  here,  is  intended  to 
indicate  the  light  blue-green  tint  of  the  plumes  of  the 
kingfishei*’s  feathers,  which  are  much  used  in  the  East 
for  inlaying  gold  and  silver  ornaments  of  jewelry.  The 
clear  emerald-green  color  of  jadeite,  which  is  so  highly 
prized  by  the  Chinese,  has  earned  for  it  a similar  title  of 
“ kingfisher  stone  ” 

In  ceramic  parlance  the  term  indicates  the  translu- 
cent emerald-green  hue  of  the  old  celadon  glazes,  which 
approach  sometimes  an  olive  tint.  The  color  was  ob- 
tained in  China  by  the  mixture  of  an  iron  mineral 
with  the  ordinary  white  glaze  of  the  grand  feUj  dark- 
ened by  the  addition  of  a variable  proportion  of  the 
cobaltiferous  ore  of  manganese,  and  the  term  was 
adopted  to  distinguish  the  new  color  from  the  deeper 
camellia-leaf  green  of  the  older  wares,  which  was  derived 
from  copper.  The  most  ancient  Korean  porcelain  of 
wliich  we  have  any  certain  knowledge  is  really  a 
celadon  monochrome  of  the  characteristic  tint  of  this 
beautiful  variety  of  jadeite.  A pair  of  bowls  of  this 
kind  were  presented  by  the  King  of  Korea  to  President 
Carnot,  of  France,  as  ‘‘the  most  valuable  of  the  ancient 
productions  of ' Ins  poor  country,”  and  are  now  pre- 
served in  the  museum  at  Sevres.  There  is  a similar 
bowl,  gadrooned  below  Avith  a border  of  lotus-petal 
design,  in  the  Dana  collection  at  Ncav  York,  Avhich  Avas, 
I believe,  originally  given  by  the  King  of  Korea  as  a 
present  to  an  American  physician  Avho  had  been  con- 
sulted b}^  him. 

The  next  notice  of  Korean  ceramic  ware  is  in  the  Ko 


KOEEA. 


681 


Tcu  yao  lun^  the  well-known  book  on  objects  of  art  by 
Ts’ao  chao,  published  in  1387,  which  has  been  so  often 
quoted.  The  short  paragraph  on  “ Korean  Ceramic 
Manufacture”  {Kao-li  Yao),  in  Book  VII,  folio  22,  says  : 

“ Tlie  ceramic  objects  produced  in  the  aiicient  Korean  kilns  were 
of  a grayish -green  color  resembling  that  of  the  celadon  ware  of 
Lung-ch’iian  (in  China).  Tliere  was  one  kind  overlaid  with  white 
sprays  of  flowers,  but  this  was  not  valued  so  very  highly.” 

These  are  the  conclusions  of  a Chinese  connoisseur  of 
the  fourteenth  century.  The  second  class  which  he 
refers  to  is  a faience  inlaid  with  encaustic  designs  in 
white  clay,  like  the  so-called  Henri  Deux  faience  in 
Europe,  and  it  was,  on  the  contrary,  most  highly  valued 
in  Japan,  and  formed  the  model  of  some  of  the  early 
Japanese  manufactures,  like  the  Yatsushiro  faience  of 
the  province  of  Higo,  which  was  decorated  with  storks 
hying  among  clouds,  in  the  Korean  style,  or  witli  sinq)le 
combinations  of  lines ' and  diapers,  the  designs  being 
traced  in  the  paste  and  filled  in  with  white  clay  befoi*e 
glazing.  A typical  vase  of  ancient  Korean  woi*k  of  this 
kind  is  illustrated  in  Plate  CXVI.  The  decoration  was 
occasionally  varied  by  the  execution  of  a portion  of  the 
encaustic  designs  in  black. 

The  vogue  attained  in  Japan  by  the  tea  cei'emonies 
known  as  the  cha-no-yu  under  the  Ashikaga  Shoguns 
was  the  chief  cause  of  the  great  popularity  of  Koi*ean 
pottery  in  that  country.  The  first  fixed  rules  foi‘  the 
cult  seem  to  have  been  made  under  the  pati'onage  of  the 
Shogun  Yoshimasa  (1443-73),  after  he  had  retii'cd  to 
private  life  in  this  last  year.  The  famous  Taiko  Hide- 
yoshi  in  1594  appointed  Sen-no-Rikyu,  a celebrated  vir- 
tuoso, to  revise  the  old  statutes  of  the  cult,  and  the 
elaborate  code  of  etiquette  drawn  up  by  him  has  hardly 
been  varied  since  his  day.  Up  to  this  time  utensils  of 


682 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


Korean  pottery  had  been  preferred  to  any  others  for  the 
tea  ceremonial,  and  the  Korean  experts  of  the  craft  who 
were  brought  over  to  Japan  at  the  end  of  the  sixteenth 
century,  after  the  expedition  to  Korea  in  1592-96,  intro- 
duced their  technique  into  several  of  the  Japanese  manu- 
factories. Nearly  all  Japan’s  chief  potteries  are  said  to 
have  dated  from  that  time,  her  teachers  in  the  art  of 
porcelain-making  being  Korean  captives.  In  the  follow- 
ing century  a number  of  Korean  potters  settled  at  Yatsu- 
shiro,  in  the  province  of  Higo,  and  the  Japanese  pottery 
produced  there  still  preserves  unmistakable  character- 
istics of  its  Korean  origin,  the  fine  reddish  pate  being 
enameled  with  a diaphanous,  pearl-gray  glaze,  uniform, 
lustrous,  and  finely  crackled,  overlying  encaustic  decora- 
ation  in  white  slip. 

One  class  of  Korean  tea-bowls  is  knowm  to  the  Japa- 
nese by  the  name  of  Mishima  ware,  because  the  formal 
lines  of  its  decoration  resemble  at  a distance  the  printed 
columns  of  the  almanac  which  is  issued  from  a famous 
temple  at  Mishima  on  the  Tokaido,  the  great  route  from 
Kioto  to  Yedo.  There  is  a Mishima  basin  in  the  Franks 
collection  in  the  British  Museum,  which  was  sent  from 
Japan  as  Korean,  but  is  considered  by  the  learned 
curator  to  be  more  probably  a production  of  the  Yatsu- 
shiro  kiln,  and  is  described  by  him  as  follows : 

“ Basin.  Gray  glazed  Japanese  stoneware,  with  engraved  de- 
signs, filled  in  with  white  clay.  Inside,  a chrysanthemum  sur- 
rounded by  similar  flowers;  and  inside  and  out,  borders  of  zigzag 
pattern  with  hatched  lines.  Mishima  ware.  Diameter,  five  and  a 
half  inches.  No.  1185.” 

The  shallow  bowl  illustrated  in  Fig.  380  (1),  which  is 
of  the  same  diameter  as  the  above,  was  also  sent  from 
Japan  as  an  example  of  Korean  Mishima  ware,  but  is  pro- 
nounced by  Mr.  H.  Shugio  to  be  a Japanese  reproduction 


KOREA. 


683 


of  the  old  Korean  style,  judging  from  the  peculiarities 
of  the  pate.  This  is  of  dark  reddish-gray  color,  and  is 
enameled  with  a white  glaze  of  soft  aspect,  decorated  in 
geometrical  patterns  with  formal  bands  of  vertical  lines 
and  encircling  rings  of  diaper,  which  are  lightly  etched 
with  a graving-tool,  and  filled  in  with  black. 

Among  the  other  ancient  Korean  bowls  in  the  collec- 
tion is  the  one  illustrated  in  Fig.  382„  which  is  of 
rounded  conical  shape  with  upright  edge,  and  has  a solid 
circular  rim  round  the  foot.  It  is  coated  with  a smooth 
celadon  glaze  of  buff  tone,  sparsely  crackled,  and  is 
roughly  scored  in  the  paste  underneath  with  ornamental 
lines  both  outside  and  inside,  the  pattern  in  the  interior 
simulating  a flower.  The  foot,  and  a portion  of  the 
exterior  surface,  where  the  glaze  does  not  reach  the 
bottom,  show  a light-red  paste,  which  is  roughened  in 
crepe-like  fashion.  The  bowl,  broken  into  fragments, 
has  been  pieced  together  and  cemented  with  gold  lac- 
quer in  Japan. 

In  former  times  it  Avas  the  custom  in  Korea,  as  well  as 
in  China,  to  bury  pottery  with  the  dead,  the  pottery 
vessels  employed  for  the  purpose  being  a flask  filled  with 
wine  and  a set  of  bowls  containing  a provision  of  cooked 
millet  and  rice.  In  more  recent  times  it  has  been  cus- 
tomary in  both  countries  to  place  the  funeral  meats  upon 
an  altar  above  the  grave.  It  is  a capital  offense  for  a 
Korean  to  dig  up  this  pottery,  but  specimens  occasionally 
find  their  Avay  into  collections,  notwithstanding. 

The  bowl  illustrated  in  Fig.  380  (2),  for  example,  was 
brought  from  Seul,  the  capital  of  Korea,  by  Mr.  Walter 
C.  Hillier,  H.  B.  M.  consul-general  in  Korea,  together 
with  a small  saucer-dish  of  Korean  ivory-Avhite  Avare  dug 
up  from  an  old  grave.  It  is  of  archaic  conical  shape,  tAvo 
inches  high,  five  and  a half  inches  in  diameter,  composed 
of  a hard  pale-colored  faience,  coated  Avich  a thin  yel- 


684 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


lowish  glaze  thickly  flecked  with  darker  spots.  The 
foot,  unglazed,  exhibits  many  glistening  points  of  mica,, 
marks  of  an  imperfectly  triturated  clay. 

There  is  no  mention  of  Korean  pottery,  so  far  as  I 
know,  by  any  more  modern  Chinese  writer,  and,  in  truths 
the  ceramic  productions  of  the  present  time  seem  to  be 
hardly  worthy  of  notice,  being  of  the  crudest  kind  pos- 
sible, and  quite  devoid  of  any  artistic  interest.  The  few 
authentic  specimens  in  the  museum  at  Leyden  and  The 
Hague  are  of  the  most  common  description,  and  all  recent 
travelers  confirm  the  accounts  of  M.  Billequin,  who  col- 
lected some  pieces  at  Peking  for  the  museum  at  Sevres,, 
and  recorded  his  experiences  in  the  Gazette  des  Beaux- 
1877,  page  230.  Japan  certainly  owes  many  of  the 
technical  methods  of  the  different  varieties  of  the  old 
Satsuma  faience  to  Korea,  and  Korean  potters  were  the 
first  instructors  in  the  early  23roductions  of  most  of  its 
porcelain  kilns,  but  the  stroke  of  genius  which  converted 
a manual  handicraft  into  a new  branch  of  art  was  due 
entirely  to  the  innate  artistic  faculty  of  the  Japanese 
themselves.  There  is  no  evidence  of  anything  of  the 
kind  in  Korea. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


CERAMIC  ART  OF  JAPAN. 

Introduction.  Bibliography.  Table  of  the  principal  centers  of 
the  ceramic  industiy.  , 

IT  is  with  some  diffidence  that  I approach  the  subject 
of  the  ceramic  art  of  Japan,  not  being  so  intimately 
acquainted  with  it  as  with  that  of  China,  and  having, 
moreover,  a very  superficial  knowledge  of  the  language 
and  literature.  I have  been  fortunate  in  having  had  the 
opportunity  of  referring  any  doubtful  points  as  to  the 
date  of  a piece,  or  its  origin,  to  Mr.  Henry  Walters  and 
to  Mr.  Shugio.  At  the  outset  I acknowledge  my 
indebtedness  to  them.  Much  more  has  been  written  in 
Eui'ope  upon  Japanese  porcelain  and  pottery  than  upon 
Chinese,  and  the  former  is,  consequently,  far  better  and 
more  generally  known,  so  that  a lengthy  disquisition  is 
not  necessary  here,  even  did  space  allow.  There  are 
several  books,  both  English  and  French,  available  for 
further  reference. 

The  early  relations  of  Chinese  and  Japanese  ceramics 
have  already  been  alluded  to,  and  it  has  been  shown  how 
the  Japanese  acknowledge  their  debt  to  China  at  eveiy 
step.  Chinese  is  the  classical  language  of  the  Japanese, 
and  many  of  the  technical  books  of  the  latter  are  written 
almost  entirely  in  the  Chinese  script,  only  the  order  of 
the  characters  being  changed,  in  obedience  to  the  new 
construction  and  grammar  of  a different  language.  Most 
of  the  ceramic  terms  have  been  adopted  directly  from 
those  current  in  China,  and  are  employed  in  the  same 
sense,  differing  only  in  pronunciation  ; a few  have  be- 

685 


686 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


come  obsolete,  being  used  only  in  books,  and  being 
replaced  in  ordinary  parlance  by  colloquial  equivalents. 
This  last  is  the  case  with  the  Chinese  porcelain,” 

which  occurs  constantly  in  the  text  of  Ninagawa  Nori- 
tane’s  work,  and  is  used  by  him  to  include  the  ancient 
fine  white  kaolinic  potteries  coated  with  camellia-leaf 
green  and  ash-colored  glazes,  of  which  he  figures  two 
fragments,  in  the  same  way  as  it  is  by  the  Chinese, 
although  we  should  question  the  right  of  such  wares  to 
be  called  porcelain,”  on  account  of  their  want  of  trans- 
lucence.  It  survives  also  in  the  Japanese  name  of 
celadon  porcelain,  which  has  always  been  highly  es- 
teemed by  them  under  the  name  of  according  to 

their  peculiar  pronunciation  of  the  Chinese  cTiHng  tz'Uy 
literally  ‘‘  green  porcelain.”  The  ordinary  term  for  porce- 
lain in  Japan  is  SetomonOj  Seto-ware,”  Seto  being  the 
place  in  the  province  of  Owari  where  the  first  fine  glazed 
pottery  was  made  after  a Chinese  model,  in  the  thirteenth 
century  of  our  era,  and  the  term  is  now  used  in  Japan  in 
the  same  way  as  chinaware  or  china  is  commonly  used 
by  us. 

The  classical  term  for  pottery  ” in  its  widest  sense  is 
tdhi^  the  Chinese  fao-chH  [t’ao-k’i],  which  comprises  in 

* With  regard  to  the  pronunciation  of  Japanese  letters,  in  the  system  of 
orthography  which  has  been  generally  followed  here,  the  vowels  are  to  be  pro- 
nounced as  in  Italian,  the  consonants  as  in  English:  e.  g.,  a as  in  father;  e as 
in  prey;  i as  in  machine;  o as  in  no;  as  in  rule;  when  a horizontal  line  is 
over  o ov  u the  sound  is  prolonged;  diphthongs  are  ai,  as  in  aisle;  au,  with  the 
sound  of  ow  in  now.  Care  must  be  taken  to  pronounce  the  vowels  separately; 
in  cha-ire,  “ tea-jar,”  the  second  word  is  read  ee-ray,  and  is  consequently  some- 
times written  ire\  in  Ninsei,  the  name  of  the  celebrated  Kyoto  potter,  the 
second  syllable,  pronounced  say-ee,  may  be  written  set.  N at  the  end  of  a 
word  has  the  sound  of  final  n in  French;  in  the  middle,  when  followed  by  b, 
m,  or  p,  it  is  w;  and  t,  in  combination,  is  d.  Consonants  often  become  soft, 
chi  or  shi  becoming  ji\  ho,  bo;  tsu,  dzu;  su,  zu;  ku,  gu,  etc.  The  native 
dialectal  variations  and  the  different  orthographical  systems  of  foreigners  make 
consistency  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  and  the  efforts  of  the  Romajikwai,  a 
society  founded  in  Japan  for  the  purpose  of  securing  a uniform  system  of 
transliteration,  have  not  yet  met  with  the  success  they  deserve. 


CERAMIC  ART  IN  JAPAN. 


687 


Japan,  as  it  does  in  China,  all  kinds  of  ceramic  ware, 
common  earthenware  (Japanese  tsucliiyahi),  and  the  dif- 
ferent varieties  of  stoneware  (Japanese  isJiiyald)^  as  well 
as  true  porcelain.  Yahi  means  ‘‘baked,”  and  yahimono^ 
“ baked  ware,”  is  more  commonly  used  in  Japan  as  the 
general  term  for  pottery,  including  all  kinds  of  ware 
fired  in  a kiln.  The  productions  of  the  province  of 
Hizen,  for  instance,  are  grouped  under  the  term  Imari- 
yaki\  those  of  Kyoto  are  known  as  Kyo-yaki^  and  the 
fine  faience  of  the  province  of  Satsuma,  Satsuma-yahij  is 
so  called,  as  well  as  the  worse  stoneware  of  the  province 
of  Bizen,  Bizen-yaki  or  Imhe-yaki.  In  this  sense  “ yaki  ” 
generally  takes  the  place  of  the  Chinese  yao^  although 
the  latter  character  occasionally  occurs  among  Japanese 
marks  upon  porcelain  in  the  compound  kwan-ko  (Chinese 
kuan-yao)j  “imperial  ware,”  and  kin-ko  (Chinese  cJiin- 
yao)^  “brocaded  porcelain,”  as  it  does  also,  rarely,  in 
its  primitive  sense  of  “ kiln  ” in  the  potter’s  mark  of 
Fu-ji-yo^^  i.  e.,  “Matchless  Kiln.”  The  Japanese  name 
of  the  brocaded  silk  that  has  just  been  referred  to  under 
the  name  of  chin  is  nisliiki^  and  this  is  given,  by  an 
analogy,  to  porcelain  decorated  in  enamel  colors,  which 
is,  however,  known  also  as  go-sai^  the  equivalent  of 
wu-ts^ai^  “five-colored,”  the  technical  Chinese  name. 
“ Blue  and  white  ” is  commonly  known  in  Japan  as 
sometsuke,  which  means  simply  “ figured  ” ; “ crackled 
porcelain  ” is  called  hibiyaki^  “ hibi  ” being  the  equiva- 
lent of  the  Chinese  wen^  “ a crack  in  crockery.” 

The  cei*amic  wares  of  Japan  exhibit  great  differences 
in  their  composition,  texture,  and  appearance,  but  may 
be  roughly  classed  under  three  principal  heads : 1.  Com- 
mon pottery  and  stoneware,  coarse  or  fine,  ornamented 
by  engraving  the  sui’face,  inlaying  with  colored  clays, 
and  coating  it  with  glazes.  2.  A cream-colored  faience, 

* See  the  Franks  Catalogue,  loc.  cit.,  Japanese  marks,  Plate  XIV,  Fig.  175. 


688 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


with  a glaze,  often  crackled,  and  delicately  painted  in 
enamel  colors.  3.  Hard  porcelain. 

To  the  first  of  these  classes  belong  the  wares  of  Bizen 
and  Takatori,  old  Seto,  Shigaraki,  and  other  small 
fabrics,  and  it  includes  the  Baku  wares  of  Kyoto.  The 
texture  varies  from  that  of  the  ancient  wares  of 
Shigaraki  and  Iga,  which  are  fashioned  in  an  earth 
almost  as  coarse  as  fine  gravel,  to  that  of  the  Banko- 
yaki,  made  in  the  province  of  Ise,  which  has  been  com- 
pared to  Wedgwood,  the  material  being  a fine  brown 
clay  of  remarkable  toughness,  so  that  it  can  be  molded 
into  extremely  light  and  thin  forms.  The  Baku  ware  of 
Kyoto  is  somewhat  soft  and  tender,  while  the  products 
of  the  Bizen  province  have  an  almost  metallic  hardness. 
The  Japanese  take  advantage  of  the  different  qualities 
of  the  paste  in  the  fabrication  of  objects  according  to 
the  use  to  which  they  are  intended  to  be  put.  The  soft 
paste  of  the  Baku  bowls  makes  them  feeble  conductors 
of  heat,  so  that  they  are  preferred  by  the  votaries  of  the 
Cha-no-yu  to  bowls  of  porcelain  or  any  other  material,  as 
they  retain  the  heat  in  the  tea  for  a longer  period,, 
and,  moreover,  do  not  burn  the  hands,  as  they  are 
clasped  in  both  palms  when  the  tea  is  sipped  in  the 
orthodox  way.  The  remarkable  hardness  and  refractory 
quality  of  the  Bizen  stoneware  make  it  especially  suit- 
able for  incense-burners,  hand  braziers,  and  charcoal 
stoves,  and  its  fineness  and  toughness  render  it  a good 
medium  for  modeling,  to  which  use  it  has  been  put  with 
great  success,  so  that  in  the  pottery  of  Bizen  are  to 
be  found  the  choicest  mastei-pieces  of  Japanese  plastic 
skill. 

The  principal  factories  of  the  second  class  are  those 
of  Satsuma  and  Awata,  and  the  more  modern  establish- 
ments at  Ota,  near  Yokohama,  and  elsewhere,  where  the 
recent  imitations  of  the  Satsuma  ware  are  produced. 


CERAMIC  ART  IN  JAPAN. 


689 


Both  the  Satsuma  and  the  Awata  wares,  the  latter  of 
which  are  made  in  one  of  the  suburbs  of  Kyoto,  are 
made  of  a kind  of  porcelain  clay  of  very  refractory 
nature,  which  does  not  undergo  a partial  fusion  like  the 
genuine  porcelain  mixture,  or,  at  any  rate,  not  to  the 
same  degree.  The  glaze  is  composed  of  feldspathic 
materials  and  lixiviated  wood-ash,  without  any  addition 
of  lead  or  borax ; when  cooled  it  is  always  crackled  with 
a fine  network  of  superficial  lines.  The  final  simul- 
taneous baking  of  the  body  and  the  glaze  takes  place 
in  a temperature  much  higher  than  that  to  which  the 
so-called  biscuit  is  submitted  in  the  preliminary  firing. 
The  soft-looking  glaze  of  ivory-white  tone  forms  an 
admirable  background  for  the  decoration  in  enamel 
colors,  which  is  painted  on  subsequently  and  fixed  by 
a third  firing  in  the  muffle  stove.  This  last  is  an  easy 
process,  so  that  Satsuma  ware  is  often  imported  in  a plain 
state,  to  be  painted  by  artists  in  the  ateliers  of  Kyoto  or 
Tokio.  , The  Awata  w^are  is  distinguished  from  the 
slightly  buff-colored  Satsuma  ware  by  a more  marked 
yellow  tint,  which  has  earned  for  it  the  name  of  ta- 
mago-yaki^  or  egg  pottery.”  The  material  of  both 
these  wares  may  be  considered  to  be  a kind  of  semi- 
porcelain. 

The  third  class  comprises  the  true  porcelain  wares,  of 
which  the  coarsest  are  included  in  the  productions  of 
Kutani  and  Awaji,  while  the  most  celebrated  fabrics  are 
in  the  province  of  Hizen,  at  Seto  in  Owari,  and  Kiyo- 
midzu  near  Kyoto.  A full  and  detailed  account  of  the 
materials  and  technique  is  given  in  the  second  part  of 
Le  Japon  a V Exposition  Universelle  de  1878,  published 
at  Paris  under  the  authority  of  the  Imperial  Japanese 
Commission,  which  has  been  reprinted  in  Japan  under 
the  title  I^es  Laques  et  La  Ceramique  du  Japon,  Yoko- 
hama, 1879.  The  processes,  in  the  main,  are  very  similar 


690 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


to  those  followed  in  China,  with  the  exception  of  the 
preliminary  firing  at  a low  temperature  to  which 
Japanese  porcelain  is  submitted  before  it  is  . either 
painted  or  glazed,  which  is  often  conducted  in  an 
ordinary  malt  oven.  The  clays  are  evidently  less 
tenacious  than  the  ordinary  Chinese  kaolins  of  Ching- 
te-chen,  hence  Japanese  specimens  are  frequently 
slightly  out  of  shape,  and  they  seem  to  require 
numerous  supports  in  the  kiln,  w^hich  have  left  the 
scars  on  the  glaze  known  as  spurmarks,”  which  are 
rarely  found  on  Chinese  pieces. 

One  of  the  chief  charms  of  Japanese  pottery  consists 
in  the  simplicity  and  marked  originality  of  the  old  potter, 
who  was  not  content  with  a slavish  imitation  of  the 
Korean  or  Chinese  model  on  which  the  technique  of  his 
art  was  professedly  based,  but  always  succeeded  in 
imparting  a peculiar  cachet  to  his  productions,  which  are 
not  to  be  confounded  with  their  prototypes.  He  was 
truly,  in  his  palmiest  days,  an  artist-potter,  and  not 
a mere  machine  working  for  the  glorification  of  his 
brother  of  the  brush.  This  is  shown  in  the  pleasing 
quaintness  of  form  in  which  he  fashioned  the  pieces 
intended  for  the  personal  use  of  his  daimyo  patron, 
and  in  the  loving  care  which  he  devoted  to  their 
finish,  rude  as  they  look  at  first  sight  to  an  un- 
trained eye.  The  Japanese  artist  is  not  ashamed  of 
his  hands  or  his  tools,  and  just  as  he  delights  to 
show  the  marks  of  the  brush  in  a rapid  sketch  or 
a line  of  bold  calligraphy,  so  does  he  prefer  to  re- 
tain the  natural  prints  of  the  fingers  impressed  on 
the  soft  clay  as  the  piece  is  being  molded,  or  even 
to  accentuate  the  marks  of  the  spatula  with  which 
it  is  being  roughly  shaped  and  decorated.  The  simpler 
the  decoration  of  this  rustic  pottery  the  bettei’,  and  the 
greatest  triumph  of  the  artist  is  to  suggest  a pine  wood 


CERAMIC  ART  IN  JAPAN. 


691 


on  the  seashore  or  a silhouette  of  the  sacred  volcano  of 
Fujisan  (Fuji-no-yama),  in  a single  curved  line.  As 
a people,  the  Japanese  are  singularly  free  from  ostenta- 
tion, and  their  homes  exhibit  a simplicity  and  refinement 
in  all  their  surroundings  which  render  them  unique. 
They  are  devoted  admirers  of  Nature’s  art.  As  in 
woodwork  the  ornamental  value  of  the  natural  grain  or 
the  rugosities  of  the  bark  are  considered  of  such  high 
interest  that  remarkable  specimens  are  accorded  the 
most  honorable  place  in  the  house ; as  in  metal-work  the 
natural  patina  is  looked  upon  as  its  chief  beauty  ; so  in 
earthenware  the  earthiness  of  earth  has  to  them  a charm 
which  should  not  be  hidden,  but  developed  by  the  work 
of  the  artist.  The  art  of  it  lies  in  the  eloquence  it  dis- 
plays of  its  earthy  nature,  just  as  the  art  of  old  Vene- 
tian glass  lies  in  the  witness  it  bears  of  its  vitreous 
nature. 

I am  following  here  the  argument  of  Mr.  Charles 
Holme,  the  author  of  the  sympathetic  chapter  on 
Pottery  and  Porcelain^  in  the  excellent  work  on  Japan 
and  its  Art  by  Mr.  M.  B.  Huish,  the  well-known 
editor  of  The  Art  Journal^  in  which  periodical  the 
articles  first  appeared  that  are  now  collected  into 
a small  volume  that  ought  to  be  in  the  hands  of 
every  student  of  the  subject.  Mr.  Holme  speaks 
with  some  authority,  having  devoted  much  time  to 
the  question  both  in  England  and  in  Japan,  and  from 
the  producer’s  as  well  as  the  artistic  point  of  view. 
He  is  defending  the  simple  taste  of  the  native  school 
of  connoisseurs  and  of  those  who  follow  them  against 
the  views  of  the  European  collectors,  who  reserve  their 
highest  admiration  for  such  examples  of  the  ceramic 
as  display  a more  florid  and  elaborate  style  of  decoration 
painted  in  rich  colors  with  a profuse  use  of  gold  and 
silver. 


692 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART, 


Mr.  Holme’s  account  of  the  colored  glazes  used  in 
decoration  may  also  be  quoted  with  advantage : 

“ Toshiro,  a Japanese  potter  of  the  early  thirteenth  century,  made 
a special  visit  to  China  to  perfect  himself  in  his  art,  and  on  his  return 
to  his  native  town  of  Seto,  in  Owari,  he  introduced  great  improve- 
ment in  the  character  of  the  wares  made  there.  Although  the 
glazing  of  pottery  may  have  been  practiced  in  Japan  at  a much 
earlier  date  than  the  time  of  Toshiro,  there  is  no  doubt  that  it  was 
owing  to  his  exertions  tliat  a gi'eat  impetus  was  given  to  the  art. 
He  not  only  improved  tlie  quality  of  vitreous  enamels,  but  he 
introduced  new  and  artistic  methods  of  their  application.  From 
his  time  onward  great  attention  was  paid  to  this  branch  of  the 
potter’s  art,  of  which  it  soon  became  one  of  the  most  important  and 
interesting  features.  To  know  something  of  Japanese  glazes  is  to 
be  familiar  with  the  soft  greenish  grays  of  the  Sanda  Seiji  ware,  the 
dull  leaden  blue  or  the  metallic  sheen  of  the  brown  glaze  of  Bizen, 
iridescent  blacks,  reds,  browns,  and  bottle-gi’eens  of  the  Raku  wares, 
the  lustrous  yellow-brown  of  Old,  the  splashed  Oribe  wares,  the 
thick  opaque  overglazes  of  Shigaraki,  the  delicate  grays  and  salmon 
shades  of  Hagi,  the  heavy  brown  and  yellow  glazes  of  Tarnba,  or 
the  speckled  grays  and  browns  of  Soma.  These  and  many  others 
of  like  interest  and  beauty,  as  they  are  better  known  and  their 
characteristics  better  understood,  have  an  ever-increasing  charm  to 
the  earnest  and  sympathetic  student,  who  soon  ceases  to  wonder, 
as  perchance  he  may  at  first  have  done,  at  the  artistic  value  in  which 
they  are  held  by  the  Japanese  connoisseur.” 


There  has  been  much  discussion  as  to  whether  the  rus- 
tic simplicity  of  the  Japanese  pottery  was  due  to  the 
innate  taste  of  the  people  or  to  the  artificial  cult  of  the 
Cha-no-yu  affected  by  the  feudal  nobles,  who  were 
tlie  special  patrons  of  the  industry  in  its  early  days.  In 
tliese  discussions  it  has  been  usual  to  assume  that  the 
tea  clubs  were  a peculiar  institution  of  Japan.  But  we 
have  seen  that  the  cult  was  practiced  in  all  its  details 
in  China,  and  that  there  are  illustrated  books  on  the 

Japan  and  its  Art.  By  Marcus  B.  Huish,  LL.  B.  Second  edition. 
London,  1892.  Chapter  XIV,  p.  230. 


CEE  A MIC  ART  IN  JAPAN. 


693 


subject  dating  from  the  early  part  of  the  Sung  dynasty 
(960-1279),  with  pictures  of  the  apparatus,  and  a full 
account  of  the  proceedings  at  the  competitive  tea  meet- 
ings at  which  the  comparative  virtues  of  decoctions 
made  from  the  powdered  leaves  of  various  brands  of 
tea,  as  well  as  of  the  fragrant  fumes  of  the  different 
kinds  of  incense  imported  from  the  shores  of  Arabia  and 
Africa,  Avere  tested  Avith  the  same  ceremonial  rules  that 
Ave  find  afterAvard  adopted  in  Japan.  Prose  authors  and 
poets  of  this  dynasty  in  China  descant  alike  on  themeiits 
of  the  speckled  black  cups  Avhich  they  liken  to  the 
plumage  of  the  gray  partridge  {Perdrix  cinered)  and  the 
leveret-streaked  ” or  hare’s-fur  ” glazes  of  the  pro- 
ductions of  the  kilns  of  Chien-chou,  which  were  dark 
brown  or  black  streaked  with  lighter  spots  of  yelloAvish 
tinge.  There  are  the  kilns  at  AAdiich  Toshiro,  the  father 
of  pottery”  in  Japan,  acquired  the  rudiments  of  the  art 
toAvard  the  close  of  the  Sung  dynasty,  and  his  produc- 
tions and  those  of  his*  immediate  successors,  figured  by 
NinagaAva  Noritane,  seem  to  be  exact  copies  of  the  Chi- 
nese originals  as  described  above.  The  archaic  shapes 
are  similar,  and  the  primitive  technique  is  the  same,  the 
Avay  in  Avhich  the  glaze  runs  doAvn  outside  and  gutters 
beloAA^,  so  as  only  partially  to  cover  the  boAvl,  leaving  the 
loAver  margin,  as  Avell  as  the  foot,  bare.  The  Japanese 
in  their  estimation  of  the  different  kinds  of  pottery  place 
the  Chinese  or  Korean  specimens  first,  and  their  OAvn 
early  reproductions  next;  the  tea- jars  and  tea-bowis  are 
Avrapped  in  padded  bags  of  silk  brocade,  inclosed  in 
lacquer  boxes  protected  by  outer  cotton  covers,  and  are 
brouglit  out  by  their  OAvners  only  on  special  occasions,  to 
be  handled  Avith  the  greatest  care. 

The  shapes  and  uses  of  Japanese  vases  are  Avell  de- 
scribed by  Sir  Wollaston  Fi'anks  in  liis  introduction  to 
the  native  report  on  Japanese  pottery  Avhich  forms  one 


694 


OEIEJSTTAL  CEEAMIC  AET. 


of  the  art  handbooks  of  the  South  Kensington  Museum. 
The  pottery  utensils  used  in  the  tea  ceremonies  are  a 
furnace,  water-vessels,  jars  to  hold  powdered  tea,  a pan 
for  ashes,  and  a tea-bowl.  The  furnace  {furo)  is  generally 
a globular  vessel  on  three  legs,  with  openings  in  the 
upper  part  to  create  a draught.  Into  this  upper  part  fit& 
the  vessel  in  which  the  water  is  boiled,  a smaller  repeti- 
tion of  the  same  form,  with  two  handles  and  a lid.  The 
water-vessels  comprise  a vase  or  pitcher  (midzu-sashi)^ 
with  a supply  of  fresh  water  for  washing  the  utensils,, 
and  a slop-basin  (rriidzu-lcohoshi)  ; they  are  usually  rudely 
made,  and  often  with  lacquer  covers.  The  tea-jars 
{cha4re)j  of  which  specimens  are  illustrated  in  Plates 
CXIV  and  CXV,  are  generally  small  oviform  vases  of 
hard  pottery,  with  no  decoration  beyond  the  mottled 
glaze,  and  with  fiat  lids  of  ivory ; they  are  all  of  small 
size,  as  the  green  tea  is  powdered  and  very  strong, 
besides  being  very  costly.  The  tea-bowl  (cha-wan^  is 
purposely  very  rudely  made,  and  varies  in  shape.  Some 
tea-bowls  are  round  shallow  dishes,  others  tall  and  nearly 
cylindrical ; the  tea  is  not  only  made  in  the  bowl,  but 
drunk  out  of  it,  and  great  care  is  taken  to  make  the 
edge  smooth  to  the  lips.  The  ash-pan  Qiorokv4)  is  a 
shallow  pan  of  unglazed  ware,  v/ith  incurved  rim.  It 
holds  the  charcoal  ashes  with  which  the  brazier  or  fur- 
nace is  partly  filled,  as  well  as  the  urn  in  which  the 
incense  is  burned. 

Incense-burning  formed  part  of  the  tea  ceremony,  and 
it  was  also  a favorite  pastime  among  the  Japanese  nobles 
of  old  times,  the  incense  game  consisting  of  guesses  of 
the  names  of  the  perfumes  that  were  being  burned,  with 
forfeits,  etc.  The  incense-boxes  (Jcdgd)  are  of  the  most 
varied  shapes,  generally  small  in  size.  The  incense- 
burner  (horo)  also  varies  considerably.  Some  incense- 
burners  are  modeled  after  old  Chinese  forms,  others 


CEEAMIC  AET  IN  JAPAN. 


695 


quaintly  fashioned  as  men,  animals,  or  birds,  like  the 
urn  of  Hirado  porcelain  illustrated  in  Plate  CX,  which 
represents  a pup  squatted  on  the  ground,  the  head  of 
which,  detached,  forms  the  cover  of  the  censer;  others 
are  intended  to  be  hung  from  the  ceiling,  like  the  old 
Imari  censer  decorated  in  red  and  gold  which  is  figured 
in  Plate  CVI.  The  lower  part  of  the  censer  is  filled 
with  fine  white  ashes,  with  a piece  of  lighted  charcoal  on 
the  top  on  which  the  tablet  of  incense  is  placed ; on  this 
account  the  old  incense-burners  in  collections  show  no 
marks  of  fire  on  the  lower  part,  although  begrimed  with 
smoke  above  and  underneath  the  lids.  They  are  used 
occasionally  as  clove-boilers  (choji-huro)  to  perfume  the 
room  with  the  aromatic  odor  of  cloves. 

A small  earthenware  hand  brazier  (shiu-ro)  is  used  for 
warming  the  hands,  which  is  usually  pear-shaped,  with 
an  aperture  in  the  side,  and  is  modeled  in  many  quaint 
forms.  A small  charcoal  burner  of  pottery  is  fitted  inside 
the  tahaku-ion  or  portable  tobacco-box,  from  which  the 
smoker  lights  his  pipe,  a miniature  jar  of  cylindrical 
shape. 

The  objects  intended  for  use  on  the  writing-table  are 
generally  fashioned  after  Chinese  models,  and  we  find 
similar  cylinders  for  holding  the  brushes,  vases  for  water 
to  dip  them  in,  brush-rests  and  ink-rests,  paper-weights 
of  varied  design,  and  small  screen  pictures  mounted  on 
stands,  miniature  water-droppers  for  the  ink-pallet,  boxes 
for  the  vermilion  used  for  seals,  small  flower- vases,  etc. 

The  flower- vases  (Jiana-iJce^  form  a large  class.  Some 
are  adapted  to  stand  upon  the  shelves  of  the  recessed 
alcove  of  the  living-room,  known  as  the  tokonoma^  others 
to  hang  against  one  of  the  pillars,  or  to  be  suspended  by 
cords  from  the  ceiling.  These  last  are  fashioned  in  all 
kinds  of  designs,  a gnarled  branch  of  a fir-tree  or  a 
jointed  section  of  bamboo,  a bunch  of  wistaria-blossom, 


696 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


an  old  pine-cone,  a gourd,  a firefly,  or  a swallow  beating 
against  tbe  wall.  Among  ornamental  pieces  (okimono) 
made  by  the  artist  potters  there  is  another  long  series  of 
figures  of  men  and  animals  and  other  forms  generally 
taken  from  Nature. 

Teapots  and  cups  for  ordinary  tea-drinking,  sake  ket- 
tles, bottles,  and  cups,  water-bottles,  and  other  domestic 
articles,  were  also  made  by  celebrated  artist  potters  ; but, 
as  a rule,  such  articles  as  these,  being  for  general  use, 
have  been  produced  in  the  way  of  trade  by  less  renowned 
potters ; the  great  majority  of  domestic  utensils  for  table 
use  are  made  of  lacquered  wood. 

With  regard  to  the  multitudinous  modes  of  decoration 
of  Japanese  porcelain,  the  subject  motives  of  the  pictures, 
sacred  and  profane,  and  their  relations  to  the  art  of 
China  and  of  the  farther  west,  the  works  on  Japanese 
art  are  so  many,  and  generally  so  well  illustrated,  that  a 
short  sketch  of  the  bibliography  may  be  the  best  way  of 
directing  inquirers  to  the  available  sources  of  informa- 
tion. The  expedition  of  Commodore  Perry  in  1853, 
and  the  treaty  negotiated  by  him  on  behalf  of  the  United 
States,  opened  Japan  to  foreign  intercourse,  but  it  was 
mainly  by  means  of  the  great  international  expositions 
that  its  wealth  in  art  treasures  was  made  known  to  the 
outer  world.  The  first  collection  was  made  for  the  Lon- 
don International  Exhibition  of  1862  by  Sir  Rutherford 
Alcock,  who  was  then  British  minister  to  Japan,  the  au- 
thor of  the  Capital  of  the  Tycoon,  an  illustrated  narrative 
of  a three  years’  residence  in  Japan  (two  volumes,  1863), 
and  also  of  a small  volume  on  Japanese  art  industries.'^ 
More  comprehensive  collections  were  sent  to  Paris  in 
1867,  and  to  Vienna  in  1873,  under  the  direction  of  the 
Japanese  Government,  who  appointed  special  commis- 

* Art  and  Art  Industries  in  Jayan.  Bj  Sir  R.  Alcock,  K.  C.  B.  8vo. 
LondoQ,  1878. 


CEEAMIC  ART  IN  JAPAN. 


697 


sioners  to  represent  them.  Mr.  W.  T.  Walters  was  offi- 
cially connected  with  the  Vienna  Exposition,  and  availed 
himself  of  this  occasion  of  acquiring  an  interesting 
series  of  objects  of  Oriental  porcelain  sent  from  Persia 
by  Prince  Ehtezadesaltanet,  an  uncle  of  the  Shah,  of 
which  some  of  the  Chinese  pieces  with  Persian  mounts 
of  chased  metal  have  been  illustrated  in  these  pages. 

A still  more  important  display  of  Japanese  ceramic 
art  appeared  in  1876  at  the  Great  Centennial  Exposition 
at  Philadelphia,  and  there  is  a certain  amount  of  authen- 
tic information  on  the  ceramic  industry  to  be  gathered 
from  the  catalogue,"^'  although  the  details  are  not  so  full 
as  in  the  official  catalogue  of  the  Exposition  Vniverselle 
of  1878  at  Paris,  which  was  also  published  under  the 
direction  of  the  Imperial  Japanese  Commission,  and  to 
which  reference  has  already  been  made.  It  gives  a 
sketch  of  the  history  and  technique,  with  lists  of  the 
various  materials  with  their  Japanese  names,  that  are 
used  at  the  different  • factories,  and  is  a fund  of  exact 
knowledge.  The  display  of  Japanese  porcelain  in  the 
Chicago  Exposition  of  1893  that  was  admitted  into  the 
fine-art  section  was  chiefly  remarkable  for  showing  some 
indications  of  a recent  renaissance  in  the  art.  The  chief 
representatives  of  the  new  school,  according  to  the  offi- 
cial catalogue,  are  Seifu,  Kozan,  and  Takemoto.  Seifu 
Yohei  of  Kyoto  is  placed  in  the  very  foremost  rank  of 
Japanese  potters,  whether  of  ancient  or  modern  times,  and 
called  the  Yeiraku  of  the  Meiji  era.  His  chief  special- 
ties are  celadons,  ivory-white  and  coral,  but  he  also  pro- 
duces Jewelry  ware  showing  vitrifiable  enamels  as  pure 
and  brilliant  and  as  pei’fectly  applied  as  the  best  work 
of  former  days,  and  canary-yellow  glazes  with  reserved 


* International  Exhibition,  1876.  Official  Catalogue  of  the  Japanese  Section  and 
Notes  on  the  Industry  of  Japan.  Philadelphia  : Published  by  the  Japanese 

Commission,  1876. 


698 


OKIENTAL  CEEAMIC  ART. 


designs  in  rich  blue  of  the  K'^ang-Jisi  type.  Miyakawa 
Kozan,  better  known  as  Maknzu,  has  his  kiln  at  Ota,  in 
the  suburbs  of  Yokohama,  and  there  is  hardly  anything 
in  old  Chinese  ware  that  he  can  not  reproduce.  The 
astute  Chinese  dealer  is  said  to  inclose  Kozan’s  peach- 
blooms,  for  example,  in  the  traditional  silk-lined  box  of 
his  countiy,  and  to  sell  them  to  trustful  Occidentals* 
at  figures  commensurate  with  the  magnitude  of  the 
deception.  The  greatest  success  of  the  third  potter^ 
Takemoto  Hayata,  a resident  of  Tokyo,  is  declared  to 
have  been  his  copies  of  the  ancient  Cliien  Yao,  of  the 
Sung  dynasty,  characterized  by  a glossy  black  glaze^, 
sometimes  showing  tints  of  raven’s- wing  green,  striated 
with  hairlike  lines  of  silver  and  dappled  with  golden 
brown,  which  he  mounted  with  silver  rims  in  traditional 
fashion,  but  which,  judging  from  the  description,  must 
have  far  outshone  the  originals.  In  addition  to  these 
three,  Higuchi  Haruzane  is  easily  first  among  the  Hirado 
potters  of  the  present  day.  He  is  distinguished  espe- 
cially for  his  success  in  the  Chinese  rice-grain  ” per- 
forated work  of  the  last  century. 

The  vase  which  was  exhibited  at  the  time  as  his  mas- 
terpiece is  now  in  the  Walters  Collection,  and  is  illus- 
trated in  Fig.  318.  It  is  a beaker-shaped  vase  (Jiana-ike^^ 
nine  and  a half  inches  high,  with  a bulging  body  of 
depressed  globular  form  on  a circularly  rimmed  foot,  and 
a wide  neck  spreading  in  a graceful  curve  into  a slightly 
flaring  mouth.  The  decoration  is  painted  in  three 
shades  of  underglaze  cobalt-blue  of  soft  tones,  contrast- 
ing admirably  with  the  milk-white  surface  of  the  piece, 
and  this  again  throws  out  efilectively  the  pale-green, 
waxlike  translucency  of  the  glaze  with  which  the  pierced 
designs  on  the  neck  of  the  vase  are  filled.  Three  kylin 
are  displayed  on  the  body  in  darker  and  lighter 
shades  of  blue,  drawn  in  the  traditional  Chinese  style,. 


CERAMIC  ART  IN  JAPAN. 


699 


with  the  bodies  of  deer,  unicorn  dragon  heads  and  flow- 
ing tails,  and  with  flames  proceeding  from  their  shoulders 
indicative  of  their  supernatural  origin.  A ring  of  orna- 
mental fret  encircles  the  foot  of  the  vase,  and  a band 
of  paulownia  sprays  of  conventional  design  winds  round 
the  base  of  the  neck.  The  pierced  designs  on  the  neck 
represent  two  phoenixes  coiled  in  medallions  underneath 
a fringe  of  scrolled  clouds.  The  mark  penciled  under- 
neath in  blue  in  two  columns  of  the  tiniest  characters 
reads,  Bai-hwa  do  Go  Hei  sei — i.  e.,  Made  by  Go  Hei 
of  the  Plum  Blossom  Hall.” 

To  the  Centennial  Exhibition  at  Philadelphia  we  owe 
the  representative  series  of  the  olden  ceramic  wares  of 
Japan  which  is  now  in  the  South  Kensington  Museum, 
havino;  been  transferred  at  the  close  of  the  exhibition  in 
accordance  with  an  arrangement  previously  made  with 
the  Japanese  authorities,  as  explained  in  the  catalogue  * 
which  forms  one  of  the  museum  art  handbooks.  A still 
more  valuable  selection  is  contained  in  the  special  Franks 
Collection,  which  was  first  exhibited  on  loan  for  some 
years  at  the  Bethnal  Green  Branch  Museum,  when  the 
catalogue  f which  has  been  so  often  quoted  was  issued. 
The  collection,  with  many  additions  made  since  the  pub- 
lication of  the  catalogue,  is  now  in  the  British  Museum, 
having  been  presented  by  Sir  Wollaston  Franks,  K.  C.  B., 
the  accomplished  collector  and  curator. 

The  first  large  special  work  on  the  subject  published  • 
in  Eui’ope  was  the  ponderous  and  gorgeously  illustrated 
Keramic  Art  of  Japan f in  which  the  more  ornate  vari- 
eties of  the  decorated  wares  are  reproduced  in  colors. 


* Japanese  Pottery.  Being  a Native  Report,  with  an  Introduction  and 
Catalogue,  By  A.  W.  Franks.  8vo.  London,  1880. 

f Catalogue  of  a Collection  of  Oriental  Porcelain  and  Pottery  lent  for  Exhibi- 
tion by  A.  W.  Franks.  Second  edition.  8vo.  London,  1878. 

X Keramic  Art  of  Japan.  By  G.  A.  Audsley  and  J.  L.  Bowes.  Folio,  1878, 
1879.  Imperial  8vo.  London,  1881. 


700 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


But  in  this,  as  the  authors  confess  afterward,  some 
quite  modern  works  of  Ota  ware  and  Shiba  decoration 
were  described  as  old  Satsuma,”  although  some  of  the 
errors  were  corrected  in  the  large  octavo  edition  of  the 
book  which  was  published  later.  Uniform  with  this  is 
the  volume  on  Marks  and  Seals by  one  of  the  joint 
authors  of  the  Keramic  Art^  which  is  a valuable  com- 
pilation, as  the  marks  are  given  in  exact  facsimile,, 
although  not  always  correctly  deciphered.  The  same 
industrious  author  has  also  published  a special  work  on 
Enamels^^  and,  more  recently,  another  large  illustrated 
volume  of  576  pages  on  Japanese  Pottery  J with  a de- 
tailed description  of  the  productions  of  the  different 
kilns,  followed  by  interesting  notes  on  the  chief  motives 
of  decoration. 

The  art  of  Japan  has  been  studied  with  much  success 
during  recent  years  in  America  as  well  as  in  Europe,  its 
chief  exponents  being  M.  Louis  Gonse  in  France,  Mr. 
William  Anderson  in  England,  and  Professor  Fenallosa 
in  the  United  States.  The  large  work  § of  M.  Gonse, 
which  is  a veritable  edition  de  luxe^  is  enriched  by  a 
chapter  entitled  JEtude  sur  La  Ceramique^  by  M.  J.  Bing, 
a well-known  authority  on  the  subject,  who  was  good 
enough  to  go  through  the  Walters  Collection  with  me 
one  day,  with  much  profit  to  myself.  A small  handbook 
by  M.  Gonse  was  issued  in  Paris  in  the  following  year, 
under  the  same  title  of  PArt  Japonais,  as  one  of  the 
volumes  of  the  JBihlioiheque  de  V Enseignemxnt  des  Beaux- 
Arts^  with  a section  on  La  Ceramique  which  gives  such 
an  excellent  and  succinct  view  of  the  artistic  side  of  the 

* Japanese  Marks  and  Seals.  By  J.  L.  Bowes.  London,  1882. 

f Japanese  Enamels.  By  J.  L.  Bowes,  printed  for  private  circulation,  1884, 
and  published  in  London,  1886. 

X Japanese  Pottery . With  Notes  on  its  Decoration  and  Illustrations  from  the 
Bowes  Collection.  By  J.  L.  Bowes.  Liverpool,  1890. 

§ L 'Art  Japonais.  Par  Louis  Gonse.  2 vols.  gr.  in  4to.  Paris,  1885. 


CEEAMIC  ART  m JAPAN. 


701 


industry  that  it  has  been  translated  and  reproduced  in 
the  next  chapter. 

The  excellent  work  of  the  German  Professor  J.  J.  Rein 
may  also  be  referred  to  for  notes  on  the  technique  of  the 
ceramic  industry  taken  on  the  spot.  An  English  edition‘s 
has  been  published  in  London,  as  well  as  one  of  the 
general  work  by  the  same  author  on  Japan,  These  two 
works  are  the  result  of  several  years  of  travels  and 
researches  in  the  country  undertaken  on  behalf  of  the 
Prussian  Government. 

The  native  literature  of  Japan  upon  the  subject  of 
ceramic  art  is  not  so  extensive  as  of  China,  partly  because 
in  the  latter  country  it  has  been  more  directly  fostered 
by  the  state,  since  the  imperial  manufactory  was  founded 
at  Ching-te-chen  in  the  beginning  of  the  eleventh  cen- 
tury, whereas  in  Japan  the  development  of  the  industry 
was  left  to  private  potters  under  the  patronage  of  the 
feudal  nobles,  who  were  wont  to  keep  their  methods  to 
themselves  with  the  utmost  secrecy.  The  first  precise 
details  of  the  porcelain  manufacture  in  Japan  were  pub- 
lished in  1856,  as  an  appendix  to  Julien’s  book  on  Chinese 
Porcelain,  in  a short  article  on  Imari-yaki,  translated  by 
Professor  J.  Hoffmann,  of  Leyden,  from  an  encyclopaedia 
of  the  productions  of  the  country  printed  in  five  volumes 
at  Osaka  in  1799.  Among  the  older  books  the  one  most 
frequently  quoted  is  the  Man-po  zen-sho,  a general  book 
on  art  subjects  in  fourteen  volumes,  published  in  1694. 
A valuable  recent  record  of  the  arts  is  the  Kbgei  Sliirio^ 
a compilation  from  older  works  by  Kurokawa  Mayor! 
and  Murayama,  published  in  1878,  which  is  said  to  have 
formed  the  basis  for  the  government  reports  issued  by 
the  commissioners  of  the  international  expositions  already 
referred  to,  and  of  most  of  the  essays  published  in 

* The  Imlustries  of  Japan.  By  J.  J.  Rein,  Professor  of  Geography  in  the 
University  of  Bonn.  London,  1889. 


702 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


Europe.  Mr.  Bowes  says,  in  the  preface  to  his  Japanese 

‘‘  I have  availed  myself  of  this  work  for  much  of  what  I have 
written  about  the  earlier  wares,  with  which  it  chiefly  deals;  but  it 
is  singularly  deficient  in  information  about  the  brilliant  develop- 
ment of  the  artistic  taste  of  the  country  which  occurred  under  the 
rule  of  the  Tokugawa  family  during  the  seventeenth  and  eight- 
eenth centuries,  when,  without  a doubt,  the  most  exquisite  exam- 
ples of  Japanese  art  were  produced.” 

The  same  strictures  might  be  applied  to  the  illustrated 
work  on  pottery  (told)  by  Ninagawa  Noritane,  the  late 
archaeologist  of  the  museum  at  Tokyo,  which  has  been 
quoted  as  the  special  native  work  on  the  subject,  and 
which  has  been  partially  and  somewhat  imperfectly 
translated  into  French.  This  forms  Parts  II  to  V of 
the  Kwan  ho  dzu  setsu^  “ Illustrations  of  Antiquity,  with 
Plates  and  Descriptions,”  Part  I being  devoted  to  city 
walls  and  fortifications,  accompanied  by  photographs, 
and  it  was  published  in  the  tenth  year  of  Meiji  (1877). 
If  one  turns,  for  example,  to  the  section  on  Satsuma 
Yaki  in  Part  III,  one  finds  three  specimens  illustrated; 
one  of  these  three  (Fig.  25)  is  a narrow-necked  vase 
(tsubo)  of  archaic  form,  ornamented  with  only  a few 
parallel  rings  round  the  globular  body,  and  coated  with 
a green  glaze,  guttering  below  so  as  to  leave  an  inch  or 
more  of  russet-colored  paste  exposed ; the  other  two 
(Figs.  26,  27)  are  plain  tea-jars  (cha-ire)  with  small 
loop  handles,  invested  with  yellowish-brown  and  dark- 
brown  glazes,  the  copper-colored  feet  of  which  are  figured 
separately  to  show  different  forms  of  the  itoguiri  or 
concentric  thread-marks.  One  would  think  that  deco- 
rated Satsuma  hai*dly  existed  for  the  Japanese  archae- 
ologist, who,  however,  figures  an  interesting  rice-bowl 
of  old  Kutani  ware  in  Part  V,  Fig.  74,  and  a more 


CERAMIC  ART  IN  JAPAIS^. 


703 


modern  teacup  of  decorated  Awaji  crackled  ware  in 
Fig.  30,  the  last  plate  of  his  work. 

The  latest  book  from  a Japanese  hand  has  recently 
been  published  in  Paris,  as  one  of  the  volumes  of  the 
Petite  Bibliotheque  PArt  et  P Archeologie^  pnhliee  sous 
la  direction  de  M.  Kaempfen^  Directeur  des  Musees 
nationaux  et  de  VPcole  du  Louvre.  It  is  a compilation 
from  native  sources,  with  the  names  of  the  authorities 
generally  appended  to  the  quotations,  and  more  care  has 
been  taken  with  the  dates  than  is  the  case  with  some 
other  Japanese  books — the  native  report  on  which  the 
South  Kensington  Catalogue  is  based,  for  example.  The 
ceramic  wares  ai*e  arranged  in  tabular  form  according  to 
the  places  of  production  in  the  different  provinces,  with 
the  names  of  the  fii’st  makers,  when  known,  their  dates, 
and  a sketch  of  their  principal  productions.  The  table, 
with  a few  modifications  of  what  seemed  to  be  misprints, 
and  slight  changes  in  transliteration,  is  given  here  (see 
the  next  page),  as  a most  useful  summary  of  the  indus- 
try. The  book  takes  the  form  of  notes  attached  to  the 
headings  of  the  table.  The  author’s  methods  may  be 
gathered  from  a ti’anslation  of  his  account  of  the  Raku 
ware  of  Kyoto : 


“Raku-Yaki. — Tlie  Raku-Yaki,  one  of  the  varieties  of  the  Kyo- 
Yaki,  owed  their  origin  to  a Korean,  a naturalized  Japanese,  of  the 
name  of  Arneya  Yeisei  (1504-1520).  After  his  death  his  widow 
continued  Ids  industry,  becoming  at  the  same  time  Ama  (‘bonzesse’ 
or  Buddldst  nun),  and  her  ware  was  consequently  given  the  name 
of  Ama-Yaki.  Clioyu,  their  son,  made  liere,  after  a model  given 
to  him  by  Senno  Rikiu  (1517-1591),  the  celebrated  chajin  who 
reformed  the  code  of  the  tea  ceremonies,  some  cups  with  a black 
glaze  for  Ota  Nobunaga  (1533-1582),  who  was  then  the  real  head 
of  the  Shogun’s  Government.  Tn  the  sixteenth  year  of  Tensho 

* La  Ceramique  Japonaise.  Les  principaux  centres  de  fabrication  ceramique 
au  Japan.  Par  Oueda  Tokounosouke  ; avec  une  preface  par  E.  Deshayes, 
coDservateur-adjoint  au  Musee  Guimet.  Paris,  1895. 


704 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


(1588),  Hideyoslii,  who  had  become  dictator  at  the  death  of 
Nobunaga,  and  is  better  known  under  the  name  of  Taiko-Sama, 
ordered  him  to  make  a set  of  cups  of  a reddish-black  color,  with 
which  he  was  so  thoroughly  pleased  that  he  gave  him  a gold  seal 
inscribed  witli  the  character  JRaku,  part  of  the  name  of  the  palace 
of  Ju-Raku  at  Kyoto,  where  Hideyoshi  was  then  residing.  Choyu 
marked  with  it  afterward  all  his  pieces.  It  is  starting  from  this 
period  that  tlie  name  of  Raku  was  given  to  the  ware  made  by  him 
and  by  his  descendants.  His  cups  were  called  Raku-cha-wan.  In 
the  period  Keicho  (1596-1614)  the  gold  seal  was  replaced  with 
a common  seal. 

“The  Raku-Yaki  are  composed  of  a white  clay  without  resist- 
ance; it  appears  red  when  it  is  coated  exteriorly  with  a yellow 
earth  which  becomes  red  in  the  kiln;  it  appears  black  when  a glaze 
is  used  in  the  composition  of  which  enter  pebbles  from  the  Kamo- 
gawa  (K}^oto)  reduced  to  powder.  The  Raku-Yaki  consist  only  of 
Tezukune  (articles  fashioned  by  hand),  and  were  all  made  without 
the  help  of  the  potter’s  wheel  or  of  the  mold.  This  is  why  one 
finds  among  the  pieces  that  infinite  variety  of  form  which  justly 
constitutes  their  superiority  over  similar  articles  derived  from 
other  sources.” 

The  following  is  the  genealogy  of  the  Raku.  They 
are  all  called  by  the  personal  name  of  Kichizayemon : 

1.  Chojiro  choyu  (f  1592).  2.  Chokei  (f  1642).  3.  Doniu 

(f  1657).  4.  Ichiniu  (f  1696).  5.  Soniu  (f  1716).  6.  Saniu 

(f  1739).  7.  Choniu  (f  1759).  8.  Seitoku  (f  1778).  9.  Riyoniu 

(end  of  eighteenth  century).  10.  Tannin  (beginning  of  nine- 
teenth century).  11.  Keiniu.  12.  Kicliizayemon,  our  contem- 
porary. 

The  interest  that  has  constantly  been  taken  by  the 
ruling  classes  of  Japan  in  the  ceramic  art  is  proved  by 
an  appendix  attacked  to  M.  Oueda’s  work,  which  is 
entitled  Maecenases  and  Grand  Personages  who  are 
cited  in  the  Foregoing  Notes  as  having  patronized  the 
Ceramic  Industry.”  It  is  a chronological  list  extending 
over  eleven  pages,  beginning  with  the  Emperor  Yuriaku 


CEEAMIC  AET  IN  JAPAN. 


705 


(a.  d.  457-476),  who  is  recorded  to  have  had  earthenware 
vases  made  for  his  own  use  at  Fushimi  near  Kyoto,  and 
ending  with  Senno  Sohitsu,  a master  of  the  Cha-no-yu,” 
who  ordered,  in  1864,  services  of  utensils  for  the  tea 
ceremonies  from  Zoroku,  a celebrated  potter  of  Kyoto, 
and  rewarded  him  with  a new  name  beginning  with  the 
same  initial  as  his  own. 


TABLE  OF  THE  PRINCIPAL  CENTERS  OF  THE  CERAMIC  INDUSTRY  IN  JAPAN. 


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CHAPTER  XXVI. 


A GENERAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  CERAMIC  ART  OF  JAPAN.* 

I. 

AMONG  all  the  arts  of  Japan,  the  ceramic  art 
remained,  down  to  the  most  recent  times,  the  least 
known  to  Europeans,  and  the  one  on  the  subject  of 
which  the  most  erroneous  ideas  had  become  current.  It 
can  not  be  said  that  this  was  because  it  had  not  already 
attracted  much  attention.  Considerably  before  the  first 
and  timid  essays  of  Albert  Jacquernart  there  had  been 
long  discussions  about  its  history  and  about  its  pro- 
ductions. Since  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury collectors  of  Chinese  porcelain  have  eagerly  sought 
for  what  was  called  in  the  language  of  the  dealers  the 
vieilles  qualites  du  Japan.  But,  having  started  from  the 
outset  upon  a wrong  track,  it  seemed  that  criticism  was 
bound  to  be  involved  for  an  indefinite  period  in  its 
own  errors.  It  required  the  thorough  opening  up  of 
Japan  after  the  revolution  of  1868,  the  points  of  contact 
brought  about  by  the  great  exhibitions  of  Paris,  Vienna, 
and  Philadelphia,  and  the  perseverance  of  two  or  three 
collectors,  to  throw  some  light  upon  the  real  facts  of  the 
ceramic  history. 

It  is  to  M.  Bing,  the  great  Parisian  importer  of 
Japanese  objects,  a scholar  and  at  the  same  time  one 

*This  chapter  is  a literal  but  slightly  abridged  translation  of  the  article  on 
La  Ceramique  in  the  manual  of  the  Bibliotheque  des  Beaux- Arts,  entitled  U Art 
Japonaia,  by  M.  Louis  Gonse,  the  author  of  the  larger  book  with  the  same 
title  referred  to  in  the  preceding  chapter.  It  gives  the  latest  views  of  the 
accomplished  author,  and  is  a charming  compendium  of  the  subject  from  an 
artistic  point  of  view. 


708 


GENERAL  SKETCH  OF  CERAMIC  ART  OF  JAPAN.  709 

of  the  most  distinguished  of  collectors — it  is  to  the  rigor 
of  his  methods,  to  the  patience  of  his  investigations 
begun  at  Paris  in  1878,  pursued  in  Japan  itself,  and 
continued  without  intermission  during  the  formation  of 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  most  curious  collections 
that  could  possibly  be  seen — that  we  owe  the  first  and 
true  clearing  up  of  the  question.  To-day,  thanks  to 
him,  one  can  say  that  the  history  of  Japanese  ceramics 
is  made,  the  canvas  is  sketched  in  solid  outline ; it  will 
be  possible  certainly  to  fill  in  details,  but  not  to  modify 
essential  lines. 

The  study  of  the  questions  which  touch  on  the  history 
and  on  the  classification  of  the  ceramic  productions  of 
Japan  would  demand  developments  which  neither  the 
nature  nor  the  extent  of  this  volume  allow.  I shall 
content  myself  with  a rapid  sketch  of  the  question,  and 
shall  refer  those  who  are  more  specially  interested  in  the 
subject  to  the  fine  and  very  complete  study  by  M.  Bing, 
which  I have  published  in  full  in  my  large  work."^* 

As  I have  said  elsewhere,  Japanese  pottery  occupies, 
in  the  family  of  the  ceramic  art,  one  of  the  first  places, 
if  not  the  first.  I say  purposely  ‘^pottery,”  for  it  is 
principally  by  their  work  in  earthy  clays,  upon  which 
the  varied  play  of  enamel  colors  produces  the  liveliest, 
the  most  sumptuous,  and  the  most  unexpected  effects, 
that  the  artists  of  Nippon  have  proved  their  superiority. 
It  is  sufiBcient  to  remark  in  general  terms  that  hard 
porcelain  occupies  a secondary  rank  in  Japan  when  com- 
pared with  that  of  the  soft  clays,  the  faience,  and  the 
ordinary  pottery.  The  kaolinic  productions  of  the 
Japanese,  perfect  as  they  are  occasionally  as  examples 
of  successful  kiln- work,  are  only  in  reality  more  or  less 
clever  imitations  of  the  admirable  porcelains  of  China. 
Tlie  Chinese  are  the  porcelainiers  par  excellence^  the 

* L Art  Japonais.  Par  M.  Louis  Gonse.  Paris;  Quantin.  2 vols.  gr.  in  4to. 


710  OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 

uncontested  masters  of  kaolin.  The  Japanese  potiers 
without  rivals.  With  the  former  the  interest  of  the 
decoration  is  often  subordinated  to  the  beauty  of  the 
materials  or  to  the  excellence  of  the  workmanship ; with 
the  latter,  on  the  contrary,  it  remains  always  the  domi- 
nant aim.  The  picturesque  effect,  the  advantage  to  be 
gained  from  the  splendor,  the  transparency,  and  the 
vivacity  of  the  enameled  glazes : these  are  the  preoccu- 
pations of  the  Japanese  potter.  A marvelous  instinct 
for  the  laws  of  decoration  has  revealed  to  the  Japanese 
the  fact  that  pottery,  with  its  forms,  its  resources,  its 
infinite  methods,  offered  an  incomparable  field  for  the 
development  of  their  imagination. 

A disregard  of  this  fundamental  character  of  the 
ceramic  art  of  Nippon  has  been  one  of  the  most  serious 
obstacles  to  Europeans  in  their  study  of  its  history.  On 
no  other  question  has  there  been  a greater  number  of  prej- 
udices to  be  uprooted  ; a priori^  it  has  been  necessary  on 
almost  every  point  to  take  a stand  against  preconceived 
views.  The  Japanese  porcelains  which  had  been  the 
delight  of  our  fathers,  the  dishes  and  the  jars  from  the 
factories  of  Imari  and  Arita,  decorated  in  blue,  or  with  a 
decoration  in  blue,  red,  and  gold — all  those  pieces  called 
old  Hizen,  with  which  the  Dutch  had  inundated  Europe 
during  the  course  of  the  seventeenth  century — were  in  the 
eyes  of  the  pure  Japanese  only  second-rate  productions 
intended  for  commercial  export.  Down  to  these  later 
years,  the  true  ceramic  art  of  Japan,  that  I shall* call  the 
national  ceramic  art,  has  remained  absolutely  unknown  to 
Europeans.  It  was  with  difficulty  that  a few  rare  pieces 
from  Kyoto,  known  to  collectors  as  vieux  truite,  were 
brought  over  with  the  lacquer  that  came  from  that  city. 
Among  the  centers  of  the  ceramic  industry  we  knew  only 
the  least  interesting,  those  least  appreciated  by  the  natives 
of  the  country,  and  those  least  endowed  with  any  per- 


GENERAL  SKETCH  OF  CERAMIC  ART  OF  JAPAN.  711 


sonal  characteristics.  It  will  be  sufficient  for  me  to 
remark  that  the  vast  collections  at  Leyden,  The  Hague, 
and  Dresden,  where  Hizen  pieces  are  to  be  counted  by 
thousands,  do  not  offer  for  the  visitor’s  notice  a solitary 
specimen  from  Kutani,  from  Kyoto,  from  Satsuma,  from 
Bizen,  or  from  Owari — that  is  to  say,  not  a single  piece 
to  give  him  a glimpse  of  the  originality  of  Japanese  taste 
in  ceramic  matters.  It  is  hardly  credible,  but  it  is  so  not- 
withstanding. A stranger  who  knew  nothing  of  Bouen, 
of  Nevers,  or  of  Moustiers,  or  of  the  soft  spates  of  Sevres, 
would  be  in  the  same  situation  vis-a-vis  France.  The 
worst  of  it  is  that  these  false  opinions  have  the  resistance 
of  the  most  obstinate  prejudices ; it  will  require  many 
years  still  to  make  amateurs  and  dealers  of  the  old  school 
understand  that  their  empirical  admirations  have  no  value 
f]*om  the  Japanese  point  of  view. 

II. 

The  ceramic  industry  of  Japan  is  divided,  therefore, 
into  two  thoroughly  distinct  branches  : porcelain  and 
pottery. 

The  principal  center  of  the  porcelain  manufacture  is 
the  province  of  Hizen,  where  important  deposits  of  kaolin 
are  found,  especially  on  the  skirts  of  the  mountain  of 
Karatsu,  which  has  in  consequence  given  its  name  to  the 
primitive  ceramic  production  of  this  province.  The 
pieces  of  Karatsu  ware,  dating  back  to  the  thirteenth 
and  fourteenth  centuries,  that  I liave  had  before  me  for 
inspection,  were  of  a barbarous  type ; they  were  uni- 
formly coated  with  a gray  enamel,  rather  coarse,  thick 
and  always  crackled,  after  the  fashion  of  the  Korean  pot- 
tery of  whicli  they  are  simply  an  imitation. 

It  was  a potter  of  the  name  of  Gorodayu  Shonsui  who 
brought  from  China,  about  1520,  the  elements  of  the 


712 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


making  of  porcelain.  The  village  which  rose  np  round 
his  first  kiln  took  the  name  of  Arita.  There  is  every 
reason  to  suppose  that  the  pieces  that  came  from  the 
hand  of  Shonsui  were  timid  copies  of  Chinese  porcelain, 
probably  of  small  dimensions  and  of  blue  and  white. 
His  two  pupils,  Gorohichi  and  Gorohachi,  were  already 
more  skillful.  The  pieces  of  theirs  that  I have  seen,  and 
notably  a bowl  decorated  with  sprays,  after  the  Persian 
style,  in  blue  upon  a finely  crackled  gray  ground,  testify 
to  progress  in  the  art,  which  was  already  at  its  highest 
point  at  the  close  of  the  seventeenth  century.  Kakiye- 
mon  introduced  at  Imari,  in  1647,  the  art  of  decorating 
porcelains  by  means  of  vitrifiable  colors  relieved  with 
gold  (Fig.  389).  The  Dutch,  established  at  Nagasaki, 
gave  a vigorous  impulse  to  the  new  productions ; the 
exportation  rapidly  increased  and  created  an  almost 
inexhaustible  source  of  riches  for  the  Prince  of  Hizen ; 
the  town  of  Imari  became  the  principal  center  of  the 
manufacture,  and  Europe  was  literally  inundated  with 
its  productions.  The  finer  pieces  of  Imari  may  possibly 
rival  in  technical  execution  the  works  of  the  Chinese 
ceramic  artists,  but  their  decoration  is  a little  monoto 
nous.  They  are  generally  mere  productions  of  the  work 
shop,  on  which,  with  rare  exceptions,  the  personal 
invention  of  the  artist  is  not  apparent.  The  best  known 
type,  with  a decoration  of  chrysanthemums  and  peonies, 
in  blue,  red,  and  gold,  has  been  classed  by  Albert  Jacque- 
mart  under  the  name  oifcmiille  chrysantliemo-pwomenne. 
This  is  essentially  an  article  of  commerce,  exempt  from 
any  element  of  the  unforeseen.  The  potters  of  Delft,  in 
Holland,  devoted  themselves  to  the  imitation  of  its  gen- 
eral characteristics.  Another  type,  the  peculiar  inven- 
tion of  Kakiyemon,  is  of  a more  delicate  order.  The 
creamy  and  soft  white  of  the  enamel  plays  the  principal 
role  here.  The  decoration,  fii’ed  in  the  muffle  stove,  is 


GENEKAL  SKETCH  OF  CEEAMIC  ART  OF  elAPAI^.  7 13 

composed  generally  of  scattered  blossoms,  painted  on 
sparingly,  of  graceful  birds,  and  of  gardens  with  flowers, 
w^hich  bring  out  in  its  full  value  the  exquisite  finish  of 
the  glaze.  The  paste  is  of  the  finest  grain.  It  is  from 
the  study  of  this  type  that  the  productions  of  Saxony 
and  of  Chantilly  were  started.  The  pieces  of  this  sort 
have  always  been  eagerly  sought  for  by  the  aristocracy 
of  Japan. 

In  the  course  of  the  eighteenth  century  the  same  prov- 
ince gave  birth  to  the  porcelain  centers  of  Okawaji,  of 
Hirado,  and  of  Mikawaji.  The  two  last  were  particu- 
larly devoted  to  the  making  of  objects  in  pure  white 
without  any  decoration,  or  in  blue  and  white  (Fig.  391). 
Fine  pieces  of  Hirado  are  very  highly  esteemed.  Their 
white  enamels  have  never,  however,  been  able  to  attain 
to  the  incomparable  softness  'of  the  old  white  porcelains 
of  China.  On  the  other  hand,  they  excel  the  similar 
Chinese  things  in  the  finish,  variety,  and  grace  of  their 
form.  The  incense-burners  fashioned  in  the  shape  of 
birds,  pigeons,  mandarin  ducks,  and  other  animals,  or 
of  persons,  are  objects  fit  to  figure  in  the  most  select  of 
collections. 

Many  potters  of  the  other  provinces  have  tried  their 
hands  in  kaolinic  productions ; pieces  of  high  artistic 
interest  and  of  great  technical  perfection  have  come  from 
the  workshops  of  Kutani  and  of  Kyoto ; but  it  is  only 
in  the  ceramic  centers  of  Hizen  that  the  art  attained  a 
complete  and  continuous  development. 


III. 

It  is  certain  that  the  origin  of  pottery  reaches  back  in 
Japan  to  the  highest  antiquity.  Japanese  authors  admit 
generally  that  it  was  the  ancient  Korean  productions  of 
Shiraki,  Kudara,  and  Koma  that  supplied  the  first  mod- 


714 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART, 


els  for  their  own  indigenous  productions.  It  is,  on  the 
other  hand,  no  less  certain  that  the  primitive  pottery  of 
Japan  preserved  during  long  centuries  an  absolutely 
embryonic  and  barbarous  character,  approximating  some- 
what to  the  archaic  pottery  of  the  Troad  and  of  Mexico. 
In  the  fifth  century  kilns  were  established  in  different 
provinces ; but  it  is  not  till  the  seventh  that  we  can 
arrive  at  any  precise  indications.  A Buddhist  priest  of 
the  name  of  Gryogi  who  had  come  from  Korea  and  i& 
celebrated  for  the  foundation  of  the  temple  of  Todaiji, 
where  the  treasures  of  the  ancient  emperors  of  Kara  are 
to  be  found  preserved  to  the  present  day,  gave  a great 
impulse  to  the  ceramic  industry;  he  passes  as  having 
been  the  inventor  of  the  potter’s  wheel.  A certain  num- 
ber of  pieces  made  under  his  direction  exist  among  the 
treasures  of  the  temple,  and  would  give  an  idea  of  the 
progress  realized.  One  can  also  see  in  my  work  VArt 
Japonais  (tome  ii,  page  249)  the  reproduction  of  a Gyogi 
piece  belonging  to  the  magnificent  collection  of  M.  Bing. 

The  knowledge  of  the  process  of  enameling  dates  in 
‘Japan  only  from  the  ninth  century.  The  first  enameled 
pieces  called  Seij%  with  a glaze  of  neutral  gray,  recall  the 
ancient  celadons.  It  is  starting  from  this  epoch  that  the 
direct  influence  of  China  intervenes. 

A curious  fact  to  be  noted  is  that  the  development 
and  progress  of  the  ceramic  industry  in  Japan  coincide 
precisely  with  the  inti’oduction  of  the  use  of  tea.  The 
necessity  of  obtaining  vases  well  adapted  for  the  pres- 
ervation of  the  powdered  tea  led  the  potters  to  decisive 
reseai’ches.  It  is  to  a potter  of  the  village  of  Seto,  in 
the  province  of  Owari,  that  one  owes  the  first  tea-jars 
called  cha-ire^  those  little  vases  coated  with  beautiful 
thick  enamel  colors,  with  ivory  stoppers,  which  Japanese 
amateurs  keep  tenderly  wrapped  up  in  silken  cases  in- 
closed in  double  boxes.  Toshiro  had  made  the  voyage 


GENERAL  SKETCH  OF  CERAMIC  ART  OF  JAPAN.  715 


to  China  in  the  beginning  of  the  thirteenth  century.  His 
works,  so  ardently  sought  by  collectors,  justify  their 
reputation  by  the  remarkably  fine  grain  of  their  paste 
and  by  their  warm  and  harmonious  glazes.  The  imme- 
diate successor  of  Toshiro  was  Tojiro. 

In  reality,  all  Japanese  pottery  is  derived,  when  its 
origin  is  traced  back,  from  the  first  workshops  of  Seto. 
Hence  the  consecration  of  the  term  setomono  (Seto 
articles  or  objects)  to  denote  ceramic  ware  generally. 
The  productions  of  Seto  dominate  the  ceramic  industry 
down  to  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century,  the 
moment  of  the  appearance  of  Ninsei,  an  artist  of  genius, 
wlio  was  the  veritable  creator  of  the  national  cei’amic 
art,  and  who  even  down  to  the  present  day  remains  the 
greatest  chamiste  that  Japan  has  ever  produced. 

The  three  elements,  Chinese,  Korean,  and  Japanese, 
are  blended  together  in  him ; and  from  their  union 
springs  an  original  art  armed  at  every  point,  the  national 
art,  in  one  word.  An  admirable  logic,  a powerfully 
inventive  spirit,  a refined  and  exquisite  taste  preside 
over  the  work  of  Ninsei.  Not  ouly  does  he  invent  and 
bring  to  perfection  the  technical  details,  but  he  frees  the 
decoration  little  by  little  from  Chinese  conventionalities 
and  endows  it  with  grand  ornamental  laws  after  the 
Japanese  genius.  He  creates,  so  to  speak,  fundamental 
forms  of  objects  so  perfectly  adapted  to  their  destination 
that  they  have  remained  in  current  use  ever  since.  The 
woi’k  of  Ninsei  is  marked  witli  a popular  character ; it 
flows  from  an  inexhaustible  and  charming  fancy.  His 
researches  opened  up  for  his  successors  the  boundless 
field  of  polychrome  decoration  by  means  of  vitriflable 
colors. 

Ninsei  was  a native  of  Kyoto.  The  date  of  his  birth, 
as  I have  already  said,  is  not  knoivn  precisely,  but  it 
must  have  been  during  the  last  quarter  of  the  sixteenth 


716 


OEIENTAL  CEEAMIO  AET. 


century.  He  worked  during  the  whole  of  the  first  half 
of  the  seventeenth  century,  and  died  about  1660, 
Before  he  devoted  himself  to  the  ceramic  art  he  had 
already  acquired  great  renown  as  a painter.  He  traveled 
in  succession  through  different  provinces  of  Japan,  and 
visited  the  principal  ceramic  centers ; but  it  was  at 
Kyoto  that  he  established  his  domain  and  founded  there^ 
in  the  suburbs  of  Kyomidzu,  Awata,  Mizoro,  Seikanji^ 
Otawa,  etc.,  his  kilns,  the  chief  of  which  exists  down  to 
the  present  day,  and  still  carries  on  his  traditions.  It  is 
to  Ninsei,  and  to  Ninsei  alone,  that  the  glory  belongs  of 
having  made  of  the  ancient  capital  the  most  energetic 
and  the  most  brilliant  center  of  the  ceramic  art. 

The  works  of  Mnsei  offer  examples  of  the  most  varied 
styles ; it  seems  as  if  each  piece  which  came  from  his 
hand  were  the  fruit  of  a particular  stroke  of  invention,  of 
a careful  study  of  the  art.  The  most  popular  creation  of 
Ninsei  is  that  of  a pottery  with  a fawn-colored,  finely 
crackled  glaze,  decorated  with  flowers  in  which  blue  and 
green  enamels  enhanced  by  gold  predominate.  This^ 
industry,  which  is  carried  on  at  the  present  time  in  the 
suburbs  of  Kyoto,  principally  at  Awata,  at  Kyomidzu 
and  at  Iwakura,  is  known  to  us  under  the  general  name 
of  old  Kyoto  ” ware.  There  are  no  ceramic  produc- 
tions that  I prefer  to  it ; only  the  superb  faiences  of 
Persia  appear  to  us  capable  of  rivaling  these  pieces  in 
harmony  and  brilliancy.  It  is  hardly  necessary  for  me 
to  remark  that  authentic  works  of  the  great  ceramic 
artist  are  of  extreme  rarity.  Care  must  be  taken  not  to 
confound  with  them  the  many  pieces  of  later  date  which 
bear  his  seal,  and  which  are  only  the  productions  of  his 
workshop.  The  ancient  specimens  are  recognized  by  the 
fine  texture  of  the  paste,  by  the  neatness  and  suppleness 
of  the  outline,  by  the  warm  transparency  of  the  glaze^ 
and  by  the  opalescent  reflections  of  the  enamels. 


GENEEAL  SKETCH  OF  CEEAMIC  AET  OF  JAPAN.  7l7 


The  teachings  of  Ninsei  had  the  most  fruitful  results. 
Two  artists  of  great  renown,  Kinkozan  and  Kenzan,  made 
Kyoto  illustrious  at  the  close  of  the  seventeenth  century. 

The  type  created  by  Kinkozan  is  very  remarkable  ; it 
is  a nearly  black  ‘‘biscuit”  of  a very  close  and  very 
homogeneous  texture,  which  serves  as  a ground  for  enam- 
els laid  on  in  regular  designs  of  marked  relief,  the  prevail- 
ing color  being  a dark  blue,  discreetly  interspersed  with 
yellow,  white,  and  green. 

Ogata  Kenzan,  who  lived  from  1663  to  1743,  was  the 
younger  brother  and  pupil  of  the  celebrated  lacquer- 
painter  Korin.  His  works  are  distinguished  by  an  ex- 
traordinary freedom  in  the  decorations,  laid  on  in  lai*ge 
masses,  of  powerful  tone,  among  which  emerald  greens 
give  nearly  always  the  predominant  note  with  their 
glowing  reflections.  They  show  well  all  the  advantage 
that  can  be  gained  from  a simplification  of  the  deco- 
ration. With  Kenzan  this  apparent  artlessness  is  only 
the  result  of  profound  technical  skill.  His  fine  pieces 
are  able  to  compete  in  the  eyes  of  amateurs  with  those  of 
Ninsei.  The  originality  of  the  forms,  of  the  methods, 
and  of  the  designs  is  no  less  great.  The  sense  of  color  is 
even  superior  in  Kenzan.  From  the  standpoint  of  a full, 
vibrating,  and  harmonious  richness  of  enamel  coloring,  he 
still  remains  without  a peer.  The  mateiaal  of  Kenzan’s 
pieces  is  usually  rather  coarse,  or  at  any  rate  light  and 
friable,  and  is  consequently  very  inferior  to  that  of  Nin- 
sei’s ; their  value  consists  in  the  splendid  vesture  with 
which  the  artist  envelops  them.  The  originals  can  be 
distinguished  at  a glance  by  a transparency  and  delicacy 
in  the  enamels  which  no  copyist  has  been  able  to  imitate. 

At  the  close  of  his  life  Kenzan  migrated  to  Yedo,  where 
he  founded  the  kiln  of  Imado.  As  M.  Bing  has  very 
justly  observed,  this  ^vare  presents  beauties  of  a differ- 
ent order,  and  constitutes  a very  marked  evolution  in 


718 


OEIEISTTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


the  research  of  color  effects.  In  the  place  of  the  neutral 
grounds  on  which  his  brilliant  sketches  were  first  dis- 
played, we  have  here  luminous  glazes  of  a highly  vitreous 
composition  which  enhanced  the  bold  freedom  of  the 
coloring. 

Parisian  collections  contain  very  beautiful  and  very 
numerous  examples  of  the  different  styles  of  Kenzan’s 
work. 

The  history  of  the  Kyoto  factories  gives  us  next  the 
names  of  Ogata  Shuhei,  who  distinguished  himself  in  the 
modeling  of  little  figures  full  of  life  and  spirit ; of  Moku- 
bei  and  Rokubei,  skillful  in  the  finish  of  small  miniature 
objects,  of  boxes  in  the  shape  of  animals  for  perfumes  or 
unguents ; of  Dohachi ; and  lastly  of  Yeiraku,  the  most 
astonishing  pasticheur  that  the  ceramic  art  has  produced. 
Yeiraku  is  in  truth  a surprising  practitioner.  His  bowls 
for  the  preparation  of  tea  are  marvels  of  decorative  inge- 
nuity and  of  technical  perfection.  He  is  the  last  of  the 
great  ceramists  whose  works  are  worthy  of  exciting  the 
passion  of  collectors. 

Let  us  cite,  in  conclusion,  among  the  special  produc- 
tions which  have  remained  apart,  away  from  the  influence 
of  Ninsei  or  of  Kenzan,  the  pottery  of  Raku,  with  mono- 
chrome glazes  becoming  generally  red  or  orange,  blend- 
ing with  very  friable  pates,  and  the  miniature  figures  in 
terra-cotta  of  Ikakura  Goyemon  which  are  the  Tanagra 
of  Japan. 

Outside  the  province  of  Hizen,  the  only  kilns  in  which 
porcelain,  properly  so  called,  lias  been  produced  in  at  all 
ancient  times  are  those  of  Kaga.  The  center  of  the  indus- 
try, founded  in  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century  by 
a potter  named  Goto  Saijiro,  who  had  gone  and  found 
out  the  secrets  of  the  manufacture  at  Arita,  is  found  in  a 
locality  called  Kutani.  But  the  productions  of  Kutani 
have  never  had,  like  those  of  Arita,  a commercial  charac- 


GENERAL  SKETCH  OF  CERAMIC  ART  OF  JAPAN.  719 

ter ; they  were  destined  for  the  Prince  of  Kaga,  for  the 
Shogun,  or  for  some  of  the  celebrated  chajin.  This  is 
what  explains  their  great  rarity  and  the  high  price  that 
they  have  always  retained.  They  deserve,  moreover,  in 
all  regards,  their  celebrity.  An  artist  of  the  school  of 
Kano,  of  the  name  of  Morikage,  was  the  inventor  of  the 
artistic  decoration  at  Kutani,  and  freed  it  from  archaic 
imitations. 

At  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century  the  art  had 
acquired  a definite  character  which  it  has  never  since 
lost.  The  type  is  well  known  ; its  beauty  resides  in  the 
almost  exclusive  play  of  three  tones  of  enamel  color, 
the  effect  of  which  in  combination  is  admirable — green, 
yellow,  and  violet.  Fine  pieces  of  Kutani,  with  their 
thick  and  translucid  glazes,  have  a brilliancy  which  can 
vie  with  that  of  real  jewels.  The  association  of  these 
three  colors,  the  intensity  of  which  is  multiplied  by  the 
transparency  of  the  glaze,  produces  upon  the  eyes  a 
voluptuous  sensation,  as  it  were,  at  least  equal  to  that  of 
certain  pieces  of  old  Kyoto.  Even  the  flambes  of  China 
would  almost  pale  before  picked  specimens  of  Kutani. 

But  of  all  the  branches  of  the  ceramic  art  of  Japan,  the 
most  celebrated,  perhaps,  is  that  of  the  faience  of  Sat- 
suma ; it  is  the  one  best  known  in  Europe,  thanks  to  the 
productions  imitated  or  painted  with  overglaze  decora- 
tions at  Tokyo  which  have  flooded  our  markets  fraudu- 
lently ticketed  as  Satsuma.  All  of  those  large  vases, 
flower-receptacles,  and  dishes  of  gorgeous  aspect,  loaded 
with  gold  in  relief,  were  for  a long  time  taken  for 
authentic  Satsuma.  At  first  the  dealers  all  became 
enriched  by  this  easy  commerce,  selling  for  a thousand 
fraiics  at  Paris  what  tliey  had  paid  fifty  for  at  Yokohama. 
The  secret  has  been  pretty  well  kept,  so  that  even  to- 
day a number  of  people  allow  themselves  to  be  taken  in. 
The  pieces  that  came  out  of  the  Tokyo  workshops  are 


720 


OEIENTAL  CEEAMIC  AET. 


at  the  same  time  extremely  brilliant,  and  lend  themselves 
with  marvelous  effect  as  adjuncts  in  the  furnishing  of  our 
rooms.  The  best  are  made  at  Satsuma  and  decorated  at 
Tokyo  ; these  have  a certain  value  in  themselves. 

One  can  lay  down  the  general  rule  that  all  the  pieces 
that  have  come  out  of  the  prince’s  factory  at  Satsuma  are 
of  small  dimensions.  One  of  the  largest  that  is  known 
is  the  incense-burner  in  the  form  of  a cat,  executed  about 
1780,  presented  by  the  Prince  of  Satsuma  to  the  Prin- 
cess Tayasu-Tokugawa,  and  acquired  since  and  brought 
to  Paris  by  M.  Wakai.  This  classic  specimen  of  Sat- 
suma presents  to  us,  like  all  the  other  pieces  made  for 
the  use  of  the  Daimyos  and  of  the  Shoguns,  a very  dense 
pate  of  extremely  fine  texture.  The  glaze,  in  play  of 
color,  ranges  from  creamy  white  to  the  gilded  tones  of 
old  ivory ; upon  this  harmonious  and  soft  ground,  lightly 
crackled,  stand  out  enamels  of  tender  and  airy  color,  in 
marked  relief,  in  the  midst  of  which  shades  of  dead  gold 
marble  blend  with  the  most  delicious  effect.  As  M. 
Bing  has  remarked,  old  Satsuma  has  the  properties  of 
jewelry  fully  as  much  as  of  ceramic  ware. 

This  artistic  pottery  owes  its  origin  to  the  expedition 
which  the  famous  Taiko  Hideyoshi  made  in  Korea.  It 
is  Prince  Shimadsu  Yoshihisa  who  brought  back  from 
that  country,  in  1598,  seventeen  families  of  ceramic 
workmen  whom  he  established  in  the  village  of  Nawa- 
shiragawa.  At  first  they  contented  themselves  with 
copying  the  Korean  productions  with  a gray  glaze,  orna- 
mented with  regular  designs  in  black  or  bi’own.  It  is 
only  from  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century  that 
the  delicately  and  minutely  crackled  faience  that  has 
become  so  renowned  under  the  name  of  Satsuma  dates^ 
and  the  first  decoration  of  this  was  designed  by  potters 
summoned  from  Kyoto  for  the  purpose. 

Apart  from  the  production  of  this  type  the  kilns  of 


GENERAL  SKETCH  OF  CERAMIC  ART  OF  JAPAN.  721 


this  province  attempted  also  monochrome  pieces,  which 
present  no  decoration  other  than  the  exquisite  colors  of 
their  glazes.  These  exceptional  productions  are  of  the 
greatest  beauty  and  of  the  greatest  rarity. 

Among  the  other  centers  formed  by  the  Korean 
potters  of  1598,  or  sprung  directly  from  their  influence, 
it  is  necessary  to  mention  the  kilns  of  Yatsushiro,  Agano, 
Takatori,  Odo,  Hagi,  Idzumo,  Tamba,  and  Zeze,  each  of 
which,  in  its  own  style,  has  produced  some  remarkable 
types. 

The  potteries  of  Owari,  illustrated  by  the  ancient  kiln 
of  Seto,  had  little  by  little  fallen  into  decadence  ; we  see 
them  rise  again  for  a moment  in  the  seventeenth  century 
under  the  influence  of  two  eminent  artists,  Shino  and 
Oribe.  Their  works  present  a character  of  remarkable 
grandeur  and  simplicity.  Shino  has  modeled  statuettes 
decorated  in  enamels  of  the  grande  feu  which  attest  his 
profound  knowledge  of  sculpture. 

The  stoneware  (gres)  of  Bizen  are  productions  apart, 
and  their  special  character  does  not  attack  them  to  any 
of  the  types  of  which  I have  just  been  speaking.  The 
origin  of  these  productions  is  purely  Japanese,  without 
any  trace  of  foreign  influence,  and  appears  to  mount  up 
to  the  highest  antiquity.  The  fine  productions  of  this 
princely  fabric,  especially  those  of  the  seventeenth  and 
eighteenth  centuries,  are  particularly  appi*eciated  by 
European  amateurs.  The  baking  of  the  paste  of  the 
Bizen  ware  is  effected  by  a very  violent  fire,  which 
imparts  to  it  a beautiful  brownish  red  and  covers  it,  by 
the  fusion  of  the  vitreous  particles,  Avith  a sort  of  metallic 
glaze.  Bizen  pieces  bear  no  other  decoration ; they  are 
generally  personages  or  animals  modeled  Avith  singular 
poAver.  The  center  of  this  industry  has  been  for  cen- 
turies past  fixed  at  Imbe. 

It  is  necessary  to  add  to  the  list  of  these  principal 


722 


OKIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


centers  of  the  industry  the  names  of  those  of  less 
antiquity,  or  less  importance,  of  Soma  (province  of 
Iwaki),  of  Akahada  (province  of  Yamato),  of  Minato 
(province  of  Idzumi),  of  Av^^aji,  made  illustrious  in  the 
last  quarter  of  the  eighteenth  century  by  a skillful  and 
ingenious  artist  of  the  name  of  Mimpei. 

Some  potters  have  practiced  their  art  in  an  altogether 
independent  fashion,  and  have  created  kilns  which  have 
disappeared  immediately  after  their  death.  Such  a one 
is  the  old  Banko,  a pupil  of  Kenzan,  who  established 
himself  at  Kuwana,  in  the  province  of  Ise,  and  produced 
there  works  of  masterly  skill  and  originality,  often  rival- 
ing those  of  his  preceptor.  Such,  again,  is  the  celebrated 
lacquer-painter  Ritsuo,  whose  incrustations  of  faience 
upon  lacquer  rank  among  the  rarest  and  most  precious 
objects  that  Japan  has  ever  produced.  Such,  finally,  is 
Koren,  the  lady  modeler  in  clay,  who  is  still  living,  and 
whose  works,  instinct  with  spirit,  are  highly  esteemed  in 
Europe. 

Toshiro,  Gorodayu  Shonsui,  Kakiyemon,  Ninsei,  Shino, 
Kenzan,  Banko,  Kinkozan,  Yeiraku,  and  Mimpei,  these 
are  the  names  it  is  important  to  remember  as  dominating 
the  whole  history  of  the  ceramic  art  in  Japan. 

Modern  productions  ai’e  only  a more  or  less  adroit 
imitation  of  the  types  created  by  those  great  artists. 
The  technical  skill  is  always  extremely  high,  of  which 
the  elegant  pottery  wares  of  Kyoto,  and  the  Kutani,  Sat- 
suma,  and  Imari  pieces  of  modern  days  are  a proof.  The 
current  industry  yields  still  to  commerce  some  charming 
productions,  of  exceptional  cheapness  when  compared 
with  our  own ; but  it  creates  and  invents  no  longer  any- 
thing that  is  worthy  of  comparison  with  the  art-work  of 
the  finest  epochs. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 


THE  PRINCIPAL  CERAMIC  WARES  OF  JAPAN. OWARI  POT- 
TERY AND  PORCELAIN. KYOTO  WARES. HIZEN  PRODUC- 
TIONS : OLD  IMARI  PORCELAINS,  HIRADO  BLUE  AND 

WHITE,  ETC. SATSUMA  FAIENCES,  KUTANI  OR  KAGA 

WARES. 

I.  OWARI. 

The  collectors  of  Japanese  ceramic  wares  and  the 
writers  on  tlie  ceramic  art  of  Japan  may  be  divided 
broadly  into  two  schools.  The  one  school  is  devoted  to 
the  archaic  and  rustic  potteries,  coinciding  in  their  views 
with  native  connoisseurs,  who  prefer  antique  simplicity 
and  quaint  originality  of  design  to  any  other  qualities. 
Their  claims  have  been  ably  urged  by  an  enthusiastic 
advocate  in  the  preceding  chapter.  The  other  school  is 
more  attracted  by  the  artistic  decoration  and  harmonious 
coloring  of  some  of  the  old  Hizen  porcelains,  by  the  sub- 
dued tones  and  technical  finish  of  the  Hirado  bine  and 
white,  and  by  the  soft  shades  of  the  enamel  colors  of 
decorated  Satsnma  faience  enhanced  by  the  finely 
crackled  background  on  which  they  are  displayed.  The 
latter  school  is  fully  justified  by  the  beautiful  specimens 
of  these  classes  exhibited  on  the  shelves  of  the  cabinets 
in  the  Walters  collection,  as  maybe  seen  by  the  examples 
which  have  been  selected  for  colored  illustration  in  these 
pages. 

The  wares  will  be  noticed  in  the  order  of  the  Table 
of  the  Principal  Centers  of  the  Ceramic  Industry  ” given 
on  pages  706  and  707.  The  list  is  too  long  to  allow  of 
a discussion  of  all  the  different  kilus  in  the  limited  space 

723 


724 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


available  here,  so  that  reference  will  only  be  made  to 
those  represented  in  the  illustrations.  For  the  rest,  one 
may  refer  to  the  books  the  titles  of  which  have  been 
given  in  the  bibliographical  section  of  Chapter  XXV. 

The  first  province  in  the  list  is  that  of  Owari,  which  is 
one  of  the  earliest  seats  of  the  industry,  and  which  was 
so  noted  in  early  times  that  the  name  of  its  productions — 
Setomono  ” — has  become  a synonym  for  all  kinds  of 
ceramic  wares  in  Japan,  in  the  same  way  as  china  with 
us  has  become  a common  synonym  for  porcelains.  It  is 
recorded  in  the  official  annals  that  three  potteries  of  this 
province  were  attached  to  the  court  of  the  Mikado  in 
816,  and  there  are  lists,  under  the  years  905  and  1114,  of 
the  articles  of  earthenware  which  were  furnished  at  the 
time  for  the  use  of  the  emperor.  The  first  real  progress 
in  the  art  is  attributed  to  Kato  Shirozayemon,  a native  of 
the  village  of  Seto,  whose  name  is  generally  abbreviated 
to  Toshiro.  He  traveled  to  China  in  1223,  with  a Bud- 
dhist monk  named  Dogen,  and  stayed  there  five  years, 
studying  the  Chinese  processes  of  manufacture.  The 
most  highly  appreciated  ware  at  the  tea-testing  pai*ties 
which  were  very  fashionable  in  China  at  this  time,  as  we 
have  seen,  was  the  dark-colored  pottery  of  the  province 
of  Fuchien  {Cliien  T^u)  flecked  or  dappled  with  lighter 
spots,  the  tea-bowls  of  which  were  known  to  Chinese  vir- 
tuosos as  “ hare’s-fur  bowls  ” or  “ gray  partridge  bowls,” 
from  the  spotted  aspect  of  the  glaze.  These  wei’e  the 
manufactories,  no  doubt,  that  Toshiro  visited,  and  the 
tea-bowls  and  jars  for  powdered  tea  made  in  the  kiln 
which  he  set  up  in  his  native  village  after  his  return  were 
fasliioned,  after  the  pattern  of  the  old  Chinese  pottery  of 
the  Smu]  dynasty,  of  a reddish-brown  stoneware  coated 
with  dark  chestnut-colored  mottled  glazes,  sometimes 
sprinkled,  we  are  told,  with  flying  yellow  spots.  His 
successors  lightened  up  the  russet  and  bronze-colored 


THE  PEmCIPAL  CERAMIC  WARES  OF  JAPAN.  725 


grounds  with  a translucent  overglaze  of  golden  yellow, 
or  with  viscid  enamels  of  transmutation  type  which 
became  streaked  with  hY\\\mnt  Jlamhe  tints  as  they  gut- 
tered down  in  the  kiln  over  the  surface  of  the  jar,  but 
they  always  left  part  of  the  surface  of  the  piece  bare,  so 
that  the  perfect  potting  of  the  material  might  be  appre- 
ciated. Tea-jars  {cha-ire)  of  a similar  type  were  produced 
in  turn  at  the  other  kilns  throughout  Japan,  and  large 
collections  are  made  in  the  present  day  by  the  initiated, 
who  classify  them  with  infinite  pains  according  to  the 
texture  and  shade  of  coloring  of  the  glazes,  and  according 
to  the  microscopic  structure  of  the  paste  from  different 
localities  examined  with  a magnifying  lens. 

Specimens  of  these  tea-jars  from  different  kilns  are  to 
be  found  in  Plates  CXIV  and  CXV,  and  the  colored 
illustrations  give  an  excellent  idea  of  some  of  the  differ- 
ent forms,  with  their  ivory  lids,  and  of  the  varied  coloring 
of  the  glazes,  contrasted  Avith  the  soft  shades  of  the  old 
brocaded  silk  bags  in  which  the  little  jars  are  wrapped. 
The  tea-jar  in  Plate  CXIV,  3,  is  a production  of  the  Seto 
kilns  in  Owari  which  we  are  now  discussing.  The  water- 
bottle  (sJiaku-date)  beside  it  (Plate  CXIV,  1),  made  of  a 
similar  brown  stoneware  of  fine  grain,  coated  with  an 
olive-brown  glaze  flecked  with  lustrous  yellow  sjDots  and 
overlaid  with  splashes  of  crackled  orange-yellow,  is  a 
more  recent  production  of  the  Fujina  kilns  in  the  prov- 
ince of  Idzumo,  attributed  to  the  beginning  of  the 
nineteenth  century.  A marked  improvement  in  the 
manufacture  here  was  due  to  a skillful  potter  named 
Zenshiro,  who,  according  to  Oueda  Tokounosouke  (loc. 
cit.^  page  91),  established  himself  at  Fujiiia  in  the  period 
An-yei  (1772-80),  after  an  invitation  from  Matsudairo 
Harusato,  the  daimyo  of  the  province  of  Idzumo,  and 
made  for  him,  after  his  designs,  pottery  for  the  clia-no-yu, 
of  which  cult  this  prince  was  a great  amateur.  He  was 


726 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


succeeded  here  in  turn  by  Zenshiro  II,  Zenroku  III,  and 
Zenroku  IV,  and  the  fifth  of  the  line,  whose  personal 
name  is  Dentaro,  is  mentioned  as  still  carrying  on  the 
work  in  the  present  day.  A tea-jar  from  the  same  kilns 
of  somewhat  earlier  date  is  exhibited  in  Plate  CXV,  3, 
and  is  described  there. 

The  two  tea-jars  which  are  illustrated  in  the  same  plate 
come  from  two  other  kilns,  being  specimens  of  Shigaraki 
ware  from  the  province  of  Omi,  and  of  Takatori  ware 
from  the  province  of  Chikiizen.  The  Shigaraki  potteries 
date  from  the  Ko-a7i  period  (1278-87),  but  at  first  only 
jars  for  storing  grain  and  ordinary  domestic  utensils  were 
made,  of  a very  hard,  dense  stoneware  of  grayish  color 
with  a large  admixture  of  sand,  which  is  known  as  Ko- 
Shigaraki^  ko  meaning  ancient.  The  first  articles  for  the 
cha-no-yu  were  made  in  the  period  Yei-sho  (1504-20), 
and  the  names  of  several  of  the  celebrated  masters  of  the 
tea  cult  have  been  attached  to  varieties  of  this  gray  stone- 
ware made  under  their  instructions.  In  1828,  according 
to  the  Franks  Catalogue  (loc.  cit^  page  41),  the  Shogun 
of  the  Tokugawa  family  ordered  the  manufacture  of  tea- 
jars  called  Koshishiro-Tsukemimi,  since  which  the  factory 
has  become  still  more  noted  for  its  jars,  which  are  said  to 
preserve  the  flavor  of  the  tea  remarkably  well  on  account 
of  the  peculiarly  hard,  impervious  quality  of  the  pate. 

The  Takatori-yaki  is  yet  more  famous.  In  Captain 
Brinkley’s  words : 

“ If  popularity  be  any  criterion  of  excellence,  the  first  place 
among  the  achievements  of  Taiko’s  imported  artisans  belongs  to 
the  ware  made  by  Shinkuro  and  Hachizo  (natives  of  the  ceramic 
district  of  Ido  in  Korea)  at  Takatori  in  the  province  of  Chikuzen. 
Their  earliest  productions  were  after  the  Korean  style,  having 
only  one  thin  coat  of  diaphanous  glaze,  but  subsequently,  with  the 
assistance  of  Igarashi  Jizayemon,  a skillful  potter  of  Seto,  they  began 
to  imitate  the  Chinese  glazes,  and  succeeded  so  admirably 


THE  PEINCIPAL  CEEAMIC  WAKES  OF  JAPAN.  727 


that  their  pieces  were  unanimously  pronounced  the  chef s-d"* oeuvres 
of  their  times  (1624-44).  Sometliing  of  this  esteem  was  no  doubt 
won  for  them  hy  the  patronage  of  tlie  celebrated  art  critic  Kobori 
Masakadzu,  Earl  of  Yenshiu,  who  at  the  request  of  Tadayuki, 
Duke  of  Chikuzen,  instructed  * Shinkuro  and  Hachizo  in  the 
shapes  and  technical  details  of  the  pottery  which  best  accorded 
with  the  aesthetic  code  of  the  Tea  Clubs,  and  afterward,  selecting 
certain  of  their  best  productions,  gave  them  names  indicative  of 
their  peculiar  merits.  It  is  scarcely  possible  to  overestimate  the 
value  attaching  to  pieces  distinguished  by  the  approval  of  such  an 
amateur.” 

At  a subsequent  period  of  its  history  cleverly  modeled 
figures  of  mythological  personages  and  imaginary  animals 
were  turned  out  by  the  Takatori  workshops  for  use  as 
incense-burners,  alcove  ornaments,  and  so  forth,  which 
were  coated  with  a thick,  lustrous  glaze  of  a jlambe 
character,  the  general  color  being  gray  or  buff  passing 
into  green,  chocolate,  brown,  or  sometimes  blue.  The 
large  temple  vase  (Jiana-ike\  eighteen  inches  high,  shown 
in  Fig.  383,  is  of  a more  archaic  type,  being  enameled 
with  a pale-green  crackled  glaze  mottled  with  clouds  of 
olive  tint,  which  only  partially  covers  the  surface,  so 
that  the  paste,  of  light-red  color,  is  left  unglazed  round 
the  base.  Outside  the  vase,  modeled  in  slip  in  slight 
relief,  are  the  figures  of  three  Buddhist  saints,  with 
halos  in  the  form  of  wide  rings  encircling  their  brows. 
One  is  seated  upon  a rock  in  the  attitude  of  meditation ; 
another  is  elevating  with  both  hands  an  alms-bowl,  from 
which  a spiral  column  of  water  is  ascending— the  special 
attribute  of  Nagasena;  the  third,  apparently  Vajra- 
buddha,  is  leaning  upon  a long  and  knotted  pilgrim’s 
staff.  The  mark  stamped  in  an  oblong  panel  is  in- 

* Hachizo  figures  in  our  table  as  the  founder  of  the  Takatori  factory.  He 
was  the  son-in-law  of  Shinkuro,  according  to  Mr,  Oueda,  who  says  that  it  was 
Hachizo  and  his  son  Hachiyemon  who  were  sent  by  the  daimyo  to  receive  the 
orders  of  Masakazu  in  the  period  Kwanyei  (1624-43).  According  to  him,  the 
principal  glazes  of  the  Takatori-yaki  were  white,  light  blue,  and  ash-colored. 


728 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


scribed  Taka  (short  for  Takatori),  in  a circle,  and 
Araslii  Tanemune^  the  name  of  the  potter. 

To  return  to  the  province  of  Owari : One  of  the 
minor  productions  of  the  kilns  of  Nagoya  is  tabulated 
as  Gempin-yaki^  the  name  being  that  of  a Chinaman 
who  became  naturalized  as  a Japanese  and  established 
himself  there.  He  is  wrongly  called  a Korean  in  most 
Japanese  books,  even  in  the  official  reports  of  the  Phila- 
delphia Exposition.  Indeed,  one  of  the  difficulties  in 
the  discussion  of  ceramic  art  is  the  loose  way  in  which 
the  Japanese  writers  on  the  subject  apply  the  term 
Korai^  properly  Korea,  to  northern  China,  and  Kochi, 
properly  Kochin-China  or  Annam,  to  southern  China, 
so  that  the  influence  of  China  on  the  industry  is  often 
apt  to  be  lost  sight  of  for  the  moment.  In  this  con- 
nection the  story  of  Gempin  is  worth  relating,  as  told 
by  Captain  Brinkley.  In  the  year  1640,  when  the  Ming 
dynasty  of  China  was  on  the  /point  of  overthrow  by  the 
Manchu  Tartars,  four  Chinese  nobles  came  to  Japan 
to  pray  for  aid  against  the  northern  invaders.  The 
Japanese  were  at  first  disposed  to  entertain  the  request, 
but  reflecting  that  they  would  be  supporting  rulers  who 
fifty  years  before  had  sent  an  army  to  oppose  Hide- 
yoshi’s  generals  in  Korea,  they  ultimately  decided  to 
let  the  Ming  fight  their  own  battles.  The  fugitive 
nobles  were,  however,  treated  with  all  courtesy.  Con- 
fided to  the  hospitable  care  of  Japanese  barons,  three  of 
them  seem  to  have  passed  the  remainder  of  their  lives 
in  uneventful  seclusion,  while  the  fourth,  Gempin,  resid- 
ing at  Nagoya,  devoted  his  leisure  to  painting  and 
pottery-making.  As  an  artist  he  possessed  considerable 
ability,  but  his  ceramic  eft'orts  are  not  very  creditable, 
though  much  valued  by  the  Tea  Clubs.  His  pieces 
consist  of  a crackled  faience,  decorated  sometimes  with 
archaic  designs  in  blue  under  the  glaze,  and  sometimes 


THE  PRINCIPAL  CERAMIC  WARES  OF  JAPAN.  729 

with  arabesques  in  relief.  Genuine  specimens  are  gener- 
ally marked  with  his  name  in  blue  under  the  glaze. 

Down  to  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century 
nothing  but  faience  was  made  in  the  province  of  Owari, 
although  it  is  to-day  the  principal  center  of  porcelain 
manufacture  in  Japan.  The  introduction  of  porcelain 
was  the  work  of  Kato  Tamikichi,  a descendant  of  the 
celebrated  Kato  Shirozayemon,  the  ‘‘father  of  pottery,” 
who  went  to  China  in  1223.  Tamikichi  was  sent  to 
Hizen  in  1804  to  study  the  processes  of  fabrication 
there.  It  is  said  that  he  found  the  secrets  of  the  manu- 
facture so  jealously  guarded  at  the  various  potteries, 
that  it  was  not  until  his  marriage  with  the  widow  of 
an  Arita  potter  and  the  birth  of  his  child  seemed  to 
afford  a sufficient  guarantee  of  good  faith,  that  his  new 
connections  consented  to  instruct  him.  After  he  had 
learned  all  he  could,  Tamikichi  left  his  wife  and  child 
to  shift  for  themselves,  and  hastened  back  to  Seto  to 
impart  his  knowledge-  to  his  old  comrades,  whom  he 
rejoined  in  1807,  after  nearly  four  years’  absence.  He 
was  rewarded  with  a hereditary  title  of  nobility  by 
the  Prince  of  Owari,  who  belonged  to  the  Tokugawa 
family,  and  given  the  privilege  of  wearing  t^vo  swords, 
a rare  distinction  for  a plain  potter.  The  new  industry 
flourished  apace,  and  within  fourteen  years  some  two 
hundred  potters  had  abandoned  their  old  work  to  take 
up  porcelain.  From  the  first,  decoration  in  blue  under 
the  glaze  (sometsuJce^  has  been  a specialty  of  this  prov- 
ince, and  its  blue  and  white  production  fifty  years  ago 
is  said  to  have  been  second  to  none  in  Japan.  It  is 
famed  to-day  for  colossal  dishes  over  five  feet  in  diame- 
ter, slabs  for  tables  mounted  upon  baluster  stands,  and 
temple  lamps  nine  feet  high ; but  the  cheaper  smalt 
imported  from  Europe  has  usurped  the  place  of  the  old 
cobaltiferous  ores  of  China,  and  scarcely  a memory  re- 


730 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


mains  of  the  pure,  rich  blue  of  former  times,  blending 
so  softly  with  the  fluescent  paste. 

The  decorators  of  Owari  porcelain,  however,  have  not 
confined  themselves  to  the  use  of  blue  under  the  glaze. 
Since  1820  enameled  ware  has  been  made  at  Inazi  in  the 
old  Chinese  style  of  the  Ming  dynasty,  a white  porce- 
lain painted  with  designs  roughly  executed  in  red  and 
green  enamels  with  an  occasional  addition  of  blue  under 
the  glaze.  Another  variety  is  decorated  with  figure 
subjects  in  red  and  gold  upon  a white  ground,  so  as 
to  resemble  in  general  effect  modern  Kaga  porcelain. 
Of  late  years  the  Owari  potters  have  developed  consider- 
able skill  in  the  use  of  colors  of  the  grand  feu,  and 
many  pieces  decorated  in  sea-green,  maroon,  and  blue 
are  exported.  Celadon  monochromes  are  also  made, 
and  a species  of  flanibe  ware  in  which  chocolate  color 
predominates.  There  is  hardly  anything  that  is  not 
attempted  in  the  present  day,  but  the  methods  are 
rough,  and  it  would  not  be  a great  loss  to  art  if  the 
potters  confined  themselves  to  the  making  of  household 
utensils,  which  seems  to  be  their  proper  field.  A large 
quantity  of  their  ware  is  taken  to  Tokyo  to  be  deco- 
rated in  enamel  colors,  so  that  the  two  places  in  com- 
bination have  been  fitly  styled  the  Stoke-upon-Trent 
of  Japan. 

Seto  itself  produces  all  the  materials  necessary  for  the 
making  of  ordinary  pottery,  but  most  of  the  ingredients 
required  for  porcelain  have  to  be  brought  from  Kamo,  in 
the  adjoining  province  of  Mikawa. 

The  Toyosuke  ware  was  first  made  by  a potter  of  this 
name  at  Aichi,  in  Owari,  about  1825.  It  is  a ci’ackled 
faience  thinly  coated  outside  with  lacquer  delicately 
painted  in  gold.  Of  less,  if  any,  artistic  value  is  the 
cloisonne  enameling  upon  porcelain  as  a base,  which  dis- 
credited the  workshops  of  Nagoya  for  a few  yeai’s  subse- 


THE  PEINCIPAL  CERAMIC  WARES  OF  JAPAIS^. 


781 


queiit  to  1870,  before  the  happy  renaissance  of  the 
ceramic  art  which  has  since  appeared. 


II.  KYOTO. 

The  origin  of  the  potteries  of  Kyoto,  the  old  capital 
of  Japan,  is  lost  in  antiquity.  Tradition  ascribes  to  the 
celebrated  priest  Gyogi,  about  the  Temhid  period  (729- 
748),  the  fabrication  of  earthenware  vases  at  Chawan- 
saka  (Hill  of  Cups),  where  the  present  village  of  Sei- 
kanji,  near  Kyoto,  is  situated,  which  is  still  the  principal 
center  of  the  manufacture  of  the  Kyomidzu  wares. 
There  were  gradual  improvements  in  the  technique  of 
the  ware  as  time  went  on,  but  it  was  the  celebrated 
potter  Ninsei,  in  the  seventeenth  century,  whose  work 
brought  it  to  the  prominent  position,  from  an  artistic 
point  of  view,  which  it  has  since  enjoyed.  He  has  been 
justly  given  the  same  place  in  Japanese  ceramics  as  that 
occupied  by  Bernard-  Palissy  in  Europe,  and  a short 
sketch  of  his  career,  as  given  by  Oueda  Tokounosouke, 
may  not  be  out  of  place  here. 

Nonomura  Ninsei,  whose  proper  name  was  Seibei,  later 
Seizayemon,  was  a native  of  the  province  of  Tamba.  In 
his  youth  he  learned  the  ceramic  art  from  a naturalized 
Korean  potter  of  the  name  of  Butsuaml.  Having  come 
to  Kyoto  in  the  Gemva  period  (1615-28),  he  continued 
his  apprenticeship  at  the  atelier  of  an  artist  of  Seikanji. 
He  was  attached  afterward  as  potter  to  the  imperial 
Prince  of  Ninwaji,  who  authorized  him  to  adopt  own 
initial,  Nin.  Hence  the  name  of  Ninsei,  wliich  is  com- 
posed of  this  initial  and  of  the  initial  of  his  own 

proper  name  (&^).  Ninsei  received  later  from  the  same 
prince  the  honorary  title  of  Harima  no  Daijo  (a  high 
official  grade  of  the  province  of  Harima).  He  died  at 
Omuro  in  the  period  Manji  (1658-60). 


732 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


Ninsei  established  a succession  of  kilns  in  the  vicinity 
of  Kyoto,  at  Mizoro,  Omnro,  Iwakura,  Awata,  Seikanji^ 
etc.,  where  he  adopted  the  different  processes  of  Seto,  of 
Hagi  and  Matsumoto,  in  the  province  of  Nagano,  of 
Shigaraki,  in  the  province  of  Omi,  etc.,  as  well  as  the 
methods  imported  by  the  first  Korean  potters.  He 
excelled  especially  in  making  objects  for  use  in  the 
Tea  Ceremonies,  of  midzu-saslii  (water-bowls),  dishes^ 
plates,  and  such  like;  a great  number  of  his  pieces 
were  painted,  and  their  designs  are  the  work  of  the 
celebrated  painters  Kano  Taniu  and  Kano  Yeishin,  his 
contemporaries. 

This  celebrated  potter,  who  enjoyed  a very  great 
renown,  had  numerous  imitators  even  during  his  own 
lifetime.  In  his  later  years,  during  the  Meireki  period 
(1655-57),  he  succeeded  in  producing. pieces  decorated  in 
several  colors  {Nisliikide)^  which  were  much  admired^ 
thanks  to  secrets  of  technique  revealed  to  him  by  a 
merchant  of  Kyoto  named  Chawanya  Kiubei,  who  had 
learned  them  himself  from  Aoyama  Koyemon,  a native  of 
Arita.  The  Arita  potter  was  afterward  prosecuted,  and, 
it  is  said,  crucified  in  his  own  province  for  having 
divulged  the  secrets  of  the  Hizen  kilns,  and  the  Kyoto 
dealer  became  a lunatic  at  the  news  of  the  execution  of 
his  friend. 

After  the  death  of  Ninsei  the  Kyo-yaki  was  divided 
into  two  main  branches,  the  Aioata-yahi  and  the  Kyo- 
midzu-yaki.  The  names  of  his  principal  successors  have 
been  given  in  the  preceding  chapter. 

One  of  the  cleverest  of  the  Kyoto  potters,  in  the  esti- 
mation of  his  own  countrymen  at  least,  was  Mokubei^ 
who  fiourished  at  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury. This  is  said  to  be  an  abridgment  of  the  name 
of  Aoki  Yasohachi,  a native  of  the  province  of  Owari. 
In  his  later  years  he  became  deaf,  and  took  the  name  of 


THE  PRINCIPAL  CERAMIC  WARES  OF  JAPAN.  733 


Eobei,  ro  meaning  deaf.  From  liis  youth  he  showed  a 
great  taste  for  art  and  antiquity,  and  his  imitative  ability 
procured  for  him  the  title  of  the  best  artist  of  modern 
times.  He  afterward  embraced  the  career  of  a potter, 
and  succeeded  in  rivaling  by  his  talent  the  works  of 
Ninsei  and  Kenzan.  He  is  credited  with  the  introduc- 
tion of  molds  into  Japan,  and  of  many  other  novel 
processes  derived  from  a study  of  Chinese  works  on  the 
ceramic  industry,  and  he  also  published  a work  of  his 
own  on  the  subject.  There  was  nothing  that  he  did  not 
succeed  in  reproducing,  and  so  perfectly  as  to  deceive  the 
greatest  ceramic  experts  of  his  time.  The  enameled 
stonewares  of  southern  China,  the  ordinary  decorated 
porcelains  and  celadons  of  China,  the  encaustic  inlaid 
pottery  and  the  ivory-white  porcelain  of  Korea,  are  said 
to  have  been  copied  by  him  with  success.  In  the  fifth 
year  of  the  period  Bunsei  (1822)  he  constructed  private 
kilns  for  the  imperial  Prince  Seiren-in,  and  made  sets  of 
utensils  for  the  personal  use  of  the  princes  of  Kii  of  the 
Tokugawa  house.  He  died  in  the  year  1832. 

The  vase  (Jicma-ihe)^  seventeen  inches  high,  in  Fig. 
397,  is  an  example  of  his  work,  being  decorated  in  bright 
enamel  colors,  with  gilding  in  Chinese  style.  The  colors 
comprise  red,  green,  black,  and  a light  translucent  blue  of 
turquoise  tint.  The  three  figures  inclosed  in  three  large 
oval  panels  represent  the  Buddhist  Trinity,  Sakyamuni, 
Samantabhadra,  and  Manjusri,  displayed  upon  a back- 
ground of  variegated  clouds,  their  heads  encircled  by 
crolden  halos.  The  Buddha  is  seated  on  a mat  of  leaves 
upon  a rock,  his  forehead  marked  with  the  sacred  urnay 
and  a gilded  ushnisha  projecting  in  the  midst  of  the  close 
black  curls  of  his  hair,  his  hands  folded  under  his  i*obe, 
which  is  brocaded  with  lotus-fiowers.  Samantabhadra, 
as  seen  in  the  picture,  is  seated  upon  an  elephant,  reading 
from  an  open  book.  Manjusri,  upon  a grotesque  lion, 


734 


OEIENTAL  CEEAMIC  AET. 


holds  a rolled  scroll  in  one  hand,  a coral  scepter  in 

the  other. 

The  panels  are  framed  by  green  bands  of  fret,  and 
bands  of  similar  design  encircle  the  upper  and  lower 
rims  of  the  vase.  The  space  between  the  panels  is  filled 
with  a close  reticulation  of  floral  scrolls  of  lotus  pattern, 
extending  up  to  the  middle  of  the  neck,  which  is  marked 
by  a sunk  ring  containing  panels  of  lotus-blossoms 
penciled  in  gold.  The  upper  part  of  the  neck  is  dec- 
orated with  three  conventional  phoenixes  displayed  in 
colors  on  the  same  red  background  as  the  lotus  scrolls 
below. 

The  mark,  written  underneath  in  red  within  a double 
red  ring  in  two  columns,  is  Ko-hi-hwan  Moku-bei  tsukunOj 
“Made  by  Mokubei  at  the  Hall  of  Ancient  Wai’e.” 

III.  HIZEN. 

The  province  of  Hizen  contains  many  porcelain  manu- 
factories, and  has  from  the  first  occupied  the  foremost 
rank  in  Japan  for  its  artistic  productions  in  that  material, 
Kyoto  being  moi*e  famous  for  its  art  work  in  ordinary 
pottery  than  for  its  porcelain.  Tradition  carries  back 
the  origin  of  the  ceramic  industry  in  this  pi*ovince  to  the 
time  of  the  Emperor  Kotoku^  wbo  reigned  from  645  to 
654.*  A few  specimens  of  the  primitive  pieces  made 
here  have  been  preserved,  vases  made  of  an  intensely 
hard  refractory  clay,  uncoated  with  glaze.  The  earliest 
kilns  were  in  the  vicinity  of  the  harbor  of  Karatsu, 
where  the  first  glazed  pottery  was  made  in  Japan,  and 
where  gradual  improvements  were  introduced  into  the 

*It  was  in  the  reign  of  this  monarch  that  the  old  method  of  counting  years 
by  the  reigns  of  the  emperors  was  abandoned  in  Japan,  and  the  Chinese  system 
of  counting  by  periods  called  Nien-hao  (in  Japanese  Nen-gd)  was  adopted.  The 
first  period  (645-49)  was  called  Tai-kwa. — Editor’s  Note. 


THE  PRINCIPAL  CERAMIC  WARES  OF  JAPAN.  735 


manufacture  under  the  influence  of  the  early  Korean 
teachers.  The  first  of  them  was  naturalized  under  the 
name  of  Kojiro  Kwanja,  and  there  is  a temple  dedicated 
to  him  in  one  of  the  adjoining  mountains  at  which  the 
potters  still  offer  incense.  In  the  beginning  of  the 
KeicJio  period  (1596-1614)  the  daimyo  of  Karatsu 
transferred  the  workshops,  Avhich  had  previously  been 
within  the  walls  of  his  castle,  to  a locality  called  Kara- 
bori  (“  Chinese  canal  ”),  in  a quarter  of  the  town  named 
Tojin-machi  (^‘Chinese  quarters”),  where  he  established 
a number  of  potters  Avho  were  brought  over  at  that 
time  from  Korea.  Many  kinds  of  Karatsu-yaki  are  de- 
scribed, but  they  are  all  stonewares  of  primitive  type, 
compi’ising  principally  articles  of  ordinary  domestic  use 
and  utensils  for  the  tea  ceremonies.  The  factory  is  now 
in  a state  of  decay. 

The  other  ceramic  productions  of  the  province  of 
Hizen  are  all  grouped  together  under  the  heading  of 
Imari-Yaki,  Imari  being  the  name  of  the  seapoid  at 
which  they  are  sliipped  to  be  distributed  to  other  parts 
of  the  empire.  There  are  many  different  factories,  but 
the  three  principal  productions  from  an  artistic  point 
of  view  are  those  of  Arita,  Okawaji,  and  Mikawaji 
(Hirado).  Arita  is  the  most  important  center  of  porce- 
lain manufacture  in  Japan.  It  is  about  fifty  miles  to  the 
north  of  Nagasaki,  and  its  potteries  Avere  the  source  of 
the  ^^old  Japan”  porcelain  which  the  Dutch  imported 
into  Europe  in  such  lai'ge  quantities  during  the  seven- 
teenth and  eighteenth  centuries ; the  first  export  of 
pieces  ornamented  Avith  colored  enamels,  in  gold  and 
silver,  etc.,  having  been,  according  to  the  official  Japanese 
report,  in  the  second  year  of  Slid-hd  (1645).  OkaAvaji  is 
about  eight  miles  to  the  north  of  Arita.  It  Avas  the  seat 
of  the  private  factory  of  the  princes  of  Nabeshima, 
established  there  in  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 


736 


OKIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


tuiy,  their  previous  locality,  close  to  Arita,  having  been 
found  to  be  unfavorable  to  the  maintenance  of  the 
required  secrecy.  The  porcelain  made  here  ^vas  in- 
tended for  presentation  to  the  Shogun  or  to  the  friends 
of  the  daimyo,  the  rest  being  reserved  for  his  own  per- 
sonal use,  so  that  specimens  are  comparatively  rare  in 
private  collections.  The  third  factory  at  Mikawaji  was 
under  the  special  patronage  of  the  house  of  Hirado,  and 
produced  the  plain  white  ware  of  finest  texture  and  the 
soft-toned  blue  and  white  of  perfect  technique,  which  are 
usually  given  the  first  place  among  the  porcelains  of 
Japan. 

The  introduction  of  real  porcelain-making  into  Japan 
is  attributed  to  Gorodayu  Shonsui,  who  went  to  China 
to  study  the  art,  and  returned  to  his  own  country  in  the 
year  1513.  After  his  return  he  settled  in  Hizen,  and 
succeeded’  in  making  a ceramic  ware  decorated  in  the 
Chinese  fashion  with  cobalt  under  the  glaze,  although 
authorities  differ  as  to  the  kaolinic  structure  of  the 
material.  A specimen  of  porcelain  said  to  have  been 
made  by  him  in  China  and  marked  with  his  name,  as 
inscribed  below,  is  preserved  in  Japan  at  Nara.  The 
small  brush  cylinder  in  the  Walters  Collection  which  is 
inscribed  with  his  mark  is  shown  in  Fig.  396,  although 
it  would  be  rash  to  guarantee  its  authenticity.  It  is  a 
little  cylinder,  five  inches  high,  with  a serrated  rim, 
painted  under  the  glaze  in  dull  blue  with  fiowering  trees 
and  storks.  Through  the  large  oval  perforation  which 
is  pierced  in  one  side  is  seen  the  mark,  penciled  in  blue, 
of  Go-ro-da'tju  go  Shonsui  tsuhur%  Made  by  the  honor- 
able Gorodayu  Shonsui.”'^* 

*No  Japanese  collection  seems  to  be  complete  without  a specimen  with  this 
mark.  Of.  Franks’s  Collection  of  Oriental  Porcelain  (Plate  XIV,  Fig.  183),  and 
Bowes’s  Japanese  Marks  and  Seals  (Hizen  Pottery,  No.  81).  In  the  latter  case 
it  is  strangely  deciphered  Oo-ro-ta-narahini  Sho-zui  sin-zo,  “Made  by  Gorota 
and  Sho-zui  together.” 


THE  PRINCIPAL  CERAMIC  WARES  OF  .TAPAN.  737 


The  first  of  the  Arita  kilns  was  founded  in  the  period 
Kei-cho  (1596-1614)  by  the  Korean  Li-Sanpei,  one  of 
the  many  potters  brought  over  to  Japan  by  Nabeshima 
Naoshige  on  his  return  from  the  expedition  to  Korea. 
After  many  researches  he  discovered  the  necessary 
materials  in  the  Idzumi  Mountains  near  the  village  of 
Tanaka,  which  was  afterward  called  Arita.  Damaged 
pieces  of  his  fabrication  found  on  the  sites  of  the  old 
kilns,  and  preserved  in  collections  under  the  name  of 
hoTidmhite,,  dug  up  from  the  ground,”  have  a white 
kaolinic  paste.  Li-Sanpei,  after  his  naturalization,  took 
the  name  of  Kane,  the  Japanese  pronunciation  of  Kin- 
Ko,  the  name  of  the  place  where  he  was  born.  Several 
branches  of  his  descendants  are  still  living,  and  carry  on 
the  same  industry,  having  changed  their  name  from 
Kane  to  Kanegae. 

We  may  follow  Oueda  Tokounosouke  again  in  his 
account  of  the  Arita  kilns.  In  the  seventeenth  century 
the  development  of  the  ceramic  industry  in  the  domains 
of  the  princes  of  Nabeshima  was  very  considerable.  One 
consequence  of  this  was  the  destruction  of  the  forests 
round  all  the  centers  of  the  industry,  and  about  1610 
orders  were  issued  by  the  prince  prohibiting  eight  hun- 
dred workmen  from  carrying  on  their  business  as  potters, 
and  giving  the  monopoly  of  the  industry  to  the  Koreans. 
In  spite  of  this  prohibition,  however,  a certain  number 
of  Japanese  potters  succeeded  in  getting  the  permission 
of  the  authorities  to  continue  their  work.  The  interdict, 
instead  of  arresting  the  progress  of  the  industry,  con- 
tributed to  its  prosperity  by  giving  the  monopoly  of  the 
manufacture  to  a certain  number  of  families.  Skillful 
artists  appeared  in  succession,  who  distinguished  them- 
selves by  the  production  of  true  objects  of  art.  It  was 
not,  however,  till  the  Sho-lw  period  (1644-47)  that  a 
native  of  Imari,  Toshima  Tokuzayemon,  learned  from  a 


738 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


Chinese  traveler  at  Nagasaki  the  method  of  decorating 
porcelain  with  metal.^  The  process  was  indicated  to 
Sakaida  Kakiyemon  of  Nankawarayama  (who  had,  it  is 
said,  served  his  apprenticeship  in  the  workshops  of 
Goroshichi,  a potter  of  the  house  of  Hideyoshi),  but  he 
failed  in  his  first  attempts.  It  was  not  till  the  aid  of 
Gosu  Gombei  had  been  enlisted,  and  after  many  years  of 
research  and  repeated  experimental  trials,  that  Kakiye- 
mon succeeded.  The  productions  of  this  novel  fabrica- 
tion, very  similar  to  those  of  the  same  class  made  in 
China,  wei’e  exported  afterward  in  their  turn  into  this 
last  country  from  the  port  of  Nagasaki. 

In  the  period  Kuam-hun  (1661-72)  a Prince  Date,  of 
Sendai,  sent  to  Arita  a porcelain  dealer  of  Yedo,  of  the 
name  of  Imariya  Gorobei,  to  order  some  things  to  be 
made  there.  He  took  back  with  him,  after  two  years’ 
stay  in  this  place,  some  articles  made  by  Tsuji  Kizaye- 
mon,  who  had  the  reputation  of  being  a clever  potter. 
The  articles  were  offered  by  Prince  Date  at  the  court  of 
the  emperor,  and  Kizayemon  was  afterward  appointed 
imperial  purveyor  and  commissioned  to  send  an  annual 
supply  to  the  court.  The  vases  sent  to  Kyoto  for  the 
personal  use  of  the  sovereign  were  painted  with  chrys- 
anthemum-flowers, the  arms  of  his  house,  and  decorated 
with  flying  storks,  emblems  of  longevity  according  to 
Japanese  symbolism.  The  grandson  of  Kizayemon,  Ki- 
heiji,  Avho  became  in  his  turn  court  potter,  was  honored 
with  the  official  title  of  ^^Hidachi  no  Daijo.”  It  was  he 
who  is  said  to  have  accidentally  discovered  the  use  of 
seggars.  He  employed  two  kinds,  the  ordinary  cylindri- 
cal cases  piled  in  columns,  in  which  the  more  common 
pieces  were  fired,  and  separate  seggars  covered  with  lids. 


* It  is  uncertain  whether  the  term  “ metals”  {kane)  used  here  refers  to  gold 
and  silver  only,  or  comprises  other  metal  oxides  as  well,  so  as  to  denote  enamel 
color  generally. 


THE  PRINCIPAL  CERAMIC  ' WARES  OF  JAPAN. 


739 


the  joints  of  which  were  luted  so  as  to  be  hermetically 
sealed,  and  which  had  to  be  broken  when  the  baking 
was  completed.  Tsuji  Katsuzo,  a descendant  of  Kibeiji, 
is  one  of  the  cleverest  manufacturers  of  the  present  day, 
and  is  specially  skilled  in  piei’ced  work,  specimens  of 
which  have  been  shown  by  him  in  the  international 
exhibitions.  He  is  also  one  of  the  court  purveyors,  and 
is  besides  a leading  member  of  the  Koransha,”  a com- 
pany recently  founded  at  Arita  to  encourage  foreign  ex- 
port. There  is  now  a technical  school  at  Arita,  which 
was  established  in  1880,  to  teach  the  ceramic  art  in  all 
its  branches,  and  to  foster  the  so-called  modern  impi'ove- 
ments,  which  threaten  to  replace  the  individual  touch 
which  has  always  been  the  chief  charm  of  Japanese  art, 
by  mechanical  perfections  of  machinery  and  plaster-of- 
Paris  molds,  and  by  the  use  of  the  most  recondite  chemi- 
cal colors  of  the  grand  feu  of  Sevres. 

The  situation  of  the  province  of  Hizen,  immediately 
opposite  the  coast  of  Korea,  made  it  the  chief  medium  of 
the  introduction  of  improvements  in  the  ceramic  art  of 
Japan  at  a time  when  dii’ect  intercourse  between  Japan 
and  China  was  interrupted.  Its  ports  have,  at  the  same 
time,  been  the  means  of  its  export  from  Japan  to  the 
outer  world.  The  Portuguese  made  their  first  appear- 
ance there  in  the  year  1542,  but  we  hear  nothing  of  the 
import  of  porcelain  into  Europe  by  them,  or  by  the 
Spaniards.  The  Dutch  came  in  1609,  sent  a deputa- 
tion to  Yedo  to  the  Shogun  lyeyasu,  and  were  given 
authority  by  him  to  trade.  They  established  their  first 
factory  at  Hirado  in  the  following  year,  and  after  the 
expulsion  of  the  Portuguese  a few  years  later  the  mo- 
nopoly of  the  foreign  trade  remained  in  their  hands, 
with  occasional  interruptions,  until  Commodore  Perry’s 
expedition  in  1853.  The  Dutch  were  established  at 
Nagasaki  in  1640,  when  they  occupied  the  small  island 


740 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


of  Deshiina,  and  were  allowed  some  minor  facilities  for 
trade.  This,  together  with  a like  limited  arrangement 
with  the  Chinese,  was  the  sole  foreign  intercourse  al- 
lowed by  Japan  for  more  than  two  centuries. 

China  was  devastated  by  the  invasion  of  the  Manchu 
Tartars  in  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century,  and 
the  porcelain  factories  at  Ching-te-chen  were  practically 
closed  for  more  than  fifty  years,  which  cut  off  the  sup- 
plies which  the  Dutch  wanted  for  Europe.  This  led 
them  to  foster  the  new  industry  in  Japan,  and  Imari 
became  the  chief  source  of  the  export  of  porcelain  till  the 
Ching-te-chen  factories  were  opened  again  in  the  early 
part  of  the  reign  of  K''ang-lisi  (1662-1722).  The  porce- 
lain made  under  their  auspices  in  Chinese  style  was 
decorated  with  Chinese  subjects  and  inscribed  very  often 
with  marks  of  the  Ming  dynasty  of  China. 

Typical  specimens  of  this  “ old  Japan  ” Imari  class 
have  been  illustrated  in  colors  in  Plates  XCV,  XCVII, 
XCVIII,  XCIX,  and  CV,  and  need  not  be  further  de- 
scribed. Two  more  examples  are  shown  in  Fig.  398, 
a large  circular  dish  with  a floral  decoration  of  the  kind 
that  has  earned  for  the  class  the  name  of  famille  clirysan- 
themo-peoniennej  and  a tall  jar  (Fig.  399)  decorated  with 
figure  subjects  and  panels  of  pierced  trellis-work. 

Round  Dish,  twenty-two  indies  in  diameter  (Fig.  398),  deco- 
rated with  nnderglaze  cobalt-blue  in  combination  with  enamel  color 
and  gilding.  The  center  is  filled  with  a basket  standing  upon  a 
railed  balcony  containing  a formal  bouquet  of  peonies  and  cherry- 
blossom  flanked  by  two  birds.  The  border  is  decorated  with  sprays 
of  chrysanthemums,  interrupted  by  lambrequins  containing  alter- 
nately peonies  and  butterflies  displayed  in  colors  upon  backgrounds 
of  mottled  blue.  The  under  edge  is  decorated  with  three  sprigs  of 
plum-blossom.  There  is  no  date  inscribed  underneath,  but  a num- 
ber of  large  “ spnr-marks  ” are  visible  on  the  glaze. 

Jar,  with  cover,  thirty-one  inches  high  (Fig.  399),  of  ovoid  form 
with  rounded  octagonal  section,  painted  in  underglaze  cobalt-blue 


THE  PEIHCIPAL  CERAMIC  WARES  OF  JAPAN.  741 


of  full  tone  filled  in  with  enamel  colors  and  gilding.  The  shoulder 
of  the  jar  and  the  vault  of  the  cover  are  pierced  witli  alternated 
lozenges  and  medallions  of  trellis-work,  interrupting  mottled  blue 
bands,  overlaid  with  scrolls  penciled  in  gold.  The  rims  are 
encircled  by  similar  bands  of  blue  and  gold,  three  in  number, 
interrupted  by  smaller  panels  of  the  same  shape  painted  alternately 
with  sprays  of  peony  and  storks.  The  blue  bands  are  succeeded  by 
narrower  bands  of  floral  sprays  upon  a white  ground.  The  floral 
bands  inclose  the  main  decoration  of  the  jar,  which  consists  of  four 
panel  pictures  of  Japanese  execution  in  Chinese  style.  Two  of 
these  panels  contain  outdoor  scenes,  with  figures  standing  on  a 
balcony  and  horses  in  a meadow;  the  other  two  are  filled  with 
formal  vases  of  flowers. 

The  two  smaller  pieces  shown  in  Figs.  400  and  401  are 
still  more  markedly  inspired  by  Chinese  models,  the  first 
being  shaped  in  the  form  of  the  fish-dragon  (^yu-lung^, 
the  well-known  symbol  of  literary  genius  and  success  ; 
while  the  second,  although  of  more  modern  date,  might 
almost  be  mistaken  for  a specimen  of  the  old  famille 
verte  of  the  K^ang-lisi  epoch. 

Water- Vessel  for  the  writer’s  table  (Fig.  400),  seven  and  a 
quarter  inches  high,  molded  in  the  shape  of  a fish  with  a two- 
horned dragon’s  head,  its  tail  curved  as  if  leaping  from  the  water. 
Additional  support  is  afforded  by  one  of  the  posterior  fins,  and  by 
a tassel  suspended  from  a cord  which  passes  through  the  dragon’s 
mouth.  The  details  are  painted  in  dark  cobalt-blue;  the  project- 
ing fins  of  the  fisli-body,  as  well  as  the  bullock-like  horns  and  the 
lons^  mustacliios  of  the  drao^on  head,  are  enameled  black  overlaid 
with  gold.  There  is  a mark  written  in  the  same  underglaze  blue 
within  the  throat  with  the  inscription  Ta  Ming  Chia-ching  nien 
chih — i.  e.  ,“Made  in  the  reign  of  Chia-ching  (1522-66)  of  the 
Great  Ming  [dynast}^],”  but  this  piece  is  evidently  a Japanese  pro- 
duction of  the  fifteenth  century. 

Sake-Pot,  of  quadrangular  section  (Fig.  401),  eight  inches  high, 
enameled  in  colors.  It  is  covered  with  a scrolled  ground  of  dark 
green  penciled  with  black  lines  inclosing  chH-lin^  conch-shells,  and 
scattered  plum-blossoms,  filled  in  with  deep  red,  pale  yellow,  and 


742 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


manganese  purple.  A border  of  crested  waves  extends  in  wliite 
reserve  round  the  bottom,  and  the  rims  are  touched  with  yellow- 
brown.  Tliere  is  a mark  penciled  in  blue  underneath  in  Japanese 
style,  with  the  inscription  Fu  hi  cho  mei^  “ Riches,  rank,  and  long 
life!  ” a reproduction  of  the  common  Chinese  mark  Fu  kuei  cJi’ang 
ming. 


The  next  kilns  to  be  noticed  in  the  province  of  Hizen 
are  those  of  Okawaji  (or  Okochi).  This  was  the  private 
factory  of  the  princes  of  Nabeshima.  The  kilns  were 
first  established  at  Iwayagawa,  close  to  the  Arita,  in  the 
period  Kio-liio  (1716-35),  but  were  moved  afterward  to 
their  present  site,  and  their  productions  were  ordered  to 
be  reserved  entirely  for  the  prince’s  own  use  or  for  pres- 
entation purposes,  their  sale  being  strictly  prohibited. 
Great  care  was  tafen  in  the  refining  of  the  clay  and  in 
the  enamel  decoration,  which  is  distinguished  by  the 
prevalence  of  clear  pale  tones  contrasting  excellently 
with  the  pure  white  paste,  a light  red  color,  almost 
orange,  being  especially  characteristic.  There  is  never 
an  excess  of  ornament,  and  the  style  closely  resembles 
that  of  the  earlier  Imari  productions  which  have  been 
I’eferred  to  under  the  name  of  famille  artistique^  and  are 
sometimes  known  as  the  genre  Kakiyemon,  The  designs 
are  generally  somewhat  stiff  and  conventional,  but  charm- 
ins:  medallions  are  found  with  well-drawn  birds  and  ani- 
mals  and  delicately  executed  floral  sprays.  Among  the 
productions  of  this  factory  selected  for  especial  notice  are 
a variety  of  tea-bowls  and  sake-cups  of  delicate  texture 
known  as  kusliite^  “ comb-teeth,”  because  they  were  orna- 
mented with  decorative  borders  composed  of  closely  set 
parallel  lines  resembling  the  teeth  of  a comb. 

The  example  of  Okawaji  ware  shown  in  Fig.  390  is  of 
rough  type  and  more  rustic  aspect.  It  is  a sake-bottle 
{tokuri)  nine  inches  high,  of  oval  bladder-like  form  with 
irregularly  compressed  sides,  coated  with  a glaze  of 


THE  PKINCIPAL  CERAMIC  WARES  OE  JAPAN. 


743 


greenish  celadon  color,  deeply  crackled  throughout  with 
a network  of  dark-brown  lines.  The  foot-rim  is  iron- 
gray  of  a reddish  tint.  It  is  decorated  in  enamel  colors 
of  subdued  tone,  in  combination  with  touches  of  gold, 
Avith  a maple-tree  in  autumn-tinted  foliage,  and  an  old 
man  standing  on  a walk  underneath,  holding  in  his  hand 
a screen  fan  mounted  upon  a long  handle.  The  date  is 
said  to  be  about  1750. 

The  celebrated  Hirado  ware  ranks  as  another  of  the 
ceramic  productions  of  the  province  of  Hizen.  It  is  also 
known  as  Mikawaji-yaki,  from  the  name  of  the  district 
Avhere  it  is  made,  some  fifteen  miles  south  of  Arita. 
The  kilns,  Avhich  are  still  Avorking  to-day  in  the  village 
o^  Oriose,  Avere  originally  called  Hirado-gama,  or  Hi- 
rado kilns.”  They  Avere  founded  by  Sannojo  and  his 
son  Jo-en,  Avho  established  themselves  at  Oriose,  in  the 
Keicho  period  (1596-1614).  Sannojo  was  a son  of  one 
of  the  Koreans  Avho  followed  the  Prince  of  Hirado  of  the 
house  of  Matsura  on  his  return  from  the  Korean  expedi- 
tion, and  Avho  had  previously  set  up  kilns  at  Nakano,  in 
the  district  of  Matsura,  under  the  patronage  of  this 
prince.  Jo-en  made  a blue  and  white”  (so7netsuke) 
faience  from  materials  Avhich  he  discovered  at  Egami. 
Several  of  his  descendants  moved  afterAvard  to  KiAvara 
and  Enaga,  AA^hich  became  known,  Avith  Oriose,  as  the 
“ Three  Porcelain  Hills  ” of  Hirado. 

The  industry  made  great  progress  in  the  period  Slwtoku 
(1711-15),  thanks  to  a native  of  the  locality  named 
Yokoishi  Toshichibei,  Avho  made  the  first  fine  porcelain 
by  mixing  tlie  earth  previously  used  Avith  another  kind 
obtained  by  him  from  Amakusa. 

It  took  a neAA^  stride  in  advance  after  the  establishment 
in  the  period  Horeki  (1751-63)  of  neAv  kilns,  Avliich  the 
Prince  of  iMatsura  reserved  exclusiA^ely  for  the  making  of 
articles  intended  for  his  oaaui  use,  or  for  presents  to  the 


744 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


Shogun  at  Yedo,  or  to  his  daimyo  friends.  Among  the 
pieces  made  at  these  private  kilns,  a favorite  decoration 
M^as  a sketch  of  Karako  Chinese  boys  ”)  playing  around 
pine-trees.  These  are  described  by  Japanese  connoisseurs 
as  real  works  of  art,  the  finest  representing  a group  of 
seven  children,  the  others  either  five  or  three.  Another 
class  of  pieces  decorated  with  relief  work  of  marvelously 
delicate  execution  are  not  less  appreciated 'by  Japanese 
collectors. 

An  illustration  of  the  Karako  decoration  is  presented 
in  Fig.  402.  It  is  a cake-dish  (^KasJiizara),  nine  and 
a half  inches  across,  of  quadrangular  outline  with  the 
corners  beveled  off,  and  a nearly  flat  surface  gently 
sloping  from  the  straight  rim,  painted  in  soft  tones 
of  grayish-blue,  with  the  sketch  of  a garden  scene  dis- 
playing a group  of  seven  boys,  in  Chinese  dress,  quarrel- 
ing over  an  interrupted  game  of  go  under  the  shade  of  a 
spreading  pine.  Fig.  386  may  be  referred  to  as  another 
instance  of  the  same  decoration.  It  represents  a small 
incense-burner  with  a pierced  outer  casing,  through  the 
interstices  of  which  can  be  seen  a picture  of  five  children 
playing  in  a garden,  painted  in  blue  upon  the  inner 
cylinder,  while  a pine-tree  spreads  its  branches  in  solid 
relief  across  the  open  grating  of  the  cover. 

The  blue  of  the  Hirado  porcelain  is  a soft  grayish-blue, 
specially  attractive  from  the  purity  and  perfect  harmony 
of  its  shaded  tones.  It  excels  in  these  respects  the 
productions  of  all  the  other  Japanese  kilns,  in  which 
European  smalt  is  often  used,  the  result  being  a darker 
and  more  solid  color,  but  one  with  little  gradation  of  tone. 
The  Chinese  mineral,  a cobaltiferous  ore  of  manganese, 
was  imported  for  use  in  the  Hirado  kilns,  that  found 
in  the  province  of  Chekiang  being  preferred  by  the  Japa- 
nese, as  it  is  by  the  Chinese,  to  any  other.  The  nod- 
ules, imported  in  the  raw  state,  were  roasted  in  the 


THE  PRINCIPAL  CERAMIC  WARES  OF  JAPAN. 


745 


furnace,  and  raucli  depended  upon  the  skill  of  the  expert 
whose  duty  it  was  to  pick  out  the  best  pieces  after 
roasting.  Althougli  the  same  material  is  used  in  Japan 
as  in  China,  there  is  generally  a peculiar  difference  in 
tone  in  the  blue  of  old  Japanese  porcelain,  which  seems 
to  be  pai’tly  absorbed  into  the  glaze  instead  of  being 
under  it,  while  the  glaze  itself  looks  softer.  The  blue, 
thougli  put  on,  as  in  China,  before  the  glaze,  was  painted 
in  Japan  on  the  clay  after  it  had  received  a preliminary 
firing,  the  principal  firing  taking  place  after  the  glaze 
had  been  added.  The  different  appearance,  distinguish- 
ing it  from  the  Chinese,  is  probably  caused  by  the 
materials  being  less  hard  and  more  absorbent,  the  same 
cause  necessitating  the  first  slight  firing,  which  Japanese 
poi’celain  always  undergoes. 

Hirado  porcelain  and  its  different  processes  of  decora- 
tion are  well  represented  in  our  colored  plates.  The 
ordinary  blue  and  white  is  illustrated  in  Plate  CX,  Fig. 
1,  and  Plates  CXI  and  CXIII;  in  combination  with 
relief  work  in  slip  in  Plate  CX,  Fig.  2 ; in  combination 
with  more  salient  molding  in  relief  and  with  delicate 
. pierced  work  in  the  beautiful  censer  on  Plate  CXII.  This 
last  piece  exhibits  the  ordinary  style  of  the  mark,  being 
inscribed  underneath  in  minute  script  with  the  potter’s 
name  and  that  of  the  locality,  Made  at  Mikawaji  in 
Hirado.”  The  quaint  originality  of  Japanese  fancy  is 
seen  in  some  of  the  forms.  The  wide-mouthed  beaker, 
for  example,  in  Plate  CXIII,  is  a molded  version  of  the 
familiar  fable  of  the  frog,  the  Japanese  emblem  of  per- 
severance and  success,  its  two  handles  being  fashioned 
in  relief  as  frogs  leaping  up  from  the  waves  which  curl 
round  the  bowl  of  the  vase,  into  the  branches  of  willow 
which  sweep  down  from  its  upper  rim.  Who  but  a 
Japanese  wmuld  make  a censer  in  the  shape  of  a pnppy 
with  a movable  head  for  the  introduction  of  the  incense. 


746 


OKIENTAL  CEEAMIC  AET. 


as  shown  on  Plate  CX  ? He  has  substituted  this  for  the 
Buddhist  canonical  form  of  a lion,  which  figures  as  a 
guardian  of  the  law,  in  the  spirit  of  ridicule  which  leads 
him  so  often  to  caricature  his  deities  in  pictorial  art. 

An  example  of  white  Hirado  porcelain  is  presented  in 
Plate  CIX,  a gourd-shaped  sake-bottle  with  chrysanthe- 
mum sprays  worked  in  slight  relief  in  the  paste  and 
finished  wdth  the  graving  tool  under  soft-looking  glaze. 
Among  the  most  cherished  productions  of  these  kilns  are 
the  small  globular  incense-burners,  with  pierced  outer 
casings  and  openwork  covers,  of  which  one  is  illustrated 
in  Fig.  403.  It  is  a miniature  Tc^dro  two  and  three  quar- 
ter inches  high,  delicately  carved  in  a trellis  pattern  of 
charming  design  and  wonderfully  minute  workmanship, 
enameled  with  a pale  celadon  glaze  of  gray-green  tones. 
Inclosed  in  a trellis-work  are  two  circular  medallions 
containing  a crest  of  three  converging  mallow-leaves,  the 
badge  of  the  famous  Tokugawa  family  which  ruled  Japan 
from  1603  to  1868,  under  the  title  of  Shogun,  and,  be- 
sides, supplied  daimyos  for  many  of  the  feudal  princi- 
palities. The  porcelain  trellis-work  cover  is  surmounted 
by  a tin}^  bow.  A companion  incense-burner,  which  is 
illustrated  in  Fig.  391,  has  the  trelbsed  casing  interrupted 
by  three  sprays  of  chrysanthemum-flowers  modeled  in 
slight  relief,  instead  of  crests,  and  an  openwork  lid  of 
silver. 

The  statuette  of  Sakyamuni  Buddha,  which  is  illus- 
trated in  Fig.  404,  is  a production  of  the  Hirado  kilns 
of  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century,  and  is  painted  in 
blue  with  touches  of  brown  and  black.  It  is  a standing 
figure,  eleven  inches  high,  modeled  in  the  traditional 
lines,  dressed  in  long,  flowing  robes  with  wide  hanging 
sleeves  which  are  painted  in  blue  of  lighter  and  darker 
shades,  with  the  head  encircled  by  a sweeping  halo  which 
is  colored  yellow-brown,  and  holding  an  alms-bowl  of  the 


THE  PRINCIPAL  CERAMIC  WARES  OF  JAPAN.  747 


same  tint.  The  face,  the  neck,  and  the  bare  feet  are 
reserved  en  biscuit^  the  ears  are  characteristically  en- 
larged, and  the  forehead  has  the  urna  mark  of  a Bodhi- 
sattva.  The  hair,  which  is  arranged  in  close  spiral  curls, 
is  gray-black,  while  the  ushnislia  which  projects  in  the 
middle  of  the  hair  is  enameled  white.  Tlie  pedestal  is 
molded  in  two  pieces  in  the  form  of  a lotus  thalamus, 
surrounded  by  rings  of  petals  worked  in  relief,  and 
marked  above  with  a circlet  of  seeds,  and  is  coated  with 
a whiter  glaze  of  slightly  greenish  tone.  The  story  is 
told  in  Nagasaki  that  one  of  the  hereditary  daimyos  of 
Hirado,  who  lived  over  a hundred  years  ago,  was  cured 
of  a malady  by  a pilgrimage  to  a shrine  at  the  top  of 
Fujiyama,  and  that  each  year  for  the  rest  of  his  life  he 
sent  a party  of  his  retainers  to  the  sacred  volcano  Avith  an 
ex-voto  offering  of  one  of  these  figures,  which  he  ordered 
to  be  made  for  the  purpose  at  his  porcelain  factory  at 
MikaAvaji. 

Colored  enamels  Avere  occasionally  employed  in  the 
decoration  of  Hirado  porcelain,  either  in  combination 
Avith  the  blue,  or  by  themselves.  The  usual  coloi-s  are 
of  subdued  rather  than  brilliant  tints,  compi’ising  a rus- 
set-broAvn,  a pale  clear  green,  and  a straAV-yellow.  The 
Amse  shown  in  Fig.  405  is  a production  of  these  potteries, 
and  is  referred  to  their  palmy  period,  the  second  half  of 
the  eighteenth  century.  It  is  a floAver-vase  (Jiana-ihe), 
eleven  inches  high,  Avith  a floral  decoration  relieved  by  a 
russet  ground  broken  by  a broad  band  of  Avhite  round 
the  middle.  This  band,  Avhich  is  enameled  AAdiite  of 
greenish  tone,  extends  round  the  loAver  half  of  the  Avide 
cylindrical  neck,  and  from  the  two  sides  project  loop 
handles  springing  from  the  mouths  of  grotesque  unicoi'n 
dragons,  the  parts  of  tlie  neck  to  Avhich  the  handles  are 
attached  being  modeled  in  sliglit  relief  under  the  glaze 
Avith  a Avavy  pattern  mingled  Avith  scrolls  of  clouds. 


748 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


The  floral  decoration  consists  of  foliated  scrolls  starting 
from  two  large  conventional  flowers,  one  of  which  is  dis- 
played upon  the  front,  the  other  upon  the  back,  of  the 
globular  body  of  the  vase.  The  idealized  blossoms  rep- 
resent those  of  the  sacred  Indian  lotus  {Hsi  Fan  lien^ 
of  Chinese  art,  which  the  Japanese  call  Fara-husa — i.  e., 
Chinese  plant.”  Light  chains  of  rectangular  fret  deflne 
the  borders  of  the  floral  bands  and  complete  the  decora- 
tion. The  bottom  is  overlaid  with  a black  silver  plate ; 
the  mark,  if  there  be  any,  is  concealed. 

IV.  SATSUMA. 

Whatever  title  to  ceramic  celebrity  Japan  may  base 
upon  her  porcelain  productions,  it  is  for  her  pottery  she 
will  be  longest  remembered,  and  of  that  pottery  the  first 
place  belongs  incontestably  to  the  Satsuma  faience.  The 
word  Satsuma  is  nearly  as  well  knowm  to  us  as  the  word 
Japan,  and  it  is  familiar  not  so  much  for  its  brilliant 
achievements  in  the  past,  for  the  grand  part  it  took  in 
the  war  of  restoration,  or  for  its  tragic  rebellion  after- 
ward, as  for  the  peculiar  type  of  faience  which  it  pro- 
duces. Its  soft-looking  ivory-colored  glaze  with  its  deli- 
cately crazed  surface  provides  the  most  charming  back- 
ground for  decoration  in  enamel  colors  that  can  be 
conceived,  while  the  texture  of  the  pate  so  close  and 
fine  that  it  can  hardly  be  distinguished  from  ivory.  No 
collection  is  considered  complete  without  a shelf  of  ^^old 
Satsuma,”  but  the  pieces  commonly  seen  abroad  differ 
essentially  fi*om  the  beautiful  faience  which  is  so 
highly  prized  by  Japanese  connoisseurs.  The  latter 
consists  generally  of  small  pieces,  cups,  incense-burners^ 
tea- jars,  figures,  and  the  like,  richly  but  chastely  deco- 
rated with  a spray  of  flowers  or  foliage,  occasionally  with 
a phoenix,  Chinese  lion  or  unicorn,  in  combination  with 


THE  PRHSrCIPAL  CERAMIC  WARES  OF  JAPAN.  749 

delicate  diapers  and  lightly  penciled  fret  borders.  The 
materials  were  carefully  selected  and  prepared,  the  pot- 
ting of  each  piece  was  perfect,  and  its  decoration  was 
executed  with  skill  and  precision,  so  that  the  ware  has 
been  justly  called  jeweled.”  The  ordinary  old  Sat- 
suma,”  on  the  contrary,  is  usually  of  indifferent  manu- 
facture, it  rings  with  a dull  note,  and  although  all  the 
resources  of  ingenuity  and  patience  may  be  lavished 
upon  its  decoration,  the  pains  are  often  lost,  as  the 
imperfectly  enameled  pigments  do  not  last,  and  the  thin 
wash  of  alloy  which  is  substituted  for  pure  gold  soon 
becomes  tarnished.  Elaborate  combinations  of  diapers, 
bouquets  of  brilliant  flowers,  armies  of  gorgeously 
appareled  saints,  peacocks  with  spreading  tails,  aud 
dragons  environed  by  golden  clouds — all  subjects,  in 
fact,  that  can  help  to  achieve  gaud  and  glitter — are 
employed  by  painters  who  have  long  since  abjured 
the  aesthetic  creeds  of  their  country.  The  Japanese 
tliemselves  scorn  the  preposterous  jars  and  huge  beakers 
which  And  no  purchasers  in  their  own  country.  They 
represent  neither  the  spirit  nor  fashion  of  true  Japa- 
nese art,  but  simply  the  wonderfully  adaptive  genius  of 
Japanese  artists.  Just  as  in  the  seventeenth  century 
the  Arita  potters  covered  the  old  Japan  ” ware  of  that 
time  with  Chinese  figures  and  mythological  monsters, 
interwoven  with  garlands  of  peonies  and  chrysanthe- 
mums, when  their  patrons  complained  that  their  own 
artistically  decorated  vases  had  not  flowers  enough  for 
the  Dutch  taste,  so  do  the  Satsuma  decorators  to-day 
crowd  their  old  Satsuma  ” with  mail-clad  warriors  and 
long  Buddhist  processions  to  satisfy  the  taste  of  the 
American  and  European  collector. 

But  much  of  this  “old  Satsuma”  is  not  even  Satsuma 
at  all.  It  is  Awata  faience  from  Kyoto  painted  in  con- 
ventional Satsuma  style,  or  some  othei*  modem  ware. 


750 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


fraudulently  painted  at  the  Shiba  kilns  in  Tokyo,  at  the 
Ota  kilns  near  Yokohama,  or  elsewhere.  If  it  is  a piece 
of  real  old  Satsuma,  decorated  subsequently  in  enameled 
colors  at  one  of  these  kilns,  the  deception  is  not  so  trans- 
parent. One  of  the  most  daring  frauds  of  recent  times 
was  attempted  in  London  in  1879,  when  a heterogeneous 
collection  of  modern  Ota  and  Shiba  pieces,  vases,  Tc^bro^ 
and  so  forth,  were  sold  by  auction  under  the  description 
of  rarest  old  Satsuma.”  A group  of  some  fifty,  de- 
scribed as  The  Papal  Pieces,”  were  stated  to  have  been 

prepared  for  the  Jesuit  priests’  expedition  from  Japan 
to  the  Holy  City,  under  special  auspices  of  the  Prince 
of  Bungo,  in  1582.  Francis  Xavier  himself  assisted  in 
the  selection  of  these  papal  offerings,  but  it  is  well 
known  that  the  collection  never  left  Japan,  but  was 
retained  by  the  prince  of  Bungo  in  his  fortress  during 
the  mission  slaughter,  after  which  it  was  publicly  shown 
as  relics  of  Catholic  devoteeship.”  Some  of  the  pieces 
were  stained  to  give  an  appearance  of  age;  others,  which 
had  been  broken  and  mended,  were  catalogued  as  bear- 
ing evidence  of  having  undergone  much  vicissitude  and 
hiding,”  and  so  on. 

It  would  be  tedious  to  refer  further  to  the  many  mis- 
conceptions that  have  arisen  on  the  subject.  For  the 
first  exact  information  we  are  indebted  to  Sir  Ernest 
Satow,  K.  C.  M.  G.,  now  H.  B.  M.  minister  at  Tokyo, 
who  visited  the  kilns  in  1877,^  and  whose  conclusions 
on  the  vexed  question  of  the  period  of  introduction  of 
the  nisliihi  style  of  decoration  in  enamel  colors  are  worth 
quoting.  Speaking  of  the  discovery  of  white  clay  in 
1624-40,  he  says  that  the  manufacture  of  white  Satsuma 
crackled  ware  dates  from  then,  but  for  a long  time,  he 
adds,  the  wares  appear  to  have  been  ornamented  very 

* The  Corean  Potters  in  Satsuma,  by  E.  Satow,  a paper  read  February  20, 
1878.  Transactions  of  the  Asiatic  Society  of  Japan,  vol.  vi,  partii,  Yokohama. 


THE  PRINCIPAL  CERAMIC  WARES  OF  JAPAN. 


751 


Sparingly  with  color,  and  he  considers  that  the  nisliild 
style  of  decoration  was  originated  in  the  period  of 
Ktvan-sei  (1789-1800)  by  Narinobn,  who  is  reported 
to  have  sent  two  of  his  artists  to  Kyoto  to  learn  the  art 
of  painting  figures,  landscapes,  and  set  patterns  in  this 
particular  style.  Another  view  is  that  the  use  of 
vitrifiable  enamels  and  gold  was  commenced  shortly 
after  the  discovery  of  the  white  clay,  about  1630,  that 
the  manufacture  subsequently  deteriorated  for  want  of 
patronage,  and  that  its  i*evival  at  the  end  of  the  eight- 
eenth century,  although  often  erroneously  described 
as  the  origin,  was  in  reality  only  the  renaissance  of 
Satsuma  enameled  faience. 

The  history  of  Satsuma  faience  is  an  epitome  of  that 
of  the  ceramic  industry  of  Japan  generally,  beginning 
with  the  introduction  of  Korean  potters,  who  discovered 
the  necessary  raw  materials  and  taught  the  technical 
elements  of  a handicraft  which  only  gradually  became 
artistic  under  the  inspiration  of  Japanese  genius.  Mr. 
Oueda.  (foe.  pages  62-74)  gives  a summary  account 
of  it,  which  we  will  follow.  Tlie  kilns  of  the  Satsuma- 
yaki  are  dispersed  at  different  points  throughout  the 
province.  The  largest  center  of  fabrication  is  at 
Kawashiro,  where  there  is  to-day  a very  considerable 
production.  Like  the  productions  of  other  factories 
which  abound  in  the  island  of  Kyusiu  (the  southern- 
most island  of  Japan,  of  which  the  provinces  of  Satsuma 
and  Osumi  form  the  southernmost  extremity),  the  Sat- 
suma wares  date  from  the  time  of  the  Japanese  expedi- 
tion to  Korea  {Bunrokv^  1592-95).  Shimazu  Yoshi- 
hiro,  daimyo  of  Satsuma,  brouglit  back  with  his  army 
seventeen  Korean  potters,  two  of  whom  ’were  named 
Hochu  and  Boku-Heii.  Some  of  the  potters  established 
themselves  with  the  first  named  in  the  quarter  Korai- 
Machi  (Korean  Street),  at  Kagoshima,  the  capital  of  the 


752 


OKIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


province;  the  others  at  Kushikino,  under  the  direction 
of  the  second.  They  all  came  afterward  to  settle  at 
Chosa,  in  the  adjoining  province  of  Osumi,  having  been 
summoned  to  this  place  by  Shimazu  Yoshihiro,  who 
had  his  residence  there.  This  prince,  a devoted  amateur 
of  the  Cha-no-yu,  ordered  from  the  Korean  potters 
a large  number  of  pieces  to  be  made  after  his  taste. 
They  were  composed  of  a fine-grained  clay,  with  a glaze 
colored  in  shades  of  blue,  yellow,  and  black ; the  most 
precious  had  a variegated  glaze,  called  Jakatsu,”  which 
is  defined  in  the  Man-po-zen-sho,”  published  in  1694,, 
as  a lizard-colored  enamel.  The  pieces  are  called 
Gohonde  (articles  with  the  honorable  seal),  which 
Yoshihiro  appreciated  most,  and  which  he  marked  with 
his  personal  seal.  When  the  daimyo  changed  his 
residence  to  Kajiki,  in  another  part  of  the  province  of 
Osumi,  he  sent  for  Hochu  to  come  to  Tatsu  no  Kuchi^ 
built  a factory  for  him  there,  and  charged  him  to  train 
the  workmen.  Kihei,  the  son  of  this  potter,  adopted  by 
order  of  the  prince  the  surname  of  Kawara  (i.  e.,  bank), 
from  the  situation  of  Tatsu  no  Kuchi  on  the  bank  of 
the  Kuro-Kawa.  After  the  death  of  Yoshihiro,  which 
occurred  in  the  Genwa  period  (1615-23),  Hochu  con- 
tinued to  carry  on  the  work  and  to  superintend  the 
potters.  His  family  divided  into  two  branches — Tobei, 
the  younger  son  of  Kihei,  surnamed  Kawara;  and 
Kozayemon,  his  elder  son,  Yamamoto.  Both  established 
themselves  in  the  second  year  of  Kwaribun  (1662)  at 
Tatsumonji.  The  Yamamoto  are  to-day  represented 
by  only  a single  family,  while  the  Kawara  count  as 
many  as  twenty-four. 

Tobei  had  a son  named  Juzayemon,  Avho  settled  at 
Oyamada.  His  son,  who  called  himself  Juzayemon 
Hoko,  was  a potter  of  great  merit.  In  the  fifth  year  of 
Meiwa  (1768)  he  worked  in  the  private  factory  of  the 


THE  PEINCIPAL  CERAMIC  WARES  OF  JAPAN.  75S 


princes  of  Shimazu  at  Tateno,  in  Kagoshima,  which 
he  left  ten  years  later.  Commissioned  by  the  prince 
of  this  house  to  go  to  Arita  to  finish  his  studies 
there,  he  resumed  his  industry  on  his  return  to 
Oyamada  in  the  eighth  year  of  Anyei  (1779) 
with  great  success.  In  the  fifth  year  of  Kwansei 
(1793),  after  having  visited  in  succession  the  prin- 
cipal ceramic  districts  of  the  provinces  of  Hizen 
and  Chikuzen,  he  went  to  Kyoto,  and  from  there  to 
the  province  of  Owari,  where  he  studied  the  fabrica- 
tion at  Ofukei  in  Nagoya.  Returning  again  to  Kyoto, 
he  formed  an  intimate  friendship  with  Kinkozan  Sobei, 
and  studied  with  him  the  processes  of  manufacture  of 
the  Kyo-yaki,  especially  of  the  Raku  wares.  The  travels 
of  Juzayemon  resulted  in  an  immense  progress  in  the 
industiy  at  Oyamada.  The  origin  of  the  fabrics  called 
Same-yaki  (Sharkskin  ware)  dates  from  the  time  of  this 
celebrated  artist. 

Boku-Heii  and  his  companions,  who  settled  at  first,  as 
we  have  seen,  at  Kushikino,  moved  their  workshops  in 
the  eighth  year  of  Keiclio  (1603)  to  Nawashiro.  In  the 
nineteenth  year  of  the  same  period  (1614)  Boku-Heii 
explored  by  order  of  Yoshihiro  his  territories  in  Satsuma 
and  Osumi  and  discovered  new  materials  required  for  the 
fabrication.  The  kilns  of  Nawashiro  jiroduced  thence- 
forward articles  resembling  the  work  of  Komogawa,  in 
Korea,  which  acquired  great  renown.  While  Boku- 
Heii  was  the  director  of  the  factories,  Yoshihiro  showed 
a vivid  interest  in  the  industry,  and  he  frequently  visited 
the  works,  which  under  his  patronage  lupidly  became 
important.  Here,  as  at  Chosa,  he  marked  with  his  per- 
sonal seal  those  pieces  which  he  found  to  his  taste,  and 
they  are  also  called  Gohonde.  The  artisan  population  of 
Nawashiro  rapidly  increased,  and  they  turned  out  suc- 
cessfully their  novel  vases  of  white  translucent  materials 


754 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


and  reproductions  of  the  genres  known  as  Hakeme, 
Mishima,  and  Sunkoroku.'^' 

The  factory  of  Nawashiro,  when  it  was  first  founded, 
included  in  its  personnel  the  Korean  Chin-Tokitsu,  a 
potter  full  of  talent.  His  son  and  successor,  Toju,  had  a 
son  Tokitsu,  the  second  of  the  name,  who  earned  by  his 
great  merit  the  name  of  To-ichi  (the  first  of  potters)  and 
a pension  bestowed  by  one  of  the  Shimazu  princes.  The 
present  fabricator,  Chin-Jukwan,  is  a descendant  in  the 
twelfth  generation  of  Tokitsu  I.  He  was  appointed  in 
1857  the  director  of  the  factories  at  Nawashiro,  with 
several  hundred  workmen  under  his  orders,  and  the  es- 
tablishment prospered  under  his  direction.  The  loss  of 
its  domains  by  the  house  of  Shimazu,  after  the  fall  of  the 
feudal  regime  in  1869,  paralyzed  the  industry  for  the 
moment  and  threw  the  workmen  into  misery.  Chin- 
Jukwan  succeeded  by  his  praiseworthy  efforts  in  rescuing 
them  from  their  difliculties,  and  in  assuring  independence 
for  the  enterprise  and  regular  work  for  the  potters.  The 
name  of  Gyoku  Kozan  is  that  which  he  has  adopted  since 
this  epoch. 

The  factory  of  Tateno,  at  Kagoshima,  was  founded  in 
the  period  Kwanyei  (1624-43).  This  was  another  pri- 
vate establishment  of  the  princes  of  Shimazu.  The  most 
skillful  artist  of  this  factory  was  Kono-Sanyemon,  who 

*In  1878,  according  to  the  official  report  of  the  Paris  Exposition,  the  Korean 
potters  at  Nawashiro  numbered  five  hundred  families,  including  fourteen  hun- 
dred and  fifty  individuals,  all  carrying  on  the  industry  of  their  ancestors. 
Never  having  married  any  but  Korean  women,  they  are  said  to  have  retained 
their  distinctive  type  and  language  and  many  of  their  old  manners  and  cus- 
toms. The  Hakeme  and  Mishima  wares  are  of  Korean  origin,  and  both  are  of 
the  'pdte  sur  jpate  class.  In  the  Hakeme  the  designs,  usually  in  white  slip  upon 
a gray  body,  look  as  if  executed  with  a brush  {hake).  The  Mishima,  which 
has  already  been  referred  to,  was  chased  and  inlaid  with  encaustic  sprays  of 
white,  gray,  or  black  color,  and  was  so  called  because  it  reminded  the  Japanese 
of  the  lines  of  idiographs  in  one  of  their  printed  almanacs.  The  Sunkoroku 
decoration  was  painted  in  browns  of  different  shades  in  simple  floral  and 
diapered  patterns.  The  origin  of  the  name  is  obscure. 


THE  PKINCIPAL  CERAMIC  WARES  OF  JAPAN.  755 


lived  in  tlie  period  Meiwa  (1764-71).  His  processes  of 
manufacture  were  those  of  Hochu.  His  productions 
were  crackled,  the  glaze  being  either  white  or  of  different 
colors.  In  the  Kwansei  period  (1789-1800),  Narinobu, 
prince  of  the  house  of  Shimazu,  had  gold  employed  in 
the  decoration,  and  the  new  productions  obtained  a great 
success  under  the  name  of  Nishikide,”  or  brocaded 
ware.”  They  were  superior  to  those  of  Hochu,  which 
are  valued  only  from  an  antiquarian  point  of  view.  It 
was  the  artists  of  Tateno  who  taught,  in  the  eleventh 
year  of  the  period  Tempo  (1840),  the  fabrication  of  the 
Nishikide  to  Boku-Sokuan,  son  of  Boku-Shoki,  of  Nawa- 
shiro,  where  this  decoration  was  heretofore  unknown. 
Sokuan  was  appointed  afterward  by  his  prince,  in  the 
first  year  of  Kokioa  (1844),  the  director  of  the  new  fac- 
tory of  Iso,  which  owes  its  beautiful  productions  to  this 
artist.  He  spent  one  year  there,  and  then  returned  to 
Nawashiro,  where  he  continued  to  carry  on  with  success 
the  fabrication  of  the  brocade-painted  wares.” 

The  decorated  Satsuma  was  never  made  in  large  quan- 
tities. It  was  from  the  first  an  article  de  luxe^  intended 
for  the  personal  use  of  the  daimyo,  or  as  presents  to  those 
he  wished  to  honor.  The  finest  enameled  pieces  were  the 
work  of  the  artists  of  the  Tateno  factory. 

The  productions  of  the  Satsuma  kilns  are  represented 
in  the  colored  illusti-ations  in  Plates  C,  Cl,  CH,  CVH,  and 
CVHI,  where  nine  specimens  are  figured.  The  compara- 
tively small  size  of  the  finer  and  older  pieces  is  shown  by 
the  fact  that  there  is  room  for  two  side  by  side  upon 
each  page,  except  in  Plate  CH,  and  this  last  vase,  deco- 
rated with  storks  flying  among  clouds  in  enamel  colors 
wdth  touches  of  gold  and  silver,  relieved  by  an  intensely 
black  ground,  is  certainly  the  most  recent  of  the  series. 
The  pictures  give  a good  general  idea  of  the  soft,  creamy 
tones  of  the  finely  crazed  grounds,  ranging  from  old  ivory 


756 


OKIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


to  vellum ; of  the  artistic  style  of  the  chaste  decoration 
with  graceful  floral  sprays  and  lightly  penciled  borders 
of  conventional  ornament;  of  the  harmony  of  coloring 
and  technical  flnish  which  distinguish  the  productions  of 
the  artists  who  worked  for  the  princes  of  Shimazu  at  the 
end  of  the  eighteenth  century  and  the  beginning  of  the 
nineteenth.  Not  a single  figure  is  to  be  seen,  and  there 
is  no  sign  of  the  mail-clad  warriors  and  Buddhist  pilgrims, 
or  of  the  profusion  of  goi’geous  colors,  such  as  mai*k  the 

old  Satsuma  ” which  is  painted  in  the  present  day  in 
Japan  in  such  quantities  for  the  export  ti’ade. 

The  earliest  piece  is  the  archaic-looking  teapot  in  Plate 
Cl,  where  the  crackled  ground  is  left  undecorated,  only 
clouded  and  stained  by  use  in  a way  that  reminds  one,  it 
has  been  aptly  said,  of  a tobacco-stained  meerschaum  pipe, 
and  Avhich  the  Japanese  collector  is  fond  of  bringing  out 
and  polishing  Avith  a soft  cloth  which  he  keeps  for  the 
purpose.  The  teacup  on  Plate  C is  also  undecorated, 
except  for  a splashed  line  of  overglaze  round  the  rim,  of 
deep  amber  tint,  laid  on  in  one  of  the  monochrome  enam- 
els used  at  Nawashiro  in  the  eighteenth  century.  The 
rest  of  the  pieces,  Avhich  are  decorated  in  the  Nisliihi  or 
brocade-painted  style,  are  sufficiently  described.  They 
all  belong  to  the  palmy  period  of  the  Satsuma  factories. 

The  other  Satsuma  pieces  shown  in  Figs.  392,  393,  395, 
406,  407,  408,  and  410  are  all  of  a type  similar  to  the 
above,  and  are  generally  referred  to  the  same  period — 
circa  a.  d.  1800. 

1.  Sake- Bottle  [Tohuri)^  eight  and  a lialf  indies  higli  (Fig. 
393),  of  cylindrico-ovoid  form,  tapering  to  a thin  neck  witli  a 
prominent  rounded  lip.  Decorated  in  subdued  enamel  colors  with 
formal  spra^^sof  the  kiri  [Pauloionia  imperialis)  with  grace- 

fully waved  tendrils.  A ring  of  slender  foliations  spreads  down 
from  the  neck,  alternately  greenish-blue  and  coral-red  touched 
with  gold.  The  flowers  are  of  the  imperial  type,  with  a spike  of 


THE  PRINCIPAL  CERAMIC  WARES  OF  JAPAN.  757 


seven  florets  rising  in  tlie  middle  flanked  by  two  spikes  of  five  florets; 
and  tlie  stopper,  which  is  of  silver,  is  molded  in  the  shape  of  a hiku 
flower  (ohrysanthemum),  the  imperial  crest  of  Japan. 

2.  Tea-Jar  ( Cha-tsuho),  three  and  a quarter  inches  high  (Fig. 
406),  of  regular  oval  form  with  rounded  lip,  painted  in  enamel 
colors  and  gilding,  with  a floral  brocade  ground  of  checker  pattern 
interrupted  by  two  foliated  medallions  containing  bunches  of  scarlet 
cherry  or  Pyrus  japonica  blossoms  enveloped  in  conventional 
scrolls,  a gadroon  band  round  the  foot,  and  a light  floral  scroll 
round  the  neck  completing  the  decoration.  The  old  cover  of  oxi- 
dized silver  is  fashioned  in  the  shape  of  a peltate  lotus-leaf  with  the 
stalk  at  the  top. 

3.  Small  Figure  [Okimo7io),  two  and  a half  inches  high  (Fig. 
395),  of  Hotei,  one  of  the  seven  beneficent  beings  of  the  Japanese 
Pantheon,  decorated  in  enamel  colors  with  gilding.  Hotei,  the 
Japanese  transcription  of  the  Chinese  Putai,  represents  Putai 
Hoshang,  the  “ Monk  with  the  Hempen  Bag,”  of  Chinese  Buddhist 
lore,  who  is  to  reappear  as  the  Buddha  of  the  coming  age,  so  that 
he  niav  be  stjded  the  Buddhist  Messiah.  With  shaven  head,  broad, 
smiling  face,  and  large  pendulous  ear-lobes,  his  cloak  loosel}-^  thrown 
back  so  as  to  leave  the  abdomen  as  well  as  the  right  shoulder  bare, 
he  is  modeled  here  in  the  traditional  Chinese  lines,  holding  the 
jewel  of  the  law  in  his  left  hand,  and  seated  beside  the  capacious 
bag  which  is  his  special  attribute.  His  robes  are  richly  embroidered 
with  gold  brocade,  and  his  bag  is  emblazoned  with  the  takara-mono, 
or  “ precious  things,”  as  symbols  of  the  gifts  he  has  to  bestow  upon 
his  votaries. 

These  symbols  are  as  frequent  in  Japanese  art  as  the 
po  or  hundred  antiques,  are  in  Chinese  art,  and  many 
objects  are  common  to  tlie  two  lists.  The  things  which 
occur  most  often  in  Japan  are : The  anchor,  an  emblem 
of  safety  ; a branch  of  coi*al  in  a vase,  symbol  of  rank 
and  lionor  ; rolls  {inakimono)^  eitlier  a crossed  “ pair  ” 
rolled  up,  or  one  partially  unrolled  to  show  the  writing; 
a couple  of  bridges  for  the  lyre,  emblems  of  harmony; 
the  hammer  of  Daikoku,  which,  wielded  diligently,  ]iro- 
duces  wealth  ; the  spindle-shaped  w^eight  with  which  the 


758 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


tradesman  weighs  his  silver;  a pair  of  keys  of  the  go- 
down  in  which  precious  possessions  are  stored  ; two  rolls 
of  brocaded  silk,  or  nisliiki ; an  orange,  on  a leafy  twig, 
emblem  of  fruitfulness ; manifold  symbols  of  wealth, 
such  as  the  cowry,  or  ancient  shell-money,  the  copper 
cash  with  a hole  in  the  middle,  the  hotsubOj  a jar  full  of 
precious  things  to  be  buried  for  security,  a pile  of  gold 
hoban,  a chest  labeled  ‘^a  thousand  gold  pieces,”  bag- 
purses  of  money,  etc.  Articles  of  fairy  lore  are  the 
invisible  rain  cloak,  the  wide  hat  which  also  renders  its 
wearer  invisible,  and  the  feather  robe  of  supernatural 
beings.  Buddhist  symbols  include  the  three  precious 
jewels  of  the  law  emitting  effulgent  rays,  a pile  of  sacred 
jewels  heaped  upon  a stand,  a lion  with  its  forepaw  upon 
a jewel  {Sliisliidamd)  as  guardian  of  the  faith,  and  the 
palm-leaf  fan  of  the  pilgrim  saint.  The  rhinoceros  horn 
libation-cups  of  Cliinese  symbolism  have  become  in  Japan 
choji^  or  cloves,”  although  their  shape  often  belies  their 
new  name. 

4.  Miniature  Figure  ( Okimoiio)  of  Chinese  boy  [Karako),  with 
partly  shaven  head  (Fig.  40V),  the  liair  left  in  a topknot  and  two 
side  tufts,  in  a richly  brocaded  dress,  holding  up  a sacred  jewel.  A 
companion  Figure,  with  a palm-leaf  fan  in  one  hand,  is  shown  in 
Fig.  392. 

5.  Vase  [Hana-ike),  six  and  a quarter  inches  high  (Fig.  393), 
decorated  in  enamel  colors  and  gold,  with  borders  of  conventional 
ornament  round  the  rims,  inclosing  a selection  of  the  takara-mo7io 
enumerated  above  in  the  descrijition  of  Hotei,  mingled  with  floral 
sprays  of  chrysanthemum  and  plum  blossom,  and  with  branches  with 
twin  peaches,  the  symbolical  fruit  of  long  life. 

6.  Small  Incense-Burner  (Aero),  two  and  one  eighth  inches 
high  (Fig.  408),  of  bowl-shaped  outline  mounted  upon  three  scrolled 
feet,  with  an  outer  casing  painted  with  a minute  diaper  of  flowers 
inclosed  in  intei-lacing  circles,  interrupted  by  three  pierced  medal- 
lions containing  a spray  of  bamboo,  a stork,  and  a bear  supporting  a 


THE  PEINCIPAL  CEKAMIC  WAEES  OF  JAPAN.  759 

leaf-shaped  shield,  and  with  a dentated  rim  molded  as  three  tiers  of 
leaves. 

V.  Incense-Burner  (Koro),  six  and  a half  inches  broad  (Fig. 
410),  of  flattened  form,  with  a large  cover  modeled  in  the  shape  of 
an  ancient  Japanese  court  hat.  The  “ base  ” is  encircled  with  a 
diaper  of  triangular  fret  pattern;  the  “ cover  ” is  pierced  with  floral 
designs  and  decorated  in  the  intervals  with  sprays  of  scrolled  flowers 
enameled  in  colors  with  gilding. 

V.  KUTANI. 

The  last  ware  which  remains  for  consideration  is  that 
of  Kntani,  a name  almost  as  familiar  to  collectors  as 
those  of  Imari,  Hirado,  and  Satsuma.  Kntani  is  in  the 
province  of  Kaga,  on  the  west  coast  of  the  main  island  of 
Japan,  and  its  ceramic  productions  are  called  Kaga-yaki 
and  Kiitani-yaki  indifferently.  The  exact  date  of  the  ori- 
gin of  the  factory  is  not  known.  Mr.  Oueda  gives  in  the 
table  (see  pages  706  and  707)  the  period  Kwanyei 
(1624-43),  although  in  his  notes,  which  we  will  follow,  he 
says  that  the  origin  of  the  Kutani-yaki  dates  back  to  the 
period  Keian  (1648-51).  It  was  Mayeda  Toshiharu, 
daimyo  of  the  town  of  Daishoji,  who  had  the  first  kilns 
constructed  in  the  village  of  Kutani  by  two  of  his  vassal 
Samurai  named  Goto  Saijiro  and  Tamura  Gonzayemon. 
The  materials  employed  in  the  early  wares  resembled 
those  of  the  stoneware  productions  of  Seto,  in  Owari,  but 
the  objects,  crude  and  ungraceful  in  form,  were  far  from 
equaling  those  of  this  great  ceramic  center. 

Toshiaki,  the  son  and  successor  of  Toshiharu,  with  a 
view  to  developing  the  industry  in  his  territory,  sent 
Goto  Saijiro  to  Arita,  in  Hizen,  in  the  period  Manji 
(1658-60)  to  study  the  processes  of  manufacture  in  use 
there.  Tlie  Arita  ^vorkmen  were  very  loath  to  impart 
their  secrets  to  a stranger,  but  he  served  as  a hired  menial 
in  the  house  of  a potter  for  more  than  three  years,  and 


760 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


became  initiated  in  all  the  details  of  the  art.  As  soon 
as  he  had  learned  all  he  could  he  fled  by  night,  and  his 
return  made  a new  era  for  the  ceramic  industry  of 
Kutani.  The  materials  found  at  Suizuka  were  used  by 
him  in  the  fabrication  of  his  finest  vases,  and  there  is  still 
to  be  seen  in  that  village  a porcelain^  pedestal  in  the  form 
of  a lotus  thalamus,  with  a seated  statue  of  Buddha  upon 
it,  which  is  one  of  the  objects  modeled  by  the  artist  at 
this  time. 

The  celebrated  painter  of  Kyoto,  Hisazumi  Morikage, 
happened  at  this  time  to  be  on  a visit  to  Kanazawa,  the 
chief  city  of  the  province  of  Kaga,  and  he  was  intrusted 
with  the  execution  of  the  designs,  and  contributed 
materially  to  their  beauty  and  renown.  Hence  the  name 
of  Morihage-shitaye — i.  e.,  Morikage  Sketches  ” — by 
which  they  are  still  known. 

The  early  wares,  known  afterward  as  Ko  Kutani 
(ancient  Kutani),  are  of  two  almost  distinct  varieties. 
The  first,  of  a grayish  faience  rather  than  porcelain, 
was  coated  with  lustrous,  full-bodied  glazes  of  the  demi- 
grand  feu^  green,  yellow,  and  purple,  the  former  pre- 
dominating ; the  decoration  usually  consisting  of  large 
flowers,  in  the  midst  of  fret  grounds  and  diaper  of  archaic 
pattern,  which  are  penciled  in  black  so  as  to  show 
through  the  green  or  yellow  enameled  surface.  This 
style  is  compared  by  the  Japanese  to  the  productions  of 
China  and  Kochi  (Annam),  and  it  was  evidently  inspired 
by  the  former  country.  The  second  variety  of  old 
Kutani  is  a milk-white  porcelain  which  is  compared  to 
old  Imari  ware,  and  may  almost  be  mistaken  for  it  some- 
times. The  most  characteristic  examples  are  to  be  distin- 
guished, however,  by  the  prevalence  of  a peculiarly  soft 
russet-red,  which  differs  essentially  from  the  hard,  full, 
brick-dust  red  of  the  old  Imari  ware.  The  Kaga  potters 
used  silver  much  more  freely  for  decorative  purposes  than 


THE  PRINCIPAL  CERAMIC  WARES  OF  JAPAN. 


761 


the  Hizen  potters,  while  they  relegated  underglaze  blue, 
on  the  contrary,  to  a more  subordinate  position. 

Tradition  says  that  the  perfection  of  their  results  was 
due  mainly  to  the  great  care  and  patience  devoted  to  the 
preliminary  preparation  of  the  materials,  that  the  mixing 
and  braying  of  the  coloring  materials  was  the  daily  task 
of  the  women  and  children  at  the  Kutani  potteries,  and 
that  the  rich  deep  red  of  the  older  periods  was  ground 
for  six  months  under  the  pestle  before  it  passed  into  the 
hands  of  the  painter. 

Although  the  early  Kaga  productions  were  so  highly 
appreciated,  the  manufacture  fell  into  decay  afterward, 
and  the  kilns  of  Kutani  were  abandoned  some  sixty  or 
seventy  years  after  their  foundation.  The  industry  was 
revived  in  the  seventh  year  of  Bunkwa  (1810),  by  Yoshi- 
daya  Hachiyemon,  a merchant  of  Daishoji,  who  rebuilt 
the  ancient  factories  and  reproduced  the  different  varie- 
ties of  the  old  productions.  This  was  the  renaissance  of 
the  ceramic  industry  of  Kutani.  In  the  eleventh  year  of 
the  same  period  (1814)  the  kilns  were  moved  to  Yama- 
shiro,  a locality  which  offered  greater  facilities  of  trans- 
port ; but  the  necessary  materials  were  still  brought  there 
from  Kutani  and  Suizuka.  The  new  fabrications  are 
called  Yoshidaya-yaki,  after  the  name  of  the  merchant 
who  revived  the  industry  that  had  almost  disappeared. 
They  rank  in  quality  immediately  after  the  Ko  Kutani, 

Yoshidaya  was  succeeded  by  Miyamotoya  Riyemon  in 
the  sixth  year  of  Tempo  (1835).  The  new  director  was 
assisted  by  the  painter  lidaya  Hachiroyemon,  who  revived 
the  art  of  decorating  in  gold  upon  the  red  ground  in  the 
characteristic  Kutani  style.  He  was  the  first  to  intro- 
duce the  Nishiki  style  of  decoration  into  these  potteries. 
The  porcelain  made  to-day  in  the  district  of  Komi  and  at 
Kanazawa  is,  generally  speaking,  very  similar  to  lidaya’s. 

During  the  last  years  of  the  feudal  period  the  house  of 


762 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


Mayeda,  of  Daishoji,  encouraged  the  local  industry  by 
large  grants  of  money,  and  engaged  Yeirakii  Zengoro,  the 
twelfth  of  the  famous  family  of  hereditary  potters  of 
Kyoto,  to  come  to  Yamashiro  to  superintend  the  work. 
This  potter,  whose  personal  name  was  Hozen,  arrived  in 
1863,  and  during  the  five  years  that  he  remained  a num- 
ber of  objects  were  made  in  the  Mnrande^  or  gold- 
brocaded,”  style,  of  finished  form  and  decoration,  and  fired 
in  the  kilns  that  were  called  after  him,  Yeiraku-gama. 
But  the  Yeiraku  kilns  were  closed  at  the  time  of  the 
revolution  in  1868. 

Porcelain  commonly  known  under  the  name  of  Kutani- 
yaki  is  made  in  several  other  localities  of  the  province  of 
Kaga,  within  the  districts  of  Enuma  and  Nomi.  The 
ceramic  productions  of  these  two  districts  are  generally 
classified  under  the  headings  of  Enuma  Kutani  and 
Nomi  Kutani.  The  names  of  many  celebrated  potters 
are  recorded  who  have  worked  in  these  factories,  but 
there  is  no  space  for  them  here.  Potteries  exist  in  the 
present  day  at  more  than  twenty  localities  in  the  district 
of  Nomi  alone.  It  is  in  these  that  the  porcelain  so  well 
known  abroad  as  Kaga-  Ware  is  made.  It  is  painted 
with  a profusion  of  designs  of  the  red  and  gold  type^ 
often  executed  with  the  delicacy  and  accuracy  of  a minia- 
ture painting,  but  the  gaudy  glitter  of  gilding  and  massing 
of  red  pigment  pall  after  a time  upon  the  least  fastidious 
taste.  The  Japanese  themselves  have  never  appreciated 
it,  and  the  potters,  fearing  the  inevitable  consequences  of 
the  monotony,  are  now  reviving  with  some  success  the 
richer  and  more  varied  methods  of  the  older  Kutani  dec- 
orations in  polychrome  enamels.  One  of  the  Kaga  pot- 
ters, Watano  Kichiji,  sent  to  the  Chicago  Exposition  in 
1893  a pair  of  large  vases  illustrating  this  revival.  They 
wei’e  covered  with  an  elaborate  and  boldly  designed 
decoration  of  hydrangea  flowers  and  leaves  in  full-toned 


THE  PRINCIPAL  CERAMIC  WARES  OF  JAPAN.  763 


and  brilliant  enamels,  purple,  blue,  and  green  on  a yellow 
ground.  Their  decorative  effect  was  fine,  and  they  were 
highly  praised. 

Kutani  porcelain  is  illustrated  in  Plates  CIII  and  CIV, 
and  the  pictures  give  a good  idea  of  the  peculiarly  soft 
tone  of  the  red  ground  in  the  old  pieces,  which  forms 
such  an  effective  background  for  the  decorative  scrolls 
painted  upon  it  in  gold  and  silver.  This  is  the  him^ande 
or  “ gold  brocade  ” decoration  of  ceramic  writers,  and  it 
is  evidently  inspired  by  the  silk  stuffs  interwoven 
with  designs  in  gold  and  silver  thread,  which  have 
been  made  on  the  looms  of  the  far  East  from  time 
immemorial,  and  of  which  one  of  the  favorite  grounds 
is  a soft  vermilion.  The  ceramic  designs,  too,  are 
those  of  the  old  silk  brocades  of  China  and  Japan : 
dragons  winding  through  crested  waves,  phoenixes  travers- 
ing scrolls  of  the  tree-peony,  conventional  bands  of  sacred 
lotus,  and  medallions  of  formal  flowers,  with  borders  of 
fret  pattern,  encircling  rings  of  lotus-petals,  chains  of 
beads  with  tassels,  and  the  like. 

No  large  vases  nor  purely  ornamental  pieces  seem  to 
have  been  made  in  the  Kutani  kilns  in  the  early  days, 
only  incense-burners  and  incense-boxes,  sake-bottles  and 
wine-cups,  bowls  and  dishes,  and  other  aidicles  of  daily 
use.  The  small  censer  in  Plate  CIII  and  the  first  rice- 
bowl  in  Plate  CIV  are  decorated  in  the  typical  style,  with 
gilded  and  silvered  designs  upon  the  red  ground ; the 
rice-bo^vl  in  Plate  CIII  is  decorated  besides  with  touches 
of  enamel  colors  of  subdued  tone,  including  a pale  green. 
The  three  pieces  are  referred  to  the  same  period,  about 
the  middle  of  the  last  century;  they  have  a buft’-colored 
or  grayish  and  are  enameled  red  underneath  the 

feet  as  well,  one  of  the  bowls  being  so  completely  coated 
that  none  of  the  pate  is  visible.  The  third  bowl  (Plate 
CIV,  Fig.  2)  is  somewhat  older,  being  attributed  to  the 


764 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. 


beginning  of  the  century.  It  is  of  thinner,  more  translu- 
cent material,  and  is  molded  in  the  interior  with  intri- 
cate floral  scrolls  and  fret  borders,  after  the  technique  of 
some  of  the  ancient  Chinese  porcelains,  while  the  rim  is 
mounted  with  a silver  collar  in  the  fashion  of  ancient 
Chinese  bowls  of  the  Sung  dynasty.  The  ground 
between  the  red  medallions  with  which  it  is  decorated 
outside  is  filled  in  with  the  so-called  yoraTc^ude  or  neck- 
lace” designs  of  the  Japanese  painted  in  enamels. 

Two  other  specimens  of  Kutani  ware  have  been  se- 
lected for  illustration.  The  censer  (Fig.  409),  which  is 
decorated  in  enamel  colors,  is  attributed  to  the  middle  of 
the  eighteenth  century.  The  bowl  (Fig.  411),  which  is 
artistically  decorated  in  brilliant  harmonious  colors  upon 
a characteristically  milk-white  ground,  is  of  earlier  datey 
and  may  well  be  ascribed  to  Morikage,  who,  we  have 
seen,  was  working  at  these  kilns  toward  the  close  of  the 
seventeenth  century. 

Incense-Burner  (IToro),  five  inches  high,  seven  and  a quarter 
inches  broad,  with  a rounded  body,  bulging  below,  mounted  upon 
three  short  legs  with  scrolled  feet,  and  with  two  handles  project- 
ing from  the  sides  molded  in  the  shape  of  grotesque  lions’  heads 
with  gilded  tongues  protruded  and  curled  at  the  tips.  The  surface 
of  the  bowl  is  painted  in  red,  green,  and  gold,  with  tiers  of  mallow- 
leaves  (aoi)  spreading  alternately  upward  and  downward  so  as  to 
cover  the  ground.  The  upper  rim  is  defined  by  a line  of  pale 
green,  succeeded  by  a band  of  curved  scrolls  in  colors,  and  the 
lower  border  is  encircled  by  a ring  of  rectangular  fret.  The  base 
is  unglazed,  with  no  marks  inscribed.  The  cover  is  made  of  lac- 
quered metal. 

Large  Bowl  (Domburi),  six  and  a half  inches  high,  six  and 
three-quarter  inches  in  diameter,  shaped  with  tall,  upright  sides 
slightly  swelling  at  the  rim,  and  a bandlike  foot  gently  spreading 
outward.  It  is  boldly  and  artistically  decorated  with  sprays  of  iris 
(shaga)  springing  from  the  base  outside  and  sweeping  upward  to 
extend  over  the  rim  and  ornament  the  interior  as  well  as  the  exte- 


THE  PKINCIPAL  CERAMIC  AVARES  OF  JAPAIST.  765 


riov  of  the  bowl  with  large,  brilliant  blossoms  and  broad  purple- 
tinted  green  leaves.  The  decoration  is  completed  by  a ring  of 
lozenge  fret  of  svastika  pattern  penciled  in  red  round  the  foot. 
Mark,  Fuku,  “ Happiness,”  in  black,  in  a small  square  panel,  over- 
laid with  a patch  of  translucent  purple  enamel. 

The  painting,  sketched  in  black  outline,  is  executed  in 
overglaze  enamel  colors  of  finely  crackled  texture,  won- 
derfully intense  in  tone  and  of  marked  iridescent  luster. 
They  include  a brilliant  green,  a purplish  blue  approach- 
ing turquoise  in  some  of  its  translucid  tints,  and  a soft 
red  derived  from  iron  peroxide,  in  combination  with  a 
few  touches  of  black.  The  general  effect  of  the  coloring 
is  magnificent,  and  one  is  almost  inclined  to  enshrine  this 
beautiful  bowl  as  a perfect  flower  of  the  ceramic  art  of 
J apan. 


\ 


APPENDIX. 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

I.  COLORED  PLATES. 

The  original  water-color  drawings  from  which  the  lithographic 
plates  were  reproduced  were  executed  by  Messrs.  James  and  J.  C. 
Callowhill,  of  Boston,  artists  whose  experience  as  color-designers 
in  one  of  the  great  English  potteries  gave  them  special  qualifica- 
tions for  the  work. 

Beaker-shaped  Yase  (Hua  JKu),  16^  inches  high,  enameled 
with  the  crackled  glaze  of  the  sang-de  hoeuf  mottled  tints  of  the 
celebrated  Lang  Yao.  It  exhibits  the  rich,  full  tones  of  the  cop- 
per-red, deepening  almost  to  black  upon  the  shoulder  of  the  vase. 
The  interior  is  coated  with  the  same  rich  red  glaze.  The  lip  is 
defined  by  a prominent  line  of  white,  and  the  foot  by  a rounded 
rim  of  purest  white,  projecting  beyond  the  “ biscuit  ” edge  below. 

The  base  is  invested  with  an  apple-green  enamel,  mottled  with 
clouds  of  typical  “ox-blood”  color.  Period  K'^ang-hsi  (1662- 
1722).  I. 

Plum-blossom  Jar  (J/e^  Hua  Kuan)^  of  globular  form,  with  a 
bell-shaped  cover,  decorated  in  brilliant  cobalt-blue  of  the  K'^ang- 
hsi  period  (1662-1722),  with  blossoming  branches  and  twigs  of  the 
floral  emblem  of  the  New  Year.  The  branches  spread  alternately 
upward  and  downward  on  the  four  sides  of  the  jar,  so  as  to  display 
their  white  blossoms  and  buds,  reserved  upon  a mottled  back- 
ground of  pellucid  blue,  which  is  covered  with  a reticulation  of 
darker  blue  lines  to  represent  cracking  ice,  a symbol  of  the  coming 
spring.  The  rim  is  ornamented  by  a castellated  border  ; a plain 
band  of  white  defines  the  edge  of  the  overlapping  cover.  The 
outer  surface  of  the  lip  surrounding  the  mouth  is  unglazed,  show- 
ing the  fine  white  “ biscuit,”  and  its  inner  side  is  onl\^  partiall}^ 
glazed — one  of  the  “ points”  of  the  best  “ hawthorn  jars  ” of  this 

767 


768  DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTEATIONS. 


period.  The  Chinese  offer  presents  of  fragrant  tea  and  preserved 
fruits  at  the  New  Year  in  jars  of  tl)is  kind,  and  the  plum  is  the 
floral  emblem  of  the  season.  II. 

Flower-Vase  [Hua  PHng),  enameled  with  the  typical  “peach- 
bloom  ” glaze,  and  displa^dng  a characteristic  play  of  color,  so  as 
to  resemble  as  far  as  possible  the  velvety  hues  of  the  bloom  of  the 
rind  of  the  ripening  peach.  A perfect  idea  of  the  charming  con- 
trast of  soft  shades  of  red  is  given  by  the  artist,  who  has  repro- 
duced the  vase  in  the  size  of  the  original,  and  has  attempted  to 
represent  the  finished  polish  of  the  surface  as  it  reflects  the  picture 
of  an  outside  scene.  The  reverse  of  the  vase  exhibits  a splash 
of  apple-green  in  the  midst  of  the  other  colors. 

The  “mark”  underneath,  beautifully  written  in  underglaze 
cobalt-blue,  consists  of  six  characters  in  three  columns,  Ta  ChHng 
K^ang-hsi  nien  chili — i.  e.,  “ Made  in  the  reign  of  K’ang-hsi 
(1662-1722),  of  the  Great  Ch’ing  [dynasty].”  III. 

Vase  10|  inches  high,  with  solid  spreading  foot  and 

tapering  above  to  a slender  tubular  neck,  enameled  with  a mono- 
chrome glaze  of  darkest  green  color,  the  gros  vert  of  the  French, 
the  ta  lu  of  Chinese  ceramists.  This  intense  ground  color  is  mot- 
tled with  clouds  of  varying  shade.  The  texture  of  the  glaze  is 
“ bubbly,”  and  the  surface  is  pitted  at  places,  especially  round  the 
base,  where  it  has  collected  in  superfluous  drops  which  have  been 
ground  down  on  the  lathe  after  the  piece  had ‘been  fired.  The 
base  is  coated  underneath  with  the  pure  white  enamel  distinctive 
of  the  K^ang-hsi  period  (1662-1722),  and  this  peculiarly  strong 
green  occupies  a foremost  rank  among  the  ceramic  productions  of 
this  unrivaled  reign.  IV. 

.Jar  [Kuan),  nine  inches  high  without  the  cover,  enameled  with 
a monochrome  glaze  of  imperial  yellow.  The  faint  horizontal  line 
in  the  middle  indicates  that  the  jar  was  originally  fashioned  upon 
the  wheel  in  two  pieces.  There  is  a mark  underneath,  written  in 
underglaze  cobalt-blue  in  large,  bold  characters,  Ta  ChHng  K'^ang- 
hsi  nien  chih~i.  e.,  “Made  in  the  reign  of  K’ang-hsi  (1662-1722), 
of  the  Great  Ch’ing  [dynasty].”  V. 

Club-shaped  Vase  (Pang-chih  PHng),  18|^  inches  high,  richly 
decorated  with  the  most  brilliant  enamel  colors  of  the  K’ang-hsi 
period  (1662-1722). 


DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS.  769 


The  decoration  is  arranged  in  four  panels,  the  two  upper  oblong 
with  rounded  indented  corners,  the  lower  shaped  like  ficus-leaves, 
displayed  upon  a ground  profusely  brocaded  with  flowers.  The 
front  panels  contain  pictures  of  a pomegranate-tree  with  a couple 
of  birds  perched  upon  it,  labeled  Tan  Hua^  ‘‘The  Vermilion 
Flower,”  with  the  artist’s  studio  seal.  Wan  shih  chu^  “ The 
M}u-iad  Rock  Retreat,’^  appended  ; and  of  a spray  of  chrysanthe- 
mum labeled  Chiao  Hua,  “ Fresh  Flowers.”  The  two  panels  behind 
contain  pictures  of  the  tree-peony,  with  birds  and  butterflies,  and  a 
similar  floral  spray  with  appropriate  stanzas  of  verse  signed  with 
the  same  seal. 

Tlie  floral  ground  is  composed  of  lotus-flowers,  Avith  coral-red 
blossoms,  purple  buds,  and  green  leaves,  mingled  with  leaves  of 
other  water-plants,  on  a pale-green  background  dotted  with  black. 
This  ground  is  overlaid  below  with  grotesque  figures  of  a lion 
guarding  the  wheel  of  the  Buddhist  law,  and  an  elephant  laden 
with  sacred  books  ; above,  the  characters  fu  (“  happiness  ”)  and  lu 
(“  rank  ”),  in  black,  relieved  by  sprays  of  prunus  flowers  in  shaded 
red.  The  character  (“  longevity  ”)  is  penciled  in  red  on  the 
two  sides  of  the  neck. 

A band  of  diaper,  interrupted  by  foliated  panels  containing 
censers,  and  a light  spiral  scroll  in  red  round  the  lip,  complete  the 
decoration.  VI. 

Flower-Vase  [Hua  PH7ig)^  fashioned  on  the  lines  of  the  peach- 
bloom  vases  (see  Plate  III),  with  the  same  two  white  rings  in 
relief  round  the  base  of  the  neck,  and  a similar  mark  underneath. 
It  is  covered  with  a celadon  monochrome  glaze  of  purest  sea-green 
tint  varying  in  tone  according  to  the  depth,  so  as  to  bring  out  the 
decorative  details  underneath,  which  are  worked  in  low  relief  in  the 
paste.  This  decoration  consists  of  a fringe  of  scrolled  and  crested 
waves  round  the  lower  part  of  the  vase,  from  which  project  the 
tails  and  a pair  of  three-clawed  feet  of  two  dragons,  the  remainder 
of  the  bodies  of  the  “ sea-serpents  ” being  concealed,  as  it  were,  under 
the  surface  of  the  rough  water.  The  mark  written  underneath  in 
cobalt-blue,  in  three  columns,  is  Ta  ChHng  K'‘ a^ig-hsi  nien  chih — 
“Made  in  the  reign  of  K’ang-hsi  (1662-1722)  of  the  Great  Ch’ing 
[dynasty].”  VII. 

Plate-shaped  Dish  [Kuo  P\m),  14  inches  in  diameter,  with  a 
broad  rim  and  a prominent  boss  in  the  middle,  painted  in  brilliant 
shaded  cobalt-blue  of  the  K\mg-hsi  period  (1662-1722). 


770  DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


The  raised  medallion  in  the  center  is  painted  with  a summer 
scene,  a group  of  four  ladies  on  a terraced  veranda,  gathering 
lotus-flowers  from  the  lake  below.  This  is  surrounded  by  a rocky 
landscape,  with  the  flr,  bamboo,  and  blossoming  prunus  on  one 
side,  palms  and  jasmine-flowers  on  the  other,  canopied  by  a bank 
of  clouds  above,  with  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars,  including  the  con- 
stellation of  the  Great  Bear. 

The  border  of  the  plate  is  filled  with  four  garden  scenes 
separated  by  rockeries,  representing  the  four  seasons,  with  their 
appropriate  floral  emblems.  Spring  is  figured  by  two  damsels  with 
book  and  fan,  under  the  shade  of  a weeping  willow;  summer,  by  a 
party  in  a boat  culling  lotus-flowers;  autumn,  by  ladies  gathering 
Olea  fragrans\  winter,  by  its  special  emblem,  the  flowering 
prunus. 

Underneath,  the  foot  is  encircled  by  a ring  of  conventional  folia- 
tions, and  the  rim  is  painted  with  the  eight  Buddhist  symbols  of 
happy  augury.  VIII. 

Quadrangular  Vase  (Wang  PHng)  one  of  a pair,  19^  inches 
high,  with  the  oblong  sides  rounded  above  and  gently  tapering 
downward,  decorated  with  the  typical  flowers  of  the  four  seasons; 
the  shoulders  with  four  medallions  of  fruit,  and  the  neck  with 
mythical  monsters  in  two  foliated  panels.  The  decoration, 
sketched  in  black,  and  filled  in  with  green,  yellow,  and  manganese 
purple,  is  relieved  by  a background  of  brilliant  black,  with  a pur- 
plish iridescent  surface,  passing  into  olive-brown  at  the  edges. 

The  Moutan  peony,  emblem  of  spring,  is  accompanied  by  a 
Magnolia  yula7iU'Q^,  with  birds  in  the  branches;  the  lotus  of  summer 
with  other  water  plants,  storks,  and  mandarin  ducks;  the  chrysan- 
themum of  autumn  with  birds  and  butterflies;  and  the  flowering 
plum  of  winter  has  a couple  of  birds  in  its  branches.  The  sprays 
of  fruit  include  peaches,  melons,  persimmons,  and  Buddha’s-hand 
citrons.  The  chH-lm  on  the  neck  of  the  vase,  with  scaly  bodies, 
horned  dragon-heads,  lions’  tails,  and  deer’s  hoofs,  seated  upon  a 
rocky  floor,  are  relieved  by  a yellow  background. 

The  vase  is  modeled  after  a form  of  the  Ming  dynasty,  but  is 
probably  not  earlier  than  K'^ang-hsi  (1662-1722),  IX. 

Deep  Seven-bordered  Plate  (Tieh),  of  eggshell  porcelain, 
decorated  in  brilliant  enamel  colors  with  gilding,  and  enameled  of 
a ruby  tint  in  rouge  d'or  at  the  back.  In  the  center  is  a large  leaf- 
shaped panel,  surrounded  by  a floral  diaper,  displayed  upon  a gold 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS.  771 


ground;  it  contains  a picture  of  family  life — a lady  seated  in 
a chair,  with  two  small  boys  playing  beside  her,  one  holding  a 
lotus-flower,  the  other  a gilded  ju-i  scepter;  two  large  jars  stand 
on  the  ground,  and  there  is  a table  behind  with  vases,  books,  and 
pictures  upon  it,  the  accessories  of  a cultured  Chinese  interior. 
The  slope  of  the  plate  is  encircled  by  three  borders,  a band  of 
pink  with  dragon  scrolls,  interrupted  by  medallions  of  floral  scrolls 
in  blue,  between  narrower  diapered  bands  of  green  and  yellow 
ground.  Upon  the  border  is  another  pink  diaper,  studded  with 
four  dragon  medallions,  and  interrupted  by  four  trellis-bordered 
panels  of  white  ground  painted  with  sprays  of  peony,  aster, 
chrysanthemum,  and  Rosa  smensis;  this  is  succeeded  inside  by  a 
foliated  diaper  of  pale  lilac,  outside  by  a gilded  belt  of  lotus  sprays 
encircling  the  rim  of  the  plate. 

This  beautiful  plate  is  known  as  the  “plate  with  the  seven  bor- 
ders,” the  gold  brocade  round  the  leaf  being  counted  as  one,  X. 

Octagonal  Lantern  (Te?ig),  of  elongated  oval  outline,  molded 
of  eggshell  porcelain,  enameled  over  the  glaze  with  the  brilliant 
colors  and  gilding  of  the  best  K^ang-hsi  period  (1662-1722). 

The  lantern  is  decorated  with  a procession  of  the  eight  Taoist 
Immortals  crossing  the  ocean  (Pla  Hsien  kuo  hai),  and  with  sym- 
bols of  longevity  round  the  borders.  The  pieced  openwork  railing 
at  the  top  and  bottom  is  carved  with  cloud  scrolls  inclosing  circular 
shou  characters,  worked  in  slight  relief  in  the  paste  under  the 
celadon  glaze.  The  sloping  edges  are  painted  with  large  shoic 
characters,  alternately  green  and  gold,  enveloped  in  clouds;  and 
the  receding  shoulders  are  also  covered  with  clouded  scrolls  upon 
a background  dotted  with  black. 

The  floor  of  the  lantern  is  covered  with  rolling  crested  sea- 
waves,  painted  green;  the  top  is  studded  with  constellations  of 
gilded  stars,  a flying  stork,  and  the  gilded  solar  disk.  The  Taoist 
figures  occupy  the  eight  panels,  represented,  with  their  various 
attributes,  floating  across  the  sea.  Beginning  with  the  principal 
and  proceeding  from  right  to  left,  we  see: 

1.  Chung  U clCiXan^  standing  upon  a large  gourd  and  holding  up 
a monstrous  peach. 

2.  R'it  Timg-pin,  dressed  in  official  robes,  with  a scroll  picture  in 
his  hand,  and  his  supernatural  sword  slung  upon  his  back,  standing 
upon  a gnarled  willow  with  its  green  branches  waving  overhead. 

3.  Lcni  Ts'‘ai-ho^  on  a floating  lotus-leaf,  carrying  a wicker 
basket  filled  with  lotus-blossoms  and  reeds. 


772 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  01'  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


4.  Han  Hsiang  TziX,  playing  upon  his  flute,  mounted  upon  the 
head  of  a gigantic  shrimp. 

5.  Chang  Kuo^  riding  upon  his  famous  mule,  with  the  magic 
double  gourd  slung  to  his  girdle,  and  a bamboo  drum  and  sticks  in 
his  hand. 

6.  Ts'ao  Kuo-cli^iu,  standing  upon  a carp,  holding  a pair  of 
castanets. 

7.  Li  THeh-kuai,  standing  upon  a panicled  reed  supported  by 
his  “ iron  crutch,”  a gourd  in  his  left  hand,  with  the  smoke  issuing 
from  it  unfolding  to  show  the  lame  and  crooked  beggar  into  which 
his  spirit  passed. 

8.  Ho  Hsien-ku^  a slender  damsel  with  a short  cloak  of  leaves, 
supported  upon  a lotus-petal  and  carrying  a lotus-leaf. 

The  last  four  figures  are  seen  in  Fig.  2 in  the  text,  from  a pho- 
tograph of  the  opposite  side  of  the  lantern.  XL 

1.  Teacup  {CJi’a  Wan),  of  the  Hang-chou  imperial  ware  [Kuan 

Yao)  of  the  Southern  Sung  dynasty  (1127-1279),  of  semiglobular 
form,  curving  in  at  the  lip,  with  a circularly  rimmed,  slightly 
spreading  foot,  which  has  a pointed  projection  in  the  middle  un- 
derneath; invested  with  a minutely  but  deeply  crackled  glaze  of 
grayish-blue  color,  becoming  of  more  pronounced  lavender  tint  in- 
side the  cup.  The  rim  of  the  foot,  where  it  is  not  covered  by  the 
glaze,  shows  the  characteristic  brownish  iron-gray  color  of  the 
paste,  and  the  lip  is  reddish  gray  at  the  edge,  where  the  glaze  is 
thin.  It  is  mounted  on  a carved  stand  of  dark  wood,  and  is  of 
thick,  solid  material,  in  order  to  retain  heat,  as  prescribed  in  the 
ceremonial  of  the  tea  clubs  of  the  period.  XII. 

2.  Yase  for  Flowers  [Hua  Tsuiii),  of  typical  Yuan  dynasty 
porcelain  [Yua')i  Tz'u,  1280-1367),  of  rounded  quadrangular  form, 
with  two  tubular  liandles,  modeled  after  an  archaic  bronze  sacri- 
ficial design.  The  glaze,  which  is  spread  on  thickly,  runs  down  in 
an  unctuous  mass,  which  does  not  completely  cover  the  foot,  and 
shows  a grayish  buff-colored  paste  of  intense  hardness;  inside  the 
mouth  of  the  vase  it  runs  down  for  about  an  inch,  and  ends  also  in 
an  irregularly  convoluted  line.  It  is  of  grayish-blue  color,  with  a 
shade  of  lavender,  crackled  with  an  irregular  reticulation  of  deep 
lines,  becoming  pale  brick-red  round  the  upper  I’ims  of  the  vase 
and  handles  where  the  glaze  is  thin.  The  surface  is  stained  in  two 
places  with  mottled  clouds  of  warm  red  passing  into  purple  at  the 
edges. 

Clouds  of  this  kind,  the  result  of  some  fortuitous  oxidation 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS.  773 


during  a firing,  are  higlil}^  valued  by  Chinese  collectors;  sometimes 
they  are  fancied  to  take  the  form  of  a bird  or  butterfly,  or  of  some 
other  natural  object.  XII. 

1.  Wine-Pot  (Chin  Hn)^  of  ivory-white  Fuchien  porcelain 
(Chien  Tz'iX),  modeled  in  the  shape  of  an  inverted  pomegranate, 
and  of  about  the  natural  size  of  the  fruit,  thedentated  apex  of  which 
forms  the  foot.  The  handle  is  modeled  as  a branch  which  sends 
off  two  twigs  to  supply  a relief  decoration  for  the  bowl  as  it 
winds  up  to  make  a loop  on  the  cover,  which  it  envelops  in  a crown 
of  leaves.  A line  of  verse  is  engraved  on  the  back  of  the  bowl. 

XIII. 

2.  Cylindrical  Teapot  ( CfVa  Hu)^  of  the  same  ivory-white 

porcelain,  in  the  form  of  a joint  of  bamboo  bound  around  with 
a knotted  cord,  with  a pair  of  bearded  dragons  of  archaic  lizard- 
like design  with  spreading  bifid  tails  attached  to  it;  the  one 
crawling  downward  with  its  back  bowed  to  make  the  handle,  the 
other  lifting  up  its  gaping  mouth  as  the  spout.  The  round  cover  is 
surmounted  by  the  tiny  figure  of  a grotesque  lion.  The  design, 
freely  and  artistically  treated,  is  clothed  with  a soft-looking  lus- 
trous glaze  of  the  characteristic  ivory-white  tone  of  the  finest 
old  porcelain  of  the  province  of  Fuchien,  and  the  base,  unglazed, 
shows  the  smooth,  even  texture  of  the  paste.  XIII. 

1.  Tall  Two-handled  Cup  and  Cover  [Kai  Wan)^  with  each 
loop  handle  fashioned  in  a form  of  two  dragons’  heads  grasping  a 
round  jewel  between  their  gaping  jaws,  and  a bulging  cover 
surmounted  by  a metal  knob  shaped  like  an  acorn  of  European 
design.  The  cover,  as  well  as  the  cup,  is  decorated  in  pale  blue  of 
pure  color,  with  conventional  borders  of  foliated  panels  brocaded 
with  white  flowers  on  a blue  ground.  The  intervals  on  the  cup 
are  filled  with  groups  of  the  paraphernalia  of  the  scholar  and 
artist,  books  on  tables,  brushes  in  vases,  water  receptacles,  and 
scrolls  pictures,  all  enveloped  with  waving  fillets,  and  mixed  with 
tasseled  wands  and  double  diamonds,  symbols  of  literary  success. 

XIV. 

2.  SwALL  .Jar  (Hsiao  Huan)^  painted  in  bright  blue  in  the  earl 3^ 
K'‘ang-hsi  style  (1662-1722),  with  lotus-flowers  and  reeds  growing 
in  water,  ti^dng  insects,  and  lightly  sketched  floral  spra^^s.  The 
front  of  the  vase  displays,  in  an  interval  left  in  the  floral  decoration, 
a quatrefoil  medallion  containing  the  sacred  Christian  monogram 


774 


DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTEATIONS. 


I.  H.  S.,  with  a cross  above,  and  three  nails  meeting  in  a point 
below.  XIV. 

Brush  Cylinder  {Pi  T’’ung),  9 inches  high,  of  tall,  slender 
form,  modeled  in  the  shape  of  a section  of  bamboo,  with  a double 
ring  worked  in  relief  in  the  paste  near  the  foot,  between  two 
lightly  etched  bands  of  scrolled  design.  A ChHh-lung^  the  dragon 
of  archaic  bronzes,  is  represented  in  salient  relief  as  coiled  around 
the  tube,  with  scowling  head  and  bristling  mane,  having  flames 
proceeding  from  the  shoulders  and  flanks.  The  cylinder  is 
enameled  with  a celadon  glaze  of  grayish-green  tint,  contrast- 
ing with  the  dragon,  which  is  invested  with  a white  enamel. 
The  bottom  is  also  celadon,  leaving  a wide  encircling  rim 
where  the  grayish  biscuit  is  visible.  Period  K'^ang-hsi  (1662- 
1722).  XV. 

Transmutation  Splash  Vase  {PHng)^  of  regular  ovoid  form, 
slightly  tapering  below,  where  it  is  excavated  to  make  a cir- 
cularly rimmed  foot,  and  rounding  in  above  toward  the  mouth, 
which  is  surmounted  by  the  form  of  a coiling  dragon.  The 
ChHh-lu7ig,  of  three-clawed  archaic  design,  is  modeled  in  salient 
openwork  relief  so  as  to  grasp  the  rim  with  its  claws,  and  nearly  to 
envelop  it  with  its  serpentine  bod}’’  and  long,  clinging  bifld  tail. 
The  vase  is  enameled  with  a grayish  superficially  crackled  glaze, 
exhibiting  a x\q\\  flambc  investment  vertically  splashed  with  mottled 
stripes  of  varied  changing  tint,  passing  from  light  blue  through 
purple  and  intermediate  shades  of  red  into  brilliant  crimson  where 
the  glaze  is  thickest.  The  dragon  is  colored  red,  and  partially 
splashed  with  the  same  flambc  glaze.  The  foot  is  enameled  olive- 
green,  with  no  mark  inscribed.  The  technique  and  style  of  dec- 
oration indicate  the  Ch' ic7i-lmig  period  (1736-95),  during  which 
this  Yao-pic7i  or  “furnace-transmuted”  glaze  was  much  in 
vogue.  XVI. 

Club-shaped  Vase  {Pang-chih  PH7ig),  17 J inches  high,  dec- 
orated in  the  brilliant  enamel  colors,  with  touches  of  gold,  of  the 
best  period  of  the  reign  of  K\mg-hsi  (1662-1722).  The  deco- 
ration is  arranged  in  two  large  oblong  panels  and  four  larger 
circular  panels,  displayed  upon  a ground  of  floral  brocade.  The 
scrolled  coral-red  ground  is  studded  with  chrysanthemum-blos- 
soms, alternately  tinted  apple-green  and  celadon.  The  large  panel 
in  front  has  a picture  of  a gayly  plumaged  bird  perched  upon 


DESCKIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTEATIONS. 


775 


a branch  of  blossoming  prunus,  penciled  in  brown,  with  red  flowers 
touched  with  gold,  mingled  with  sprays  of  bamboo  having  the 
leaves  filled  in  with  bright  green  and  overglaze  blue.  The  disk 
of  the  rising  sun  is  seen  above,  partly  hidden  by  the  clouds  of 
dawn  tint,  indicated  in  pale  coral-red.  The  corresponding  panel 
at  the  back  has  a bird  on  a branch  of  hydrangea  shrub,  interwoven 
with  sprays  of  Hibiscus  rosa  sinensis.  The  circular  panels  contain 
landscapes  below,  insects  above,  the  Mantis  religiosa^  with  millet 
and  wild  pinks  in  front,  the  grasshopper  perched  on  a spear  of  grass 
with  trifid  panicles,  and  single  chrysanthemums  behind. 

The  shoulder  slope  of  the  vase  is  decorated  above  with  a band  of 
scrolled  chrysanthemum,  with  large  red  flowers  and  green  leaves 
studding  a purple  ground,  which  is  interrupted  with  four  foliated 
medallions  containing  butterflies.  The  colors  of  the  gadroon 
border  around  the  foot,  and  of  the  diverse  rings  of  conventional 
fret  and  diaper  which  encircle  the  upper  part  of  the  vase,  are 
perfectly  shown  in  the  illustration.  XVII. 

Club-shaped  Vase  {Paiig-chih  PHug)^  inches  high,  with 
a ground  of  souffle  cobalt-blue,  in  which  are  reserved  panels, 
decorated,  on  a white  ground,  in  enamel  colors  of  the  H^ang-hsi 
period  (1662-1722),  including  emerald-green,  buff,  vermilion,  red, 
and  black.  The  blue  ground  was  originally  overlaid  with  a rich 
decoration  in  gold  of  conventional  floral  scrolls  and  hanging  chains 
of  symbols,  of  which  only  traces  now  remain. 

The  reserves  are  outlined  in  the  shape  of  the  Chinese  characters 
for  happiness  and  longevity,  interrupted  in  the  middle  by  medal- 
lions containing  the  figures  of  the  corresponding  Taoist  divinities. 
The  character  Fit  in  front,  with  a diapered  ground,  has  a circular 
medallion  in  the  middle,  with  Fa  Using.,  the  star-god  of  happiness, 
an  aged  personage  leaning  upon  a gnarled  staff,  attended  by  two 
sprites  carrying  a palm-leaf  and  a fly  whisk.  The  character  Shou  at 
the  back,  filled  in  with  a similarly  colored  diaper,  is  interrupted  by 
a peach-shaped  panel,  with  a picture  of  8hou  Using,  the  star-god  of 
longevity,  inside,  in  the  guise  of  an  aged  figure  with  wrinkled  fore- 
head and  long  beard,  a branch  of  his  miraculous  peaches  over  his 
shoulder,  speeding  across  a rocky  landscape,  with  a conspicuous 
spreading  pine  on  one  side  of  the  picture.  XVIII. 

Iridescent  Iron-rust  Vase  [P'ing),  egg-shaped,  with  a small 
round  mouth  and  a circularly  rimmed  foot,  enameled  with  a dark- 
brown  monochrome  glaze,  thickly  speckled  with  minute  points  of 


776 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


deep  metallic  lustrous  aspect,  and  irregularly  flecked  all  over  with 
clouds  of  vermilion  color,  the  lip  being  covered  with  a ring  of  the 
same  red. 

It  is  a striking  example  of  the  fieh-hsiu  yu^  or  ‘‘  iron-rust  glaze,” 
of  naturalistic  color  and  inimitable  metallic  luster.  The  foot  is 
enameled  underneath  with  a dark  olive-brown  monochrome  glaze 
of  rugose  ‘‘  bubbly  ” appearance.  There  is  no  mark  inscribed, 
although  it  is  evidently  an  early  ChHen-lung  piece  (lYSG-QS). 

XIX. 

Buddhist  Ecclesiastical  Yase  [PHng),  one  of  a pair,  16f 
inches  high,  of  hexagonal  section  and  complicated  outline,  elab- 
orately decorated  in  brilliant  enamel  colors  with  gilding,  for  the  altar 
set  of  a Buddhist  temple  ; each  altar  set  consisting  of  a tripod  cen- 
ser and  two  pricket  candlesticks,  flanked  by  a pair  of  vases,  five 
pieces  in  all. 

The  body  of  the  vase,  of  reversed  conical  form,  is  modeled  in  the 
shape  of  a ddgaba,  or  relic  shrine,  with  a sunk  panel  in  each  of  the 
six  sides  containing  a vase,  which  stands  out  in  relief  from  the  floral 
background,  displaying  the  sacred  wheel  of  the  law  surmounted  by 
the  trisula  symbol.  The  edges  and  borders  are  filled  with  floral 
brocades  and  bands  of  conventional  flowers,  sprays  of  fruit,  and 
birds,  relieved  by  grounds  of  different  color.  The  neck  of  the  vase, 
channeled  externally,  and  correspondingly  fluted  inside,  is  painted 
with  pendant  chains  of  flowers  and  jewels,  relieved  by  a red 
ground.  The  foot  is  painted  in  green,  with  rings  of  palmetto 
foliations  on  a yellow  ground,  and  with  gilded  chrysanthemum 
sprays  upon  a red  ground  around  the  rim.  The  interior  of  the 
vase  and  the  under  surface  of  the  foot  are  enameled  pale  green. 
A small  panel  is  reserved  in  the  middle,  underneath,  in  which 
is  inscribed  the  seal  in  underglaze  blue,  Ta  ChHng  Yung-cheng 
nien  chih — i.  e.,  “Made  in  the  reign  of  Yung-cheng  (l'723-35), 
of  the  Great  Ch’ing  [dynasty].”  XX. 

Yase  (P'mg)^  17  inches  high,  of  cylindrical  form,  slightly  en- 
larging upward  and  receding  at  the  neck,  painted  in  the  brilliant 
enamel  colors  of  the  Yung-cheng  period  (1723-35). 

There  is  a group  of  figures  on  the  vase,  the  three  principal 
of  which  represent  the  Triad  of  the  Taoist  cult,  called  Fu  Lu  Shou 
San  Ilsing^  or  “The  Three  Star-Gods  of  Happiness,  Rank,  and 
Longevity,”  the  other  smaller  figures  being  attendant  sprites.  Lu 
Hsing^  the  “ Star-God  of  Rank,”  has  the  place  of  honor  in  the 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS.  777 


middle,  clad  in  imperial  robes,  representing  Shang  Ti,  the  superior 
ruler  of  the  Taoist  pantheon,  whose  throne  is  the  Great  Bear, 
round  which  all  the  other  stars  revolve  in  homage  ; he  holds  a 
baton  of  rank,  and  has  a peon}%  the  “ mandarin’s  flower,”  stuck  in 
his  winged  hat.  On  his  right  is  Shou  Using,  the  “ Divinity  of 
Longevity,”  an  aged,  bent  figure,  with  wrinkled,  smiling  face  and 
bald,  protuberant  brow,  leaning  upon  a gnarled  staff,  dressed  in 
robes  brocaded  with  sprays  of  peach-blossoms,  and  carrying  a 
peach,  the  “fruit  of  life,”  in  his  hand.  A stork  is  flying  overhead, 
and  a tall  pine,  another  of  his  emblems,  covered  with  flowering 
bignonia,  rises  in  the  background.  He  is  attended  by  three  play- 
ful sprites,  dancing  under  the  flowers  and  striving  to  reach  the 
peach.  On  the  left  stands  Fu  Using,  the  personified  “Star  of 
Happiness,”  his  head  covered  with  a blue  hood,  his  girdle  em- 
broidered with  the  sacred  fungus  and  bat,  while  two  other  bats,  his 
special  attributes,  are  flying  in  the  air  above  ; he  holds  a child 
in  his  arms,  and  another  is  dancing  behind.  The  neck  of  the  vase 
is  decorated  in  front  with  a group  of  fruit,  composed  of  a little 
braiich  with  twin  peaches  upon  it,  surrounded  b}^  twigs  of  water- 
■caltrop,  Buddha’s-hand  citron,  pomegranate,  olive,  melon,  and 
lotus.  The  foot,  excavated  to  make  a circular  rim,  is  unglazed. 

XXL 

Openwork  Lantern  \Teng),  of  oval  hexagonal  form,  I0|- 
inches  high,  with  panels  carved  in  openwork  designs,  decorated 
in  brilliant  colored  enamels  of  the  famille  rose,  belonging  to  the 
ChHen-lung  period  (I'ZSG-QS). 

The  six  sides  of  the  lantern  have  oblong  panels  pierced  with 
trelliswork  of  two  different  patterns,  surrounding  solid  circular 
medallions  in  the  middle,  which  are  painted  with  pictures  of 
Taoist  saints  or  hermits,  each  accompanied  by  an  attendant  sprite. 
They  are  figured  in  landscapes  filled  in  with  appropriate  surround- 
ings, pines,  diwandra-trees,  the  sacred  fungus,  and  spotted  deer,  and 
oarry  the  usual  attributes,  such  as  ling-chih,  peaches,  baskets  of 
flowers  and  herbs,  hoes,  or  pilgrims’  gourds  ; one  of  the  attendants 
holds  up  a double  gourd  from  which  a cloud  of  smoke  is  issuing  at 
his  master’s  behest,  which  unfolds  above  to  display  a flj'ing  crane. 
The  upper  and  lower  receding  rims  are  also  pierced  with  six 
smaller  panels.  The  borders  and  edges  are  all  richly  decorated 
with  painted  diapers  of  diverse  pattern  with  floral  grounds. 

A similar  lamp  is  figured  by  Du  Sartel  in  La  Porcelame  de  Chine, 
Plate  XXXI.  XXII. 


778  descriptive:  list  of  the  illustrations. 


Oblong  Crackled  Vase  (Fang  PHng)^  10 J inches  high,  of 
square  section,  with  a circular  rim  at  the  base,  culminating  in  a 
short  neck  leading  to  a round  mouth,  and  having  the  corners 
projected  in  the  form  of  broken,  dentated  ridges.  The  sides  are 
molded  in  relief,  with  the  creative  monad  symbol  (yin-yang')  four 
times  repeated  in  the  middle,  and  the  series  of  eight  mystic 
trigrams  ('pa  kua)  above  and  below.  The  glaze  which  invests  the 
whole  surface  is  superficially  crackled,  and  colored  with  thin 
splashes  of  grayish  mottled  purple  and  olive-brown  tints.  The  foot,, 
somewhat  roughly  plastered  with  grayish  purple  and  olive-brown,, 
has  a rim  showing  a gray  paste  of  comparatively  coarse  texture. 

XXIII. 

Deep  Eggshell  Plate  (Tieh),  decorated  in  brilliant  enamel 
colors  of  the  famille  rose  with  gilding.  Of  the  same  eggshell 
texture  and  artistic  style  as  the  “ rose-back  ” plates,  it  is  decorated,, 
instead,  underneath  the  rim,  with  three  fioral  sprays,  boldly 
painted  in  overglaze  cobalt-blue.  The  plate  is  painted  inside  with 
a garden  scene  containing  a group  of  figures,  representing  an 
emperor  and  empress  surrounded  by  courtiers.  The  emperor, 
identified  by  his  robes  brocaded  with  dragons,  by  the  tassels  of  red 
silk  on  the  trappings  of  his  white  horse,  and  by  the  oval  banner 
screens  embroidered  with  gold  dragons  held  up  by  attendants 
behind  him,  has  just  mounted  upon  horseback  ; the  empress,  fol- 
lowed by  court  ladies  holding  dragon-centered  processional  fans 
of  peacocks’  feathers,  is  in  the  act  of  mounting  a piebald  horse 
with  the  aid  of  a stool,  supported  by  a lady  attendant,  while  a cour- 
tier holds  the  gilded  stirrup  hanging  on  the  off  side  of  the  saddle. 

The  borders  of  the  plate  are  filled  with  ornamental  diapers  of 
different  pattern;  that  on  the  slope  inside  is  interrupted  by  blue 
dragon-scrolls,  and  the  broad  blue  band  that  succeeds  is  overlaid 
with  dragon-scrolls  in  gold;  the  rim  is  encircled  by  a gilded 
quatrefoil  diaper  upon  a black  ground.  XXIV. 

Tripod  Censer  (Ting  Xw),  of  depressed  globular  form,  round- 
ing in  to  a wide,  circular  mouth,  supported  upon  three  feet 
of  scrolled  outline,  which  spring  from  the  gaping  mouths  of  gro- 
tesque lions’  heads  projecting  from  the  lower  surface  of  the  bowl. 
It  is  invested  with  a glaze  of  brownish-yellow  color,  mottled 
with  clouds  of  darker  brown  toward  the  bottom;  the  glaze, 
extended  over  the  molded  feet,  is  paler  in  the  relief  parts,  deep 
brown  in  the  recesses  where  it  is  thicker.  The  base  is  unglazed,. 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIOISrS.  779 


with  the  exception  of  a round  patch  of  the  cafe-au-lait  enamel 
in  the  middle. 

The  censer  dates,  doubtless,  from  the  Ming  dynasty.  Vessels  of 
this  form  are  used  in  Chinese  temples  for  burning  “ joss-sticks,” 
made  of  fragrant  woods,  before  the  images  of  the  deities.  This  one 
must  have  come  from  some  Taoist  temple,  as  the  openwork  cover 
of  rosewood  is  surmounted  by  a Taoist  figure  carved  out  of  red 
agate,  representing  an  acolyte  of  the  god  of  longevity,  with  a peach 
in  his  hand,  leaning  upon  a deer.  XXV. 

Coral-Red  Vase  (Hua  PHng),  with  globular  body  and  slightly 
spreading  neck,  decorated  in  enamel  colors,  with  an  imperial  dragon 
pursuing  the  jewel  of  omnipotence,  relieved  by  a monochrome  iron- 
red  ground  of  pure  vermilion  tint,  of  the  ChHen-lung  period  (1736- 
95).  The  outlines  of  the  decoration  are  penciled  in  underglaze  blue. 
The  five-clawed  dragon  coiled  round  the  neck  of  the  vase  is  colored 
green,  with  the  enamel  laid  on  thickly,  so  as  to  stand  out  in  slight 
relief,  the  jewel  being  depicted  on  the  shoulder  as  a yellow  disk 
with  a green  spiral  coil  inside  emitting  bluish  flames.  The  rim  of 
the  foot  shows  a paste  of  grayish  tint;  the  glaze  underneath,  of 
pale-green  color,  is  crackled.  XXVI. 

Crackled  Green  Vase  {PHng),  16^  inches  high,  bottle-shaped, 
with  globular  body  and  wide  tubular  neck,  invested  with  a 
monochrome  glaze  of  pale  ‘‘  camellia-leaf  green  ” color,  minutely 
crackled  throughout.  The  foot  is  enameled  underneath  with  the 
same  glaze,  which  is  also  partially  spread  on  inside  the  mouth  so  as 
to  leave  some  of  the  buff-colored  paste  visible.  The  rim  of  the 
mouth  is  lightly  touched  with  a ring  of  brown  tint.  The  fine 
crackle  is  sometimes  known  as  truitee^  from  its  resemblance  to  the 
scales  of  the  trout;  the  Chinese  call  it  ya  tztb  wen,  or  ‘‘fish-roe 
crackle,”  as  distinguished  from  the  coarser  reticulation  of  the 
ping  lieh  wen,  or  “fissured  ice  crackle.”  The  color  approaches 
“apple-green.”  The  period  is  ChHen  lung  (1736-95);  it  is  enam- 
eled sur  biscuit  like  the  finely  crackled  turquoise  vases  of  the 
time,  and  the  paste  is  of  similar  character.  XXVII. 

Club-shaped  Vase  {^Pang-cliih  PHng),  17|  inches  high, 
painted  in  overglaze  iron-red  of  darker  and  lighter  shade,  with 
touches  of  gold  and  spots  of  black  to  define  the  eyes  of  the 
dragons,  executed  in  the  vigorous  style  and  coloring  of  the  reign 
of  K^ang-hsi  (1662-1722). 


780  DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OE  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Tlie  body  of  the  vase  is  decorated  in  panels  of  different  shape,, 
surrounded  by  a red  ground  diapered  with  chrysanthemum  scrolls. 
Two  large  oblong  panels  contain  four-clawed  dragons  disporting^ 
among  clouds,  in  pursuit  of  the  jewel  of  omnipotence,  which  is  de- 
picted as  a gilded  disk  with  spiral  center,  as  if  whirling  in  the  air.. 
At  the  sides  there  are  two  rectangular  panels  with  flowers  and  fly^ 
ing  insects,  branches  of  pomegranate  fruit  and  blossoming  peach 
and  sprays  of  bamboo,  and  two  panels  of  foliated  outline  below,, 
with  carp  swimming  in  the  midst  of  water  plants.  The  shoulder  is 
encircled  by  a brocaded  ground  of  diamond  pattern  studded  with 
peach-blossoms  and  broken  by  four  foliated  medallions  with  chrys- 
anthemum-flowers inside;  the  neck  is  painted  with  four  circular 
shou  characters  in  a graceful  floral  scroll;  the  elaborate  decoration 
being  completed  by  a band  of  false  gadroons  round  the  foot,  a ring 
of  spiral  scroll  on  the  upright  lip,  and  a castellated  border  at  the 
base  of  the  neck.  XXVIII.- 

Vase  (PHng),  12f  inches  high,  covered  with  a monochrome 
glaze  of  an  intense  and  rich  sapphire-blue  color,  minutely  and  uni- 
formly crackled  throughout.  It  is  a cobalt-blue,  the  gros  hleu  of 
French  ceramists,  the  pao-shih  Ian,  or  “sapphire-blue,”  of  the 
Chinese. 

It  invests  a buff-colored  paste,  exhibited  under  the  foot,  which  is 
unglazed.  The  vase  is  probabl}^  not  older  than  the  ChHen4ung 
period  (1736-95).  XXIX.. 

Flower-Vase  (Hua  PHng),  10^  inches  high,  of  solid  make,, 
bottle-shaped,  with  a slightl}^  tapering  neck,  enveloped  in  the  folds 
of  a dragon  modeled  in  salient  relief  with  openwork.  The  vase  is 
enameled  with  a mottled  glaze  of  gray  ground  streaked  with  pale 
purple.  The  dragon,  a three-clawed  monster  of  archaic  design, 
with  a spirally  curved  tail,  is  enameled  crimson  with  a rouge-PoT 
glaze;  one  of  its  long  horns,  accidentally  broken  off,  has  been 
replaced  in  gold.  It  is  marked  underneath,  below  the  coat  of 
purplish-gray  glaze,  with  a seal,  very  lightly  etched  in  the  paste, 
containing  the  inscription  Ta  CJi’ing  Gh^ien-lung  nien  chih, 
“Made  in  the  reign  of  Ch’ien-lung  (1736-95)  of  the  Great  Ch’ing 
[dynasty].”  XXX. 

Large  Vase  i^P'^ing),  23|  inches  high,  decorated  with  a pair  of 
five-clawed  imperial  dragons  in  the  midst  of  clouds,  enameled 
green,  displayed  upon  a monochrome  ground  of  yellow.  The  de- 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTEATIOI^^S.  781 


tails  of  the  design  are  etched  in  the  paste  with  a style  under  the 
green  enamel.  One  of  the  dragons  is  emerging  from  the  sea,  the 
rolling  waves  of  which  surround  the  base  of  the  vase  ; the  other  is 
descending,  its  tail  reaching  to  the  top  of  the  neck.  They  are 
enveloped  by  scrolls  of  clouds,  the  rifts  of  which  are  occupied 
by  flying  bats.  A formal  band  of  foliations  pointing  downward  en- 
circles the  foot,  and  a ring  of  spiral  ornament  surrounds  the  upper 
rim.  The  foot  is  enameled  yellow  underneath,  with  no  mark;  the 
period  would  be  that  of  ChHen-lung  (1736-95);  the  design  is  of 
imperial  character,  and  the  yellow  ground  of  the  typical  shade  re- 
served for  the  use  of  the  emperor,  known  as  “ imperial  yellow.” 

XXXI. 

Flower-Vase  (Hua  PHng)^  with  a wide  circular  mouth,  the 
upright  rim  of  which  is  surmounted  by  the  head  of  a five-clawed 
dragon,  its  body,  projected  in  salient  relief,  being  modeled  in  open- 
work upon  the  shoulder  of  the  vase.  The  surface  of  the  vase  is 
covered  with  a deep  monochrome  glaze  of  “ iron-red  ” of  dark  coral 
tint  and  undulating  aspect.  The  dragon  is  enameled  green,  the 
details  are  touched  in  black.  The  mouth  is  covered  inside  with  a 
greenish- white  glaze  partially  crackled  with  brown  lines,  and  the 
same  glaze  covers  the  base,  underneath,  inside  the  rim,  which  ex- 
hibits a paste  of  grayish  tone.  It  is  not  older  than  the  reign  of 
ChHen-lung  (1736-95).  ' XXXII. 

Vase  (PHng)^  11  inches  high,  of  bottled-shaped  outline,  with  a 
tall  neck,  enameled  with  a thick  opaque  glaze  of  grayish  tone, 
mottled  and  streaked  with  amethyst,  passing  into  splashes  of  deep 
purple  shade.  The  glaze  is  extended  over  the  lip  and  for  about  an 
inch  downward  inside  the  mouth.  Underneath  the  foot  it  is 
coated  with  an  opaque  ivory-white  glaze,  slightly  crackled.  The 
rim  exhibits  a rather  coarse  bulf-colored  paste  resembling  that  of 
stoneware,  but  paler  than  that  of  the  ordinary  Kuang  Yao,  the 
production  of  the  province  of  Kuangtung,  which  is  illustrated  in 
Plate  XLI.  XXXIII. 

Plum-blossom  Jar  {Mei  Hua  Kuan)^  inches  high,  of  glob- 
ular outline,  with  rounded  cover,  decorated  with  an  interlacement 
of  floral  sprays,  springing  upward  from  a rockery  on  one  side,  and 
downward  from  the  rim  of  the  jar  on  the  other,  so  as  to  cover  its 
surface  as  well  as  that  of  the  cover.  Two  pairs  of  magpies  are 
perched  among  the  branches.  The  intervals  are  studded  with 


782  DESCKIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


single  flowers  and  buds.  The  colors  are  manganese-brown  of 
purplish  tinge,  green,  and  yellow,  relieved  by  an  enameled  ground 
of  intense  black,  which  becomes  shaded  with  a greenish  tone  at  the 
edges.  The  interior  of  the  jar  and  the  foot  are  glazed  with  a 
greenish-white  enamel,  and  the  paste  is  of  somewhat  gray  porous 
texture,  differing  from  the  perfect  technique  of  the  blue  and  white 
“ ginger  jar  ” of  Plate  II,  but  resembling  the  well-known  large 
vases  of  the  K’’ang-hsi  period,  painted  with  the  same  colors  re- 
lieved by  a similar  black  ground.  XXXIV. 

Vase  [P'^ing)^  14|-  inches  high,  of  somewhat  thick,  solid  struc- 
ture, with  the  neck  buttressed  with  two  vertical  ribs,  encircled 
above  by  six  tubular  handles,  and  the  shoulder  studded  with  a ring 
of  six  prominent  bosses.  It  is  enameled  with  a crackled  glaze  of 
grayish  celadon  color,  reticulated  with  fine  lines  of  reddish  brown, 
mottled  all  over  with  clouds  of  copper-red  of  strawberry  hue, 
flecked  with  darker  shades  of  brown.  The  inside  of  the  mouth 
and  the  under  aspect  of  the  foot  are  also  crackled,  but  of  plain 
celadon  color  without  mottling.  The  circular  rim  of  the  foot  is 
touched  with  a coating  of  iron-gray,  to  cover  the  rather  coarse  buff- 
colored  paste,  which  is  accidentally  left  bare  at  one  point  where  one 
of  the  handles  springs  from  the  neck.  It  belongs,  probably,  to  the 
ChHen-lung  period  (1736-95).  XXXV. 

Bowl  for  Goldfish  ( Yil  Kang')^  V inches  high,  10  inches  across, 
modeled  in  the  form  of  a large  lotus-leaf  turned  up  at  the  edge,  so 
that  the  folded  margin  of  the  peltate  leaf  makes  the  irregularly 
convoluted  rim  of  the  bowl,  which  is  etched  inside  and  out  to  rep- 
resent the  natural  venation  of  the  leaf.  The  two  handles  which 
project  at  the  sides  are  fashioned  in  full  relief  in  the  shape  of  lotus- 
flowers,  one  of  which,  fully  expanded,  shows  the  cup-shaped  fruit 
in  the  middle.  These  blossoms,  which  are  colored  maroon,  are 
each  flanked  by  two  buds  of  the  same  color  in  similar  relief.  Two 
more  flowers  are  painted  in  maroon  to  decorate  the  front  and  back 
of  the  bowl  ; all  the  tuberculated  flower-stems  are  represented 
curving  up  from  below.  The  rest  of  the  surface  of  the  bowl  is 
enameled  inside  and  out  with  a celadon  glaze  of  greenish  tint, 
which  darkens  in  the  etched  parts  of  the  design  and  becomes  nearly 
white  over  the  relief  parts.  The  bottom  is  unglazed,  only  super- 
ficially coated  with  a thin  wash  of  brown  color.  Period  Ch*ien- 
lung  (1736-95).  XXXVI. 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS.  783 


Six  Snuff-Bottles  {Pi  yen  Hu).  1.  Of  cylindrical  form,  dec- 
orated with  a dragon  pursuing  the  jewel  in  the  midst  of  clouds, 
painted  in  black  upon  aground  of  deep  mottled  yellow;  sea-waves 
at  the  foot,  lambrequin  round  the  upper  rim.  Mark  underneath,  in 
blue,  Y^ung-cheng  nien  chih,  “Made  in  the  reign  of  Yung-cheng’’ 
{1723-35). 

2.  Of  flattened  globular  form,  decorated  with  landscapes  in 
maroon-red,  with  the  distant  hills  and  water  shaded  in  the  same 
copper-red  of  greenish  tint.  The  stopper,  with  gilded  rim,  is  enam- 
eled of  a crackled  apple-green  to  simulate  turquoise.  Mark  under- 
neath, in  one  line  of  “seal”  characters,  Ta  chHng  Tao-kuang  nien 
ehih,  “Made  in  the  reign  of  Tao-kuang  (1821-50)  of  the  Great 
Gh’ing  [d}^nasty].” 

3.  Of  baluster  shape,  enameled  with  a crackled  monochrome 
glaze  of  purplish-gray  color.  No  mark.  The  spoon  is  mounted  on 
metal  stopper  inlaid  with  coral. 

4.  Of  pilgrim-bottle  shape,  made  of  copper  invested  with  Soo- 
chow  cinnabar  lac,  carved  with  scrolls  of  peonies,  fret  borders,  and 
dragon-head  handles.  Intaglio  mark  underneath,  a monogram 
meaning  “ myriad-fold  longevity  and  happiness.” 

5.  Of  flattened  oval  form,  decorated  in  enamel  colors  with  a 
mountain  landscape  extending  all  round,  with  a figure  in  the  fore- 
ground standing  in  front  of  a pavilion,  an  old  fisherman  on  a rock 
angling,  a rustic  behind  carrying  a plow,  and  a boy  with  brush- 
wood. Stopper,  with  gilded  rim,  enameled  to  represent  coral  and 
turquoise.  No  mark. 

6.  Carved  out  of  clouded  agate,  showing  the  natural  veining  of 

the  stone,  supposed  to  resemble  a dragon  concealed  by  clouds. 
The  stopper,  with  a rim  of  turquoise,  is  mounted  with  a coral 
bead.  XXXVII. 

Etched  Celadon  Vase  {PHng),  17  inches  high,  bottle-shaped, 
with  a bulging  body  of  globular  outline,  ornamented  with  bats  fly- 
ing among  scrolled  clouds,  worked  in  slight  relief  in  the  paste  and 
etched  so  as  to  cover  the  body  and  neck  of  the  vase,  the  intervals 
being  filled  in  with  ornamental  borders.  Plainly  paneled  borders 
encircle  the  body  above  and  below,  a broad  chain  of  rectangular 
fret  defines  the  base  of  the  neck,  and  a band  of  diamond-pattern 
fret  encircles  the  mouth,  interrupted  by  four  floral  studs,  and  suc- 
ceeded by  a ring  of  trefoil  foliations.  The  whole  surface  is  in- 
vested with  a celadon  glaze  of  typical  color,  which  varies  in  shade 
according  to  its  depth,  thereby  enhancing  the  effect  of  the  etched 


784 


DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLTJSTEATIONS. 


decoration  underneath.  The  base  is  enameled  white  underneath, 
without  any  inscription.  The  period  would  be  Yung-ch^ng  (1723— 
35)  or  Ch?ien-lung  (1736-95),  the  vase  being  a fine  example  of  the 
celadon  tone  of  this  period  called  by  the  Chinese  tung-cNing.  The 
tint  resembles  that  of  the  vase  of  the  preceding  reign,  illustrated 
in  Plate  VII,  but  the  glaze  is  not  quite  so  rich  and  translucid. 

XXXVIIL 

White  Bottle- shaped  Vase  i^PHng),  with  double  ring  worked 
in  slight  relief  in  the  middle  of  the  long  neck  under  the  thick  white 
glaze  tinged  with  a shade  of  green,  which  covers  the  whole  surface, 
reserving  the  decoration,  which  is  etched  in  the  paste  with  a grav- 
ing-tool  and  left  en  biscuit,  showing  the  natural  color  of  the  mate- 
rial after  it  has  been  fired.  It  consists  of  a four-clawed  dragon, 
winding  round  the  shoulder  of  the  vase  in  pursuit  of  the  jewel  of 
omnipotence  enveloped  in  flames  of  effulgence.  The  mark  under- 
neath, penciled  in  underglaze  cobalt-blue,  is  Ta  Ming  CP eng-hua 
nien  chih,  “ Made  in  the  reign  of  Ch’eng-hua  of  the  Great  Ming 
[dynasty],”  but  the  form,  style  of  decoration,  and  technical  details, 
seem  to  be  those  of  the  reign  of  K^ang-Tisi  (1662-1722). 

XXXIX. 

« 

Pea-green  Celadon  Vase  (Tsuvi)^  of  antique  form  and  design, 
modeled  with  a band  of  lotus-petals  rising  in  slight  relief  round  the 
foot,  and  with  three  prominent  ribs  encircling  the  upper  part. 
Upon  the  shoulder  is  crouched  the  monstrous  form  of  a dragon, 
worked  in  salient  relief  and  undercut,  so  as  nearly  to  envelop  the 
circumference  of  the  vase  within  its  massive  folds,  the  interval 
being  occupied  by  the  jewel,  with  its  effulgent  halo,  which  the 
dragon  is  pursuing.  Of  the  usual  conventional  form,  it  has  two 
branched  horns  and  a bristling  mane,  the  feet  are  five-clawed,  and 
flaming  processes  issuing  from  the  shoulders  indicate  its  super- 
natural character.  It  is  boldly  modeled  and  finished  with  engrav- 
ing. The  glaze  with  which  the  whole  surface  is  enameled  is  of 
tou-cPing,  or  pea-green  celadon  color,  and  is  not  crackled.  It 
darkens  somewhat  in  the  recesses  of  the  molded  decoration. 

The  foot  is  coated  underneath  with  the  same  celadon  glaze,  and 
has  no  mark  attached.  The  piece  may  perhaps  be  referred  to  the 
reign  of  Yung-cheng  (1723-35).  XL. 

Kuang  Yao  Figure  of  Bodhidharma  (Ta-mo  Hsiang),  the 
famous  Buddhist  pilgrim,  who  came  from  India  to  China  in  the 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


785 


year  520,  and  was  the  first  of  the  Chinese  Buddhist  patriarchs. 
The  statuette,  13|-  inches  high,  is  fashioned  in  the  peculiar  red- 
dish-gray stoneware  of  the  province  of  Kuangtung  (Kuang  Yad), 
exhibited  at  the  base  and  in  the  hollow  of  the  figure,  which  are 
unglazed.  He  is  standing  in  the  attitude  of  religious  meditation, 
dressed  in  flowing  robes,  with  the  hands  folded  in  the  sleeves  ; the 
poll  is  shaven,  and  the  ears  have  the  traditional  large  lobes  of  the 
Buddhist  saint.  The  breast  and  face  show  the  natural  red  color 
of  the  fired  clay;  the  hair,  left  long  behind  so  as  to  fall  over  the 
shoulders  in  curls,  is  colored  dark  brown;  the  rest  of  the  figure  is 
invested  with  a thick,  lustrous  crimson  glaze  of  mottled  flamhe 
character,  overspread  with  a reticulated  cloud  of  olive-brown 
tint.  XLI. 

Blue  and  White  Brocaded  Vase  {P’’ing),  of  Persian  form, 
with  bulging  body  and  slender,  tapering  neck,  decorated  in  pale 
blue  of  pure  tint  with  floral  grounds  and  foliated  panels  of  floral 
brocade. 

There  are  four  lozenge-shaped  panels  on  the  body,  of  foliated 
outline,  filled  with  floral  designs  in  white  on  a blue  ground,  con- 
nected by  straps  and  linked  chains.  Leaf-shaped  panels  of  similar 
design  spread  upward  and  downward;  the  intervals  are  studded 
with  tiny  blossoms.  The  neck  has  two  leaf-shaped  panels  spread- 
ing up  from  the  base,  and  two  narrow  foliations  at  the  lip  ; the 
rest  is  covered  with  an  overlapping  floral  pattern.  Bands  of 
angular  fret  round  the  rim  and  a ring  of  conventional  ornament  to 
define  the  shoulder  complete  the  decoration,  which  is  of  arabesque 
character.  The  mark  inscribed  underneath  is  a leaf,  outlined  in 
blue,  a common  sign  of  the  K'’ang-hsi  period  (I662-IV22),  to  which 
this  little  vase  is  to  be  attributed.  XLII. 

Pomegranate  Vase  [Shih-Uu  P'ing),  being  fashioned  of  a curi- 
ous shape  simulating  a pomegranate  crowned  with  its  permanent 
calyx.  Tlie  body,  of  six-lobed  section,  is  alternately  ribbed  and 
fluted,  and  drawn  in  above  to  a short,  slender  neck,  which  flares 
into  a recurved  mouth  with  an  irregularly  indented  rim.  The  lip 
is  tinted  with  a line  of  dark-brown  color,  and  the  foot  is  invested 
underneath  with  a dark-brown  glaze,  so  that  the  material  might  be 
mistaken  for  a dark  stoneware,  did  not  a slight  flaw  in  the  glaze  at 
one  point  lay  bare  the  whitish  paste.  The  vase  is  coated  outside 
with  a mottled  glaze  of  dull  purplish  or  lavender  color,  crackled 
with  a network  of  dark  lines.  The  interior  of  the  mouth  is  enam- 


786  DESCKIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTEATIONS. 


eled  with  a lustrous  glaze  of  grayish  white  more  superficially 
crackled.  It  appears  to  be  a reproduction,  to  be  attributed  to  the 
Yung-cMng  period,  of  the  famous  Kuan  Yao  of  the  Sung 
dynasty,  which  is  described  as  having  had  an  ‘‘iron-colored  foot” 
and  “ copper-red  mouth.”  XLIII. 

Beaker-shaped  Yase  i^Hua  Ku),  of  slender,  graceful  form, 
modeled  after  an  ancient  sacrificial  bronze,  with  a prominent  band 
round  the  middle,  a spreading  foot,  and  a trumpet-shaped  mouth. 
The  surface  is  covered  with  molded  and  etched  designs  of  archaic 
bronze  character,  with  an  ornamental  band  of  scrolls,  proceeding 
from  dragons’  heads,  round  the  middle,  between  two  rings  of  inter- 
rupted rectangular  fret,  and  with  palmations,  spreading  upward 
and  downward,  outlined  in  spiral  curves.  It  is  entirely  covered 
with  a minutely  crackled  glaze  of  pure  turquoise  tint,  which 
changes  in  tone  according  to  its  depth,  thereby  enhancing  the 
effect  of  the  relief  and  chiseled  work.  There  is  no  mark  under- 
neath, but  a similar  piece  in  the  collection  is  engraved  with  the 
seal  Ta  ChHng  ChHen-lung  nien  chih,  and  this  vase  must  be 
referred  to  the  same  reign  of  Ch’ien-lung  (1736-95).  XLIY. 

Beaker-shaped  Yase  [Hua  Ku)yOi  slender,  graceful  form,  with 
slightly  spreading  foot  and  trumpet-shaped  mouth,  modeled  after 
an  ancient  bronze  design  on  lines  similar  to  those  of  the  vase  figured 
in  Plate  XLIY,  but  differing  in  having  a perfectly  plain  surface. 
It  is  enameled  with  the  same  finely  crackled  glaze  of  mottled  tones 
of  the  purest  turquoise  tint,  which  extends  over  the  rim  inside  the 
mouth,  and  invests  the  base  of  the  foot,  with  the  exception  of  the 
circular  rim,  which  is  unglazed,  and  shows  the  grayish  texture  of 
the  paste.  It  must  be  referred  to  the  same  period,  the  reign  of 
ChHen-lung  (1736-95).  It  is  a pale  bluish  variety  of  the  glaze 
which  Chinese  ceramists  call  Mung-chuo4u^  or  “peacock-green.” 

XLY. 

Brilliakt  Flambe  Quadrakgular  Yase  (Fang  Tsun),  12  inches 
high,  of  antique  design,  with  two  wide-open  scroll  handles  pro- 
jecting from  the  sides  of  the  neck.  The  mouth  has  the  rounded 
corners  indented,  and  the  indentations  are  continued  downward  as 
grooves,  which  gradually  disappear  about  the  middle  of  the  vase. 
A pointed  ovoid  panel  is  outlined  in  slight  relief  on  the  front  and 
back,  to  break  the  uniformity  of  the  surface.  The  vase  is  enam- 
eled outside  with  a gray,  superficially  crackled  glaze,  overlaid  with 
vertical  streaks  and  mottled  clouds,  so  as  to  exhibit  splashes  of 


DESCKIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTEATIOHS.  787 


brilliant  transformation  colors  of  varied  tints,  passing  through 
brilliant  shades  of  crimson  and  purple  into  deep  olive-brown.  The 
upper  rim  and  the  interior  of  the  mouth  are  coated  with  the  same 
yao-pien,  or  “ furnace  transmuted  ” glaze.  The  enamel  under  the 
foot  is  yellow,  and  not  crackled  ; the  paste  is  very  white,  as  shown 
by  a slight  accidental  chip.  Period,  ChHen-lung  (113Q-95). 

XLVI. 

Large  “ Pilgrim-Bottle  ” Vase,  or  Pao-yueh  PHyig^  literally 
“full-moon  vase,”  16  inches  high,  with  floral  decoration  in  enamel 
colors  of  the  Yung-cheng  period  (1 '723-35). 

The  scrolled  openwork  handles,  which  connect  the  neck  and 
shoulders,  are  fashioned  in  the  form  of  grotesque  dragons.  The 
base  of  the  neck  is  encircled  by  a band  of  fret,  succeeded  above  by 
a formal  palmate  ring  of  foliations,  below  by  a scroll  border,  and  a 
ring  of  scroll  ornament  surrounds  the  foot.  The  body  of  the  vase 
is  decorated  on  both  sides  with  flowering  branches  springing  from 
a point  near  the  foot  and  spreading  over  the  surface.  On  the  side 
illustrated  we  see  scarlet  pomegranate-flowers  and  branches  of  the 
white  prunus  and  pink  Pyrus  japonica,  mingled  with  twigs  of 
bamboo  and  sacred  fungus.  On  the  other  side  narcissus-flowers^ 
with  wliite  petals  and  yelloAV  bells  in  the  middle,  spring  from 
rocks  clad  with  fungus,  with  bamboo  sprays,  and  there  is  a bunch 
of  red  nandina  berries  waving  above.  A pair  of  butterflies  is 
flying  across  the  field,  and  bees  are  hovering  around  the  plum- 
blossoms.  The  seal  penciled  underneath  in  underglaze  blue  is 
Ta  ChHng  Yung-cheng  nien  chih — i.  e.,  “ Made  in  the  reign  of 
Yung-cheng,  of  the  Great  Ch’ing  [dynasty].”  XL VII. 

Large  Round  Dish  {Ta  Kuo  20  inches  in  diameter,  with 

a floral  decoration,  painted  in  the  brilliant  enamel  colors  of  the 
Yung-cheng  period,  extending  from  the  base  over  the  rim  and 
along  the  sides,  as  well  as  filling  the  interior  of  the  saucer-shaped 
dish.  The  decoration  consists  of  branches  of  the  blossoming  plum 
{rnei-hua)  mingled  with  spra3^s  of  pomegranate  {shih-lhh)^  both 
of  which  send  off  twigs  before  they  wind  over  the  rim  to  orna- 
ment the  under  border  of  the  dish  with  the  same  white  and  red 
flowers.  A clump  of  the  branching  sacred  fungus  {ling-chiK)^ 
with  its  scrolled  heads  of  diverse  colors,  is  sprouting  from  the 
branch  of  the  prunus.  The  mark  penciled  underneath  in  cobalt- 
blue  inside  a double  ring  of  the  same  color  is  Ta  ChHng  Yung- 


788  DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


cheng  nien  chih — i.  e.,  “ Made  in  the  reign  of  Yung-cheng  (1723-35), 
of  the  Great  Ch’ing  [dynasty].” 

The  companion  dish,  of  the  same  size,  style,  and  mark,  is  deco- 
rated, still  more  effectively,  with  branches  of  the  tree-peony  (mou- 
tan),  Magnolia  yulan^  and  Pyrus  japonica  {hai-fang),  and  has 
trailing  sprays  of  the  three  flowers  extending  round  three-fourths 
of  the  lower  border.  The  large,  conspicuous  blossoms  of  the 
peony  are  nearly  white,  tipped  with  pink,  and  the  magnolia-petals 
are  filled  in  with  the  same  white  enamel.  XLVIII. 

Large  Globular  Jar  {^Kang^^  painted  in  deep  brilliant  blue,  of 
the  tone  of  coloring  and  archaic  decorative  style  characteristic  of 
the  Chia-ching  period  of  the  Ming  dynasty.  The  body  is  divided 
into  four  panels  of  foliated  outline,  which  are  filled  with  landscape 
pictures  of  familiar  life  in  China.  In  front,  a poet  is  seated  in  a 
pavilion  composing,  while  a boy  attendant  holds  up  his  ink-pallet, 
and  two  others  carry  wine-pot  and  cup.  Two  men  are  working  in 
the  garden  below,  the  trees  of  which  are  the  symbolical  pine, 
bamboo,  and  plum.  The  scene  on  the  left  depicts  a scholar  on 
horseback  riding  to  visit  a friend  in  his  mountain  retreat,  at  the 
door  of  which  an  attendant  is  knocking  to  announce  his  arrival. 
Similar  scenes  occupy  the  other  two  panels.  The  recesses  are  filled 
with  alternate  sprays  of  peony  and  chrysanthemum,  and  the 
decoration  is  completed  by  a band  of  sacred  fungus  round  the 
shoulder  of  the  jar,  and  another  of  beaded  gadroon  pattern  round 
the  base.  Underneath,  boldly  written  in  dark  underglaze  cobalt- 
blue,  is  the  mark  Ta  Ming  Chia  ching  nien  chih — i.  e.,  “Made  in 
the  reign  of  Chia-ching  (1522-66),  of  the  Great  Ming  [dynasty].” 

XLIX. 

Two  Vases  (^Hua  PHng)^  of  the  “ peach -bloom  ” type.  The 
first  is  invested  with  a grayish-green  glaze  variegated  with  streaks 
and  mottled  clouds  of  intense  emerald-green,  passing  into  olive  at 
the  lower  edges  as  they  “ run  ” down  over  the  field.  A blush  of 
“ crushed-strawberry”  tint  is  seen  near  the  rim  at  the  base.  The 
magnificent  coloring  seems  to  be  an  accidental  success  of  the  potter, 
due  to  prolonged  firing  of  a glaze  unusually  rich  in  copper.  The 
usual  mark  of  Ta  CKing  K'‘ ang-hsi  7iien  chih^  “ Made  in  the 
reign  of  K’ang-hsi,  of  the  Great  Ch’ing  [dynasty],”  penciled  under- 
neath in  cobalt-blue,  has  also  “run,”  the  characters  being  much 
blurred.  The  lip  has  been  replaced  in  gold. 

The  second  piece  is  clad  in  a rich,  smooth  glaze  of  charmingly 


DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


789 


uniform  color,  a pinkish  pearl-gray,  reminding  one  of  the  hue  of 
the  opening  bud  of  the  lavender.  It  is  flecked  with  a few  olive- 
brown  spots  in  the  receding  hollow  of  the  neck.  It  is  of  perfect 
technique,  with  the  lip  defined  by  a rounded  edge,  and  the  foot 
enameled  pure  white  underneath,  but  not  inscribed.  The  interior 
of  the  mouth  exhibits  a mottled  glaze,  displaying  the  most  beauti- 
ful “peach-bloom”  tints.  Period,  (1662-1722).  L. 

Flower-Yase  (Hua  PHng),  of  graceful  shape,  exhibiting  in 
typical  form  the  mottled  play  of  colors  characteristic  of  the 
celebrated  peach-bloom  ” glaze.  The  three  tints  distinguished 
by  the  Chinese  connoisseur  are  all  seen  in  the  illustration — viz., 
the  chiang  tou  hung^  or  “ haricot-red,”  of  the  ground,  the  mei 
kuei  pan,  or  “ rose  spots,”  and  the  clouds  of  pHng-kuo  cPing,  or 
apple-green.”  The  glaze  ends  below  in  the  usual  sharply  cut 
straight  line,  so  as  to  leave  a rim  of  biscuit  round  the  foot,  which  is 
deeply  hollowed  out  underneath.  The  mark  penciled  in  brilliant 
underglaze  blue  is  composed  of  six  minute  characters  arranged  in 
two  columns,  reading,  Ta  CPing  K'*ang-hsi  7iien  chih,  “ Made  in 
the  reign  of  K’ang-hsi  (1662-1722),  of  the  Great  Ch’ing  [dynasty].” 

LI. 

Ovoid  Vase  [Hua  PHng),  one  of  a pair,  of  the  same  period  as 
the  last,  and  with  the  same  mark  underneath  written  in  still  more 
minute  blue  characters,  covered  with  a monochrome  glaze  of  pale 
sky-blue  tint,  a charming  example  of  the  yueh  pai,  literally 
moonlight  white,”  or  clair-de-lune  glaze.  LI. 

Flower-Vase  {^Hua  PHng),  inches  high,  with  a ring  of 
upright  foliated  panels  molded  in  slight  relief  in  the  paste  round 
the  base.  The  upper  part  of  the  neck,  which  had  a slightly  flaring 
mouth,  has  been  ground  down  and  mounted  with  a silver  collar  of 
Japanese  workmanship.  The  vase  is  enameled  with  a “peach- 
bloom  ” glaze  of  “ crushed-strawberry  ” tint,  flecked  with  spots 
of  darker  red,  and  mottled  with  clouds  of  apple-green  passing  into 
a bright  grass-green  in  the  middle.  The  mark  written  under- 
neath in  cobalt-blue  under  a white  glaze  is  Ta  CPhig  K''ang-hsi 
nien  chih,  “Made  in  the  reign  of  K’ang-hsi  (1662-1722),  of  the 
Great  Ch’ing  [dynasty].” 

The  companion  vase  in  the  collection,  8 inches  high,  of  a similar 
form,  and  with  the  same  mark  underneath,  has  a “ crushed -straw- 
berry  ” ground,  flecked  with  reddish-brown  spots,  and  only  slightly 


790  DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OE  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


clouded,  at  one  spot,  with  apple-green.  The  glaze  has  run  down 
in  thick  drops  and  partially  enfoliated,  leaving  bare  places,  which 
have  been  filled  in  with  tiny  petals  of  gold  lacquer.  The  upper 
rim  is  capped  with  a silver  mount  etched  with  a floral  pattern,  and 
the  neck  is  encircled  by  scrolled  clouds  and  a gold  dragon  of 
Japanese  design.  LIT 

Flo  WEE- Vase  {^Hua  PH7ig),  9 inches  high,  of  eggshell  thinness^ 
invested  with  a soft  monochrome  glaze  of  pink  color,  belonging  to 
the  Yung-chmg  (1722-35)  or  early  ChHen-lung  (1736-95)  period. 
This  beautiful  and  rare  tint  is  the  same  as  that  with  which  the  backs 
of  some  of  the  delicate  eggshell  dishes  of  the  time  are  enameled. 
It  is  a variety  of  the  rose  c/’or,  being  derived  from  gold  ; different 
shades  of  pink  were  produced  b}^  combining  the  ‘‘  purple  of  Cas- 
sius,” which  gives  a pure  crimson  tint,  with  graduated  doses  of 
white.  The  pink,  illustrated  here,  is  called  hai-fang  hung,  or 
a Pyrus  jap07iica  red,”  by  the  Chinese,  from  its  resemblance  to  the 
petals  of  that  flower  ; the  deeper  crimson  of  the  ‘‘  ruby-backed  ” 
dishes,  one  of  which  is  illustrated  in  Plate  X,  they  call  yen-chih 
hung,  ov  “rouge-red.”  LIII. 

Flowee-Vase  {Hua  P'^ing),  with  the  “peach-bloom”  glaze  of 
the  ang-hsi  period  (1662-1722).  The  illustration,  in  the  size  of 
the  original,  shows  the  gracefull^^  curved  lines  of  the  form  and  tho 
perfect  technique  of  the  piece.  The  swelling  lip  is  defined  by  a 
line  of  white,  and  two  white  rings  in  slight  relief  encircle  the  neck 
as  it  springs  from  the  shoulder.  The  rest  of  the  surface  is  covered 
with  a rich  glaze  of  velvety  aspect,  exhibiting  the  beautiful  play 
of  colors  which  distinguishes  the  “peach-bloom”  or  “crushed- 
strawberry  ” vases.  The  neck  is  coated  inside  with  a glaze  of 
bright  apple-green  tint,  sprinkled  with  a few  dark-red  spots,  and 
tipped  at  the  edge  with  a ring  of  mottled  “peach-bloom.”  The 
mark  underneath,  Ta  CPhig  K'’ang-hsi  7%ie7%  chih,  “Made  in  the 
reign  of  K’ang-hsi,  of  the  Great  Ch’ing  [dynasty],”  is  beautifully 
written  in  underglaze  cobalt-blue,  the  six  characters  arranged  in 
three  columns.  LIV. 

{Chiu  Ilii),  of  somewhat  rough  paste  and  antique 
style,  enameled  with  colors  and  touches  of  gold,  of  the  IC^ang-hsi 
period  (1662-1722).  Of  oblong  form,  with  the  corners  rounding 
inward,  it  has  an  upright  arched  handle  which  is  painted  with 
black  lines  on  a yellow  ground,  to  simulate  basketwork.  The 


DESCKIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


791 


decoration  is  in  panels,  with  the  t3^pical  flowers  of  the  seasons  on 
the  four  sides  ; the  plum  of  winter,  with  a bird  perched  in  the 
branches,  and  an  evergreen  bamboo  growing  from  the  rocks 
beneath  ; the  tree-peony  of  spring,  with  butterflies  flying  around  ; 
the  lotus  of  summer  ; and  the  chrysanthemum  of  autumn.  The 
intervals  are  filled  with  bands  of  floral  diaper,  interrupted  on 
the  sljoulder  by  two  medallions  containing  sprays  of  peony,  and 
formal  sprigs  of  the  same  flower  are  painted  on  the  curved  spout. 
The  foot  is  glazed  white  underneath,  with  no  mark  attached.  LV. 

Bottle-shaped  Vase  16^  inches  high,  of  good  form 

and  finished  technique,  enameled  with  the  celebrated  red  glaze  of 
the  Lang  Yao  of  the  reign  of  K^ang-hsi  (1662-1722).  The  surface 
of  the  glaze  exhibits  a superficial  network  of  crackled  lines,  and 
its  depth  reflects  the  richly  mottled  tints  of  sang-de-hoeuf  type, 
streaked  with  lighter  shades  below.  The  upper  edge  of  the  tall 
neck  is  defined  by  a rounded  rim  of  white.  The  foot  is  apple-green 
underneath,  not  crackled,  mottled  with  undefined  rings  of  pale  red. 

LVI. 

Vase  [PHng),  18  inches  high,  of  the  celebrated  Lang  Yao  of 
the  reign  of  K'^ang-lisi  (1662-1722).  Bottle-shaped,  with  swelling 
body  and  tall,  wide,  cylindrical  neck  ; the  rich  deep  glaze,  crackled 
throughout,  exhibits  the  characteristic  crimson  tints  of  sang-de- 
hoeuf  in  its  darkest  mottling.  The  base  is  covered  underneath 
with  a gra}^,  “ rice-colored  ” glaze,  slightl}^  mottled  with  brown. 

LVII. 

Flower- Vase  [Hua  P'^ing),  inches  high,  covered  with  the 
crackled  sang-de-hoeuf  glaze,  the  characteristic  colors  of  which  are 
well  represented  in  the*  lithograph.  The  mottling  of  apple-green 
crackle  exhibited  near  the  foot  is  still  more  marked  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  vase.  The  base  underneath  is  coated  with  a crackled 
white  glaze,  barely  tinted  with  green.  It  belongs  to  the  reign 
of  K^ang-hsi  (1662-1722).  LVIII. 

Large  Vase  (PHng),  21  inches  high,  of  the  celebrated  Lang 
Yao  of  the  reign  of  K'^ang-hsi  (1662-1722),  covered  with  the 
characteristic  crackled  monochrome  glaze  of  sang-de-hoeuf  color. 
The  colors,  of  varied  tone,  pass  from  apple-green  to  deepest 
crimson,  through  all  intermediate  sliades,  according  to  the  degree 
of  oxidation  of  the  copper  silicates  in  the  glaze.  The  vase 


792  DESCKIPTIYE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


is  green  toward  the  edges,  where  the  network  of  crackles  is 
most  clearly  visible  ; red  on  the  body,  where  the  glaze  runs  down 
toward  the  foot  in  richly  mottled  streaks  ; and  of  dark,  sanguin- 
eous tint  on  the  shoulder,  where  the  glaze  is  thickest.  The  rims 
are  defined  by  lines  of  white  glaze  ; the  base  is  covered  under- 
neath with  a crackled  glaze  of  pale  apple-green  color.  The  plate 
shows  well  the  vertical  play  of  colors,  the  crackled  texture,  and 
the  stippled  ground  which  mark  this  glaze — one  of  the  most 
brilliant  achievements  of  the  Chinese  potter.  The  reflections  give 
a touch  of  contrast  to  the  tone,  and  indicate  the  finished  radiance 
of  the  surface  lit  up  by  the  sun.  LIX. 

Statuette  of  Kuan^  Ym  {Kuan  Yin  Hsiang),  17  inches  high, 
mounted  upon  a pedestal,  representing  the  Chinese  goddess  of 
Mercy,  a Buddhist  divinity,  the  special  “ hearer  of  prayers,”  as  the 
name  signifies.  Modeled  in  a dignified  pose,  she  stands  upright 
with  braceleted  hands  crossed  in  front,  her  robes,  with  broad  and 
loose  sleeves,  hanging  gracefully  down  so  as  to  cover  all  but 
the  tips  of  her  bare  feet.  The  face,  with  calm,  complacent 
features,  is  marked  between  the  eyebrows  with  the  illumianting 
'urna,  characteristic  mark  of  a Buddha,  and  the  ears  have  the  tra- 
ditional pendulous  lobes  of  a Buddhist  saint.  The  hair  is  crowned 
with  a tiara  of  lotus  design  ; a lotus-flower  is  suspended  upon 
the  breast  by  a jeweled  necklace,  and  another  hangs  down  from 
the  girdle.  A short  brocaded  cloak  covers  the  shoulders  and  forms 
a hood,  which  projects  forward  in  a point  above  the  head-dress. 
The  pedestal  is  fashioned  in  scrolled  outlines  to  represent  the  waves 
of  the  sea,  with  the  two-horned  bristling  head  of  a dragon  emerg- 
ing in  front,  flanked  by  two  four-clawed  feet,  the  hinder  part  of  its 
serpentine  form  being  seen  behind. 

The  figure  is  enameled  with  a crackled  glaze  of  soft  grayish  tone 
with  reticulating  brown  lines.  The  decorated  parts  are  painted  in 
the  brilliant  colors  of  the  old  famille  verte  \ the  hair  is  jet-black, 
the  eyebrows  are  outlined  in  black,  and  the  lips  touched  with  coral- 
red.  The  hood  is  brocaded  with  scrolls  of  lotus-flowers  ; the  upper 
border  of  the  robe  is  encircled  by  shou  characters  alternating  with 
flowers.  Period,  K'^ang-hsi  (1662-1'722).  LX. 

Tall  Vase  {IIu-lu  PHng),  28  inches  high,  of  threefold  outline, 
fashioned  in  the  form  of  a double  gourd  with  broad,  swelling 
waist,  and  decorated  in  enameled  colors  of  the  K"*ang-hsi  period 
<1662-1722). 


DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIOlSrS. 


793 


The  middle  section  is  decorated  on  a white  ground  with  two 
grotesque  lions  enveloped  in  flames,  and  brocaded  balls,  looking  like 
wheels,  surrounded  by  waving  fillets.  The  balls,  outlined  in  un- 
derglaze blue,  are  painted  partly  in  the  same  blue,  partly  in  colors, 
-coral-red  and  green  predominating  ; the  lions,  painted  in  similar 
colors,  have  the  curly  manes  and  spreading  tails  touched  with  an 
overglaze  blue  enamel.  The  borders  are  filled  in  with  a band  of 
floral  diaper  in  colors.  The  upper  and  lower  segments  of  the  vase 
are  glazed  with  a monochrome  ground  of  brilliant  “ mirror-black.” 
This  was  once  profusely  painted  in  gold,  and  traces  remain  on  the 
lower  part  of  the  vase  of  floral  and  diapered  grounds,  inclosing 
panels  containing  rocky  scenes  with  deer,  kHliriy  and  monstrous 
quadrupeds,  surmounted  by  a ring  of  symbols,  including  the  double 
fish,  lozenges,  and  “cash”;  and  of  panels  containing  landscapes 
with  temples  on  the  upper  segment.  LXI. 

Flower- Vase  [Hua  PHng),  10|-  inches  high,  of  the  reign  of 
K'‘ang-hsi  (1662-1722),  decorated  in  panels  with  cobalt-blue  of 
brilliant  mottled  tone,  and  in  the  intervals  with  floral  sprays  on  an 
enameled  black  ground.  The  body  of  the  vase  is  decorated  with 
three  quatrefoil  panels  containing  vases  filled  with  bouquets  of 
lotus-flowers  and  reeds,  pots  of  sword-grass,  and  writing  apparatus 
set  on  low  tables  ; the  neck,  with  two  leaf-shaped  panels  below, 
having  sprays  of  chrysanthemum  inside,  with  alternate  svastika  and 
jewel  symbols  round  the  bulb,  and  with  rings  of  formal  foliations 
round  the  base  and  rim.  The  ground  between  the  panels  is  filled 
in  with  sprays  of  plum  blossom,  painted  in  delicate  green  and 
yellow,  relieved  by  a background  of  intense  iridescent  black.  There 
is  no  mark  underneath.  LXII. 

Saucer-shaped  Dish  {Tieh),  of  delicate  eggshell  porcelain, 
decorated  with  brilliant  enamel  colors  of  the  Yung-cheng  period 
^1723-35).  The  graceful  figure,  supported  by  a scrolled  bank  of 
many-colored  clouds,  represents  one  of  the  female  divinities  of  the 
Taoist  cult,  as  shown  by  her  attributes,  and  seems  to  be  IIo  Hsien- 
ku,  the  virgin  member  of  the  band  of  immortals  who,  the  story 
says,  occasionally  appears  to  her  worshipers  in  a cloud  of  diverse 
colors.  The  goddess  is  dressed  in  long,  flowing  robes,  with  a short 
^loak  of  lotus-leaves  thrown  across  her  shoulders  and  a long  black 
scarf  with  the  ends  floating  loosely  down,  and  has  her  jet-black 
hair  ornamented  with  a pink  flower  ; a pilgrim’s  gourd  hangs  sus- 


V94 


DESCKIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


{)ended  from  her  girdle,  and  she  carries  in  her  hands  a large  blue 
jar,  tied  round  with  pink  silk,  containing,  doubtless,  the  beverage 
of  immortality — the  magic  elixir  vitm.  LXIIL 

Quadrangular  Vase  i^Fang  PHng),  13  inches  high,  with  ver- 
tical openwork  railings  of  scrolled  outline  projecting  from  the  four 
corners,  richly  decorated  in  enamel  colors,  with  gilding,  of  the 
ChHen-lung  period  (1736-95). 

The  vase  is  decorated  with  foliated  panels  framed  in  a blue  ground 
brocaded  with  bats  in  gold.  The  large  oblong  panels  on  the  body 
are  painted  on  a white  ground  with  landscape  pictures  of  the  four 
seasons.  The  picture  representing  spring  is  a mountain  scene^ 
with  temples  half  hidden  by  trees,  and  a river  spanned  by  a plank 
bridge  on  which  a traveler  is  standing,  admiring  the  peach-trees 
with  their  pink  blossoms  ; a Pyrus  japonica  is  flowering  near  a 
temple,  and  the  willows  on  the  river-bank  are  clad  in  the  rich  ver- 
dure of  spring.  The  summer  scene  is  a similar  picture,  with  pines 
and  poplars  in  full  foliage  and  reeds  waving  over  the  water.  The 
picture  of  autumn,  seen  in  the  illustration,  has  also  a mountain 
background,  with  temples  and  pillared  pavilions  on  the  shore  of  a 
river  swollen  by  the  torrents  of  the  rainy  season,  and  foliage  show- 
ing bright  autumnal  tints.  A snow  scene  follows  for  winter,  even 
the  fisherman  seated  in  his  boat  in  the  foreground  being  covered 
with  snow,  and  showing  out  white  upon  the  sepia-tinted  water. 
A grove  of  pines  surrounds  the  temple  buildings  ; all  the  other 
trees  are  bare,  sketched  in  the  same  neutral  shades  that  darken  sky 
and  water. 

The  neck  of  the  vase  has  four  small  square  panels  filled  with 
colored  clouds.  The  shoulder  is  decorated  with  bands  of  conven- 
tional floral  scrolls  issuing  from  the  mouths  of  two  bats  displayed 
upon  a yellow  ground.  The  borders  and  the  openwork  railing  are 
enameled  of  soft  coral-red,  overlaid  with  gilded  scrolls,  succeeded 
by  bands  of  blue  with  scrolls  of  gold  peonies  round  the  upper  and 
lower  rims.  The  seal  underneath,  penciled  in  red  on  a white  panel 
reserved  in  the  middle  of  the  pale-green  enameled  grounds,  which 
characterizes  the  finest  imperial  porcelain  of  this  period,  is  Ta 
ChHng  CPien  lung  7iien  chih, — i.  e.,  “ Made  in  the  reign  of  Ch’ien- 
lung  (1736-95),  of  the  Great  Ch’ing  [dynasty].”  LXIV. 

Flower- Vase  (Hua  P'^ing)^  of  graceful  ovoid  shape,  with 
tapering  neck  and  expanded  rim,  enameled  with  a pure  mono- 
chrome glaze  of  delicate  citron-yellow  tint.  The  yellow  ground  is^ 


PESCRIPTIYE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS.  795 

interrupted  on  both  sides  of  the  vase,  to  be  decorated  by  little  pic- 
tures sketched  in  sepia  upon  a white  ground.  The  pictures  are 
represented  as  if  painted  upon  scrolls,  partially  unrolled  so  as  to 
show  the  brocaded  mounts  at  the  sides  ; one  is  a mountain  land- 
scape with  a pilgrim  in  the  foreground  on  the  bridge  leaning  upon 
his  stalf,  the  otlier  a rustic  scene  with  a cottage  in  front.  The  rirp 
of  the  lip  and  the  interior  of  the  mouth  are  white,  with  a tinge  -of 
green,  and  the  foot  of  the  same  color,  underneath,  with  no  inscrip- 
tion. It  is  a choice  specimen  of  a monoclirome  glaze  which  seems 
to  have  been  produced  in  such  perfection  only  in  the  reign  of 
Yung-cheng  (1723-35).  LXV. 

Saucer-shaped  Dish  {Tieh),  of  eggshell  porcelain  decorated 
with  brilliant  enamel  colors  of  the  famille  rose  and  gilding.  The 
motive  of  the  decoration  is  a screen  fan,  laid  down,  as  it  were,  in 
the  dish  upon  a bed  of  flowers.  The  screen  is  painted  with  the 
picture  of  a pheasant  perched  upon  a rockery,  with  daisies  and 
grass  and  a branch  of  shan-li-hung  berries  in  the  background.  It 
has  a curved  bamboo  handle  tinted  red,  gilded  mounts,  and  black 
tassels  attached  by  silken  cords.  The  flowers  are  sprays  of  peony 
and  chrysanthemum,  displayed  in  bright  colors  upon  the  sepia 
ground  of  diapered  pattern,  which  is  seen  lining  the  rest  of  the 
interior  of  the  dish.  The  rim  is  encircled  by  a wavy  band  of  con- 
ventional floral  sprays  studded  with  alternate  peony  and  chiysan- 
themum  flowers,  penciled  in  sepia  and  filled  in  with  gold.  Period, 
Yung-cheng  or  ChHen-lung  (1723-95).  LXYI. 

Bowl  ( Wan),  molded  after  a characteristic  design  of  the  reign 
of  Yung-lo,  with  spreading  sides  and  a gently  everted  rim  nicked 
at  regular  intervals  in  six  places.  Of  eggshell  texture  and  marvel- 
ous transparence,  it  has  yet,  in  addition  to  the  painted  decoration, 
a complicated  pattern  molded  in  relief  in  the  paste  inside,  consist- 
ing of  an  interlacing  scroll  of  lotus  lifting  up  eight  blossoms  to 
support  the  eight  Buddhist  emblems  of  happy  augury  (y>a  chi 
hsiang),  which  form  a circle  round  the  rim  of  the  bowl,  surrounded 
by  waving  fillets;  this  ornamentation,  too  fugitive  to  be  illustrated, 
has  the  effect,  under  transmitted  light,  of  watered  satin  or  water- 
marked paper.  The  decoration,  painted  in  coral-red  over  the  glaze, 
■consists  of  nine  four-clawed  dragons — two  pairs  inside  and  two 
outside — speeding  round  the  sides  in  pursuit  of  whirling  jewels,  all 
enveloped  in  forked  flames,  and  the  ninth  coiled  in  a ring  in  the 


796 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


bottom  of  the  bowl.  This  is  one  of  the  exclusive  designs  sacred  to 
the  emperor,  and  the  dragons  are  all  four-clawed,  a special  mark  of 
the  K'‘ang-hsi  period  (1662-1722),  to  which  this  bowl  belongs.  It 
is  thinner  and  more  perfect  in  technique  than  a CfCien-lung  bowl,, 
with  a glaze  of  softer  tone,  although  not  so  brilliant  nor  so  vitreous 
in  aspect,  and  is  of  the  same  style  and  date  as  the  vase  figured  in 
Plate  XXVIII.  LXVII. 

1.  Rice-Bowl  (Fan  Wan)^  7f  inches  in  diameter,  of  K’^ang- 
hsi  period  (1662-1722),  artistically  decorated  in  shaded  blues  with 
a lake  scene,  a group  of  storks  standing  in  a clump  of  lotus,  rocks 
and  panicled  reeds  in  the  background  ; a medallion  of  lotus-flowers 
is  painted  inside  in  the  bottom  of  the  bowl,  and  a band  of  sprays  of 
the  same  flower  round  the  inner  rim.  The  mai’k  underneath  is  a 
six-spoked  wheel  encircled  by  a waving  fillet  with  dots,  simulating 
a flower  ; an  identical  mark  occurs  on  a brilliant  “hawthorn-spray 
plate  in  the  collection  dating  from  the  same  period. 

2.  Water  Receptacle  (Shut  Ch^eng)^  2^  inches  high,  for  the 

writing-table,  in  the  form  of  an  ordinary  teapot,  decorated  in  soft- 
toned  blue  under  a crackled,  soft-looking  fen-ting  glaze  of  ivory- 
white  tint.  It  is  decorated  with  the  paraphernalia  of  the  scholar 
a censer,  a book,  and  a water-pot  with  ladle  inside  on  a palm-leaf,^ 
in  front ; a lyre  in  its  brocaded  case  and  Siju-i  scepter  tied  with 
fillets,  behind  ; and  with  four  symbols  on  top — a musical  stone,  a 
Buddhist  wheel,  a lozenge,  and  a “ cash  ” — and  two  on  the  cover,, 
with  cloud  scrolls  between  the  symbols.  The  mark  underneath  is 
gu,  “ jade,”  the  period  that  of  K^ang-hsi.  LXYIII. 

3.  Miniature  Vase  (Hsiao  PHng)^  3 inches  high,  delicately 
painted  in  blue,  the  depressed  bulging  body  covered  with  interlac- 
ing scrolls  of  Indian  lotus,  the  neck,  which  is  marked  near  the  base 
by  a prominent  white  ring,  encircled  by  conventional  bands  of 
spiral  and  triangular  fret  and  foliated  design  respectively.  The 
mark  underneath,  in  well- written  characters,  penciled  inside  a 
double  ring,  is  Ta  Ming  HsiXan  te  nien  chih — i.  e.,  “ Made  in  tho 
reign  of  Hstian-te  (1426-35),  of  the  Great  Ming  [dynasty].” 

LXVIII. 

Plate  (P’a/i  tzit)^  inches  in  diameter,  painted  inunderglaze 
cobalt-blue  of  lighter  and  darker  shades,  in  the  free,  artistic  style 
and  tone  of  coloring  characteristic  of  the  IFang-hsi  period  (1662- 
1722).  The  interior  of  the  plate  is  decorated  with  a four-clawed 


DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTEATIOI^S. 


797 


dragon  emerging  from  the  waves  with  flames  proceeding  from  its 
shoulders  and  flanks,  while  two  fishes,  one  a carp,  are  swimming  in 
the  water  which  covers  the  ground  with  curling  crest,  dotted  with 
foam.  The  border  of  the  plate  is  encircled  by  scrolled  waves  ; its 
under  surface  is  ornamented  round  the  rim  with  six  emblems  tied 
with  fillets,  including  a couple  of  books,  a round  jewel,  a diamond 
{fang  sheng),  an  umbrella,  a conch-shell,  and  a palm-leaf.  The 
mark  underneath,  inscribed  within  a double  ring,  is  Ta  Ming  ClCeng- 
hua  nien  chih^  “ Made  in  the  reign  of  Ch’eng  hua,  of  the  Great 
Ming  [dynasty],”  but  the  form  and  style  of  decoration  indicate 
certainly  the  reign  of  K^ang-hsi.  The  fabled  metamorphosis  of- 
the  ‘‘  Fish  Dragon  ” ( YiX  Lung)  is  symbolical  of  the  scholar’s 
success  at  the  state  competitive  examinations.  LXIX. 

Beaker-shaped  Vase  {Hua  Ku),  inches  high,  of  solid 
material  and  somewhat  archaic  form,  with  a flat  base  not  glazed  ; 
decorated  with  etched  borders  and  painted  blue  designs,  executed 
in  the  style  of  the  Wan-li  period  (15V3-1619).  Three  bands  of 
wavy  conventional  scrolls,  lightly  etched  in  the  paste  under  the 
glaze,  encircle  the  vase  so  as  to  divide  its  surface  into  two  parts, 
which  are  decorated  in  brilliant  cobalt-blue  of  shaded  tones.  The 
body  represents  a combat  between  a tiger,  the  king  of  land  ani^ 
mals,  and  a dragon,  prince  of  the  powers  of  the  air.  The  tiger  is 
in  the  foreground,  crouching  upon  the  reedy  bank  of  a lake,  from 
the  waves  of  which  a dragon  has  just  emerged  and  is  seen  ap- 
proaching on  the  right,  with  its  huge  scaly  form  half  hidden  by 
clouds  ; rocks  and  clouds  fill  in  the  background.  The  neck  of  the 
vase  is  painted  with  a rocky  landscape  with  palms  rising  in  the 
background  ; a Jc'i-lin  is  seated  in  front,  with  flames  issuing  from 
its  throat  and  body,  indicative  of  its  supernatural  attributes  ; it 
has  a scaly  skin,  a two-horned  dragon’s  head,  the  hoofs  of  a deer, 
and  the  spreading  tail  of  a lion.  A phoenix  is  flying  in  the  air 
above.  LXX. 

Ovoid  Vase,  of  the  Buddhist  form,  called  Kuan  Yin  Tsun^  be- 
cause it  resembles  the  ritual  vase  carried  by  the  goddess  of  Mercy, 
18  inches  high,  decorated  in  shaded  tones  of  brilliant  blue,  in  the 
characteristic  style  and  coloring  of  the  K’’ang-hsi  period  (1662- 
1722). 

The  body  of  the  vase  displays  the  grotesque  forms  of  three  lions 
of  the  traditional  Chinese  type,  sporting  with  brocaded  balls,  the 
wheel-like  balls  being  tied  with  broad  fillets,  which  fill  in  all  the 


798  DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS; 


intervals  with  their  spirally  waving  folds.  The  neck  of  the  vase, 
marked  with  three  ribs  faintly  worked  in  the  paste,  is  painted  in 
blue  with  an  encircling  band  of  “ scepter-head  ” ornament  above  a 
light  ring  of  spiral  fret.  The  mark  underneath  is  a large  double 
ring,  penciled  in  blue,  such  as  frequently  occurs  at  the  time  referred 
to,  when  the  potters  were  forbidden  to  use  the  imperial  title.  This 
decorative  motive  is  always  called  Shih-tzit  Mun  hsiu  chm,  “ Lions 
sporting  with  brocaded  balls,”  and  the  lions,  by  a pun  on  the  word 
shih,  which  also  means  “ generation,”  are  often  said  to  be  symbol- 
ical of  three  generations  of  the  same  family.  The  original  ecclesi- 
astical signification  of  lions  guarding  the  sacred  wheel  of  the  Bud- 
dhist law  seems  to  be  quite  forgotten,  although  one  can  almost 
detect  the  spokes  of  the  wheel  in  the  picture  before  us.  LXXI. 

Tall  Yase  {Hua-Ku)^  33  inches  high,  of  archaic  form,  with  six 
prominent  serrated  ridges  projecting  vertically  from  the  bulging 
center,  and  extending  down  to  the  gently  spreading  foot,  and  two 
handles  fashioned  in  the  shape  of  grotesque  lions’  heads,  channeled 
for  rings,  on  the  neck.  It  is  painted  in  cobalt-blue  of  characteris- 
tic tone,  under  a rich  lustrous  white  glaze  slightly  tinged  with 
blue.  The  decoration  consists  of  conventional  scrolls  of  peonies 
arranged  in  vertical  panels.  A band  of  sea-waves  stretches  round 
the  base,  two  undulating  rings  of  foliated  scrolls  define  the  bor- 
ders of  the  body,  a band  of  sacred  Ung-chih  fungus  winds  round 
the  shoulder,  and  two  horizontal  bands  of  conventional  ornament 
mark  the  borders  of  the  neck.  Inside  the  mouth  there  are  two 
encircling  bands  of  formal  flowers,  succeeded  by  a ring  of  palmated 
design  pointing  downward.  The  mark,  inscribed  in  a framed 
panel  near  the  upper  border,  is  Ta  Ming  Wan  li  nien  chih — i.  e., 
‘‘Made  in  the  reign  of  Wan-li  (I5'73-1619),  of  the  Great  Ming 
[dynasty].”  _ The  bottom  is  unglazed.  LXXII. 

Yase  [P'^ing),  of  gracefully  elongated  ovoid  form,  decorated  in 
brilliant  blue,  in  the  style  and  coloring  of  the  best  K’'ang-hsi 
period  (1662-1722).  The  picture  represents,  apparentl^^,  a dra- 
matic scene.  A traveler  in  official  dress  is  kneeling  in  the  fore- 
ground on  a river-bank,  to  which  the  boat  is  moored  from  which  hh 
has  just  landed,  his  umbrella  and  bundle  thrown  on  the  ground 
near.  A martial  figure  stands  in  front  with  his  hand  upon  the  hilt 
of  his  sword,  the  hero  of  the  piece,  indicated  by  the  long  pheasant 
plumes  in  his  helmet,  who  is  attended  by  two  soldiers  armed  with 
long  halberds.  The  background  is  filled  in  with  rocks  and  waving 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS.  799 


willows,  enveloped  in  clouds  of  mottled  blue.  The  neck  of  the 
vase  is  painted  with  a few  light  spraj^s  of  bamboo.  The  mark 
underneath,  penciled  in  blue  within  a double  ring,  of  Ta  Ming 
Chia  ehing  7iie7i  chih,  \u  the  reign  of  Chia-ching,  of  the 

Great  Ming  [dynasty],”  is  evidently  fictitious.  LXXIII. 

Vase  (PHiig),  10  inches  high,  with  a decoration  of  floral  bands 
and  ornamental  borders,  worked  in  slight  relief  in  the  paste,  under 
a monochrome  glaze  of  pale  grayish-blue  color,  derived  from  the 
native  cobaltiferous  ore  of  manganese.  This  is  tlie  fien-chHng,  or 

sky-blue,”  of  Chinese  ceramists,  which  resembles  somewhat  in 
tint  the  turquoise  glaze  illustrated  in  Plate  XLV,  although  this  is, 
on  the  other  hand,  derived  from  copper,  and  differs  from  the  cobalt 
glaze  in  being  minutely  crackled.  The  decoration  consists  of  con- 
ventional scrolls  of  peonies  round  the  body,  with  a band  of  false 
gadroons  below  and  a border  of  scrolled  “ scepter  heads  ” above. 
The  rim  of  the  foot  is  encircled  by  a continuous  rectangular  fret, 
and  the  shoulder  is  defined  by  a chain  of  similar  design.  The  neck 
has  a ring  of  palmations,  alternately  longer  and  shorter,  ascend- 
ing from  the  base.  The  rim  of  the  lip  is  marked  with  a line  of 
brownish-yellow  color.  The  foot  is  enameled  underneath  with  the 
same  grayish-blue  glaze  as  the  vase,  without  any  inscription.  It 
may  be  attributed  to  the  early  part  of  the  K'^ang-lisi  period  (1662- 
1722).  LXXIV. 

Crackled  Turquoise  Flower-Pot  (Hua  P'^en),  of  rectangular 
outline  and  oblong  section,  with  the  rim  incurved,  resting  upon  four 
scrolled  feet.  The  interior  is  strengthened  by  six  vertical  ribs  ; 
the  bottom  is  perforated  by  two  round  holes.  It  is  enameled  out- 
side with  a rich  translucent  glaze  of  deep  turquoise  tint,  which  is 
minutely  crackled  throughout  with  a network  of  well-defined  lines. 
The  interior  and  the  under  surface,  both  for  the  most  part  unglazed, 
exhibit  a paste  of  whitish  texture  resembling  that  of  the  vase  figured 
in  Plate  LXXXIY,  and  this  flower-pot  is  also  to  be  referred  to  the 
Ming  dynasty.  It  is  probabl}^  a production  of  the  reign  of  Wan4i 
(1573-1619).  LXXV. 

Vase,  with  Cover  (^Kai  PHng),  one  of  a pair,  of  broad  ovoid 
shape,  composed,  as  it  were,  of  two  vases  coalesced  into  one,  with 
the  line  of  junction  indicated  b}''  vertical  grooves,  surmounted  by  a 
double  composite  cover  crowned  by  two  gilded  knobs.  It  is  j)ainted 
in  the  finest  enamel  colors  with  gilding  of  the  CPien-lung  period. 


800  DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


tones  of  red  predominating,  and  is  a brilliant  example  of  \h^'famille 
rose.  The  body  of  the  vase  is  filled  with  groups  of  playing  boys 
painted  upon  a translucently  white  ground.  On  one  side  there  is 
a group  of  children  playing  upon  musical  instruments,  and  carry- 
ing branches  of  peach-blossom,  gathered  round  three  goats,  the 
special  emblem  of  the  creative  energies  of  spring,  indicated  by  the 
punning  name  of  the  design,  San  yang  Jc^ai  taV*  On  the  other 
side  the  boys  surround  a central  figure  holding  a vase  from  which 
a cloud  is  issuing  as  it  unfolds  to  display  five  flying  bats,  symbols 
of  the  five  kinds  of  happiness.  The  receding  neck  and  the  hollow 
of  the  foot  are  filled  with  broad  bands  of  ruby-red,  with  the  rose- 
d'‘oT  ground  etched  with  scrolls  and  overlaid  with  chains  of 
symbols  painted  in  colors,  fringed  with  narrower  bands  of  yellow 
and  sepia  color  diapered  with  flowers.  The  cover  has  a similar 
scrolled  ground,  with  foliated  rings  round  the  knobs.  The  base,, 
enameled  pale  green,  is  inscribed,  in  overglaze  blue,  with  one  line 
of  antique  “ seal  ” characters,  reading  Ta  dicing  ChHen  lung  nien 
chih,  “Made  in  the  reign  of  Ch’ien-lung  (1736-95),  of  the  Great 
Ch’ing  [dynasty].”  LXXYL 

Vase  [Tsun),  modeled  in  the  form  of  an  ancient  sacrificial  wine- 
vessel  of  the  Ha7i  dynasty,  with  encircling  bands  worked  in  slight 
relief  in  the  paste,  and  three  solid  handles  fashioned  in  the  shape 
of  rams’  heads  projecting  on  the  shoulder.  The  glaze  with  which 
it  is  enameled  is  of  grayish  tint,  crackled  throughout  with  a close 
network  of  reddish-brown  lines.  Upon  the  shoulder  of  the  vase,, 
where  the  glaze  is  thicker,  it  is  pale  blue,  and  the  crackled  reticu- 
lation becomes  almost  colorless  ; also  upon  the  spreading  rim  of 
the  foot,  where  the  conditions  are  similar.  The  same  crackled 
glaze  extends  into  the  interior  of  the  vase,  and  invests  the  base, 
which  is  marked  in  the  middle,  under  the  glaze,  with  the  “ seal 
in  dark  cobalt-blue,  inscribed  Ta  Cli^ing  ChHen  hmg  nien  chih — 
i.  e.,  “Made  in  the  reign  of  Ch’ien-lung  (1736-95),  of  the  Great 
Ch’ing  [dynasty].”  LXXVIU 

Vase  [PHng),  enameled  with  a monochrome  glaze  of  green  of 
the  color  of  cucumber-rind  (the  Jcua-pH  lu  of  Chinese  ceramists), 
minutely  and  uniformly  crackled  throughout.  The  glaze  exhibits 
an  undulating  surface,  and  the  green  color  takes  on  a mottled 
aspect  in  places,  becoming  slightly  paler  on  the  shoulder  in  one  spot 
which  happens  to  be  more  thinly  covered.  The  finely  crackled 
or  truite  surface  of  this  bottle  offers  a typical  example  of  the 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


801 


yU  tziX  wen,  or  fish-roe  crackle.”  The  foot  is  invested  underneath 
with  a similar  crackled  green  enamel.  The  upper  rim  is  touched 
with  brown,  which  is  concealed  in  the  illustration  by  the  ebony 
stopper.  Period,  CNien-lung  (I'ZSG-OS).  LXXVIII. 

Vase  i^Tsun'),  modeled  after  an  archaic  bronze  form,  with  bulg- 
ing body,  upright  rim,  and  two  tubular  handles.  Composed  of 
grayish  paste,  it  is  invested  with  a thick  brilliant  enamel  of  trans- 
lucent emerald-green,  uniformly  crackled  with  a network  of  brown 
lines.  Reflected  light  produces  a marked  iridescent  effect,  which 
the  artist  has  indicated  in  the  illustration.  The  enamel,  which 
thins  to  a straight  edge  toward  the  foot,  is  stained  below  by  a line 
of  olive-brown  at  the  point  of  junction  with  the  ferruginous  paste. 
The  foot,  unglazed  underneath,  and  showing  the  circular  marks  of 
the  wheel,  is  of  dark  color,  almost  black.  LXXIX. 

Tall  Vase  18^  inches  high,  enameled  with  a mono- 

chrome glaze  of  very  dark  olive  color,  becoming  black  in  some 
parts  where  the  glaze  is  thickest,  as  it  collects,  for  instance,  upon 
the  shoulder  and  round  the  edge  of  the  foot.  It  was  originally 
richly  decorated  in  gold,  with  a pair  of  dragons  rising  into  the  air 
from  the  sea,  traces  being  still  visible,  on  close  inspection,  of  sea- 
waves  below,  and  of  the  forms  of  large  four-clawed  dragons  pursu- 
ing jewels  in  the  midst  of  clouds,  extending  over  the  bulging  body 
and  slender  neck  of  the  vase.  Although  there  is  no  mark  inscribed 
underneath,  the  characteristic  shape, 'coloring,  and  decorative  style 
all  indicate  the  reign  of  K^ang-hsi  (1662-1722).  LXXX. 

Vase  12  inches  high,  with  a bulging  body  and  a solid 

circularly  rimmed  foot  enameled  with  a brilliant  Kua-pH  lu,  or 
“ cucumber-green  ” glaze,  minutely  crackled  throughout.  The  color 
ranges  from  apple-green  to  dark  olive,  the  surface  of  the  vase  being 
vertically  streaked  with  deep  mottled  tints  of  olive,  where  the  glaze 
has  collected  as  it  ran  down  in  the  furnace.  The  same  glaze 
extends  down  inside  the  mouth,  but  the  foot  is  unglazed  and  has 
no  mark  inscribed  underneath.  If  not  older,  it  is  an  early  speci- 
men of  the  reign  of  CJi’ ien-lung  (1736-95).  The  lip  is  mounted 
with  a silver  collar.  LXXXI. 

Vase  (P’m^),  17  inches  high,  bottled-shaped,  with  bulging 
body  and  wide  neck,  painted  with  a floral  decoration  of  shaded 
black,  invested  with  a monochrome  iridescent  glaze  of  deep-camel- 
lia-leaf green.  The  decoration  consists  of  a boldly  designed  pic- 


802 


DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


ture  of  peonies,  with  sprays  of  other  plants,  growing  from  rocks  in 
the  foreground,  and  a single  leafy  spray  behind.  It  has  run  in 
some  parts  so  as  to  be  hardly  visible  under  the  overglaze,  which, 
paler  above,  collects  as  it  flows  down  the  vase  in  unctuous  masses, 
becoming  of  wonderfully  deep,  metallic-like  luster  where  it  absorbs 
and  mingles  with  the  black  underneath.  The  rim,  which  has  been 
broken,  has  been  mended  in  Japan  with  gold  lacquer.  The  foot  is 
enameled  pale  green  underneath,  with  no  mark  attached.  The 
specimen  belongs  to  the  reign  of  K'‘ang-hsi  (1662-1722),  which  is 
famous  for  the  variety  of  its  green  glazes,  one  of  which  is  called 
she  p'i  liX,  or  “ snake-skin  green,”  because  it  resembled,  in  its  deep 
luster,  the  beautiful  iridescent  hue  which  distinguishes  the  scaly 
skin  of  some  serpents.  LXXXII. 

Yase  15  inches  high,  with  a globular  body  poised  upon 

a swelling  recurved  foot,  having  a pair  of  dragons  incised  in  the 
paste  under  a monochrome  glaze  of  “ eel-skin  yellow  ” (shan-yU 
hua7ig),  of  the  reign  of  K'’ang-hsi  (1662-1722).  The  dragons, 
of  the  typical  four-clawed  design  of  the  period,  are  represented  in 
pursuit  of  the  jewel  of  omnipotence,  a disk  with  spiral  center  emit- 
ting rays  of  effulgence;  the  form  of  one  is  half  concealed  by  the 
rolling  waves  which  are  engraved  round  the  base  of  the  vase;  the 
other  is  fully  displayed  in  the  midst  of  etched  scrolls  of  clouds  and 
forked  flames,  filling  in  all  the  intervals.  The  investing  glaze,  of 
yellowish-brown  tint,  deepens  into  olive-brown  to  enhance  the 
effect  of  the  incised  decoration,  and  collects  in  brown  drops  as  it 
runs  down  over  the  rim  of  the  foot.  The  base  is  coated  underneath 
with  the  same  glaze.  The  tints  resemble  precisely  those  of  the 
shan  yu^  the  common  brown  eel  of  north  China  ; the  glaze  was 
introduced  into  the  imperial  manufactory  by  Ts’ang  Ying-hsuan, 
who  was  sent  to  Ching-te-chm  by  the  Board  of  Works  in  the  year 
1683.  LXXXIII. 

Yase  [Tsun),  inches  high,  of  somewhat  archaic  form  and 
design,  witli  the  details  of  the  decoration  worked  in  relief  in  the 
paste  and  finished  with  the  graving  tool. 

The  body  is  encircled  by  a belt  of  rings  connected  by  double 
links,  between  two  lines  of  rope  pattern;  a ring  of  studs  surrounds 
the  base  between  similar  lines  of  rope,  and  there  is  another  ring  of 
studs  at  the  top  above  a single  rope  line.  An  interrupted  chain  of 
rectangular  fret  defines  the  base  of  the  neck,  and  the  everted  lip 
is  ornamented  with  a chain  of  the  same  fret;  the  lower  part  of  the 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


8oa 

neck  has  a band  of  spiral  foliations  embossed  with  studs.  The  vase 
is  enameled  with  a crackled  glaze  of  the  deep  turquoise  tint  that 
is  called  by  Chinese  ceramists  k^ung-chuo  lu,  or  “ peacock-green,’^ 
which  enhances  the  effect  of  the  relief  decoration  by  the  brilliant 
play  of  its  richly  mottled  tints,  vaiying  according  to  the  depth  of 
the  glaze.  The  interior  of  the  mouth,  and  the  foot  underneath,  are 
invested  with  the  same  turquoise  glaze.  There  is  no  mark,  but 
the  solid,  very  white  paste  and  the  general  technique  resemble 
those  of  the  imperial  turquoise  bowls  and  plates  of  the  Ming 
dynasty,  which  are  usually  marked,  so  that  this  vase  must  be 
referred  to  the  same  period.  LXXXIV. 

Robin’s-egg  Gray  Vase  10  inches  high,  of  egg-shaped 

outline,  with  an  archaic  dragon  modeled  in  full  relief,  with  open- 
work, upon  the  shoulder  of  the  vase,  so  as  to  envelop  half  of  the 
rim  of  the  circular  mouth  with  its  coils.  It  is  two-horned,  with 
indistinct  claws  and  a bifid,  spirally  curved  tail,  like  the  chHh- 
lung  of  ancient  bronzes.  The  dragon  is  colored  maroon  on  a gray 
ground;  the  vase  is  invested  with  a thick  glaze  of  bluish-gray 
tone,  flecked  with  copper-red  spots  and  streaks  of  mottled  maroon 
tints. 

The  rim  of  the  foot  is  iron-gray;  the  middle  is  plastered  with  a 
yellowish-brown  enamel,  covering  the  seal,  which  is  impressed  un- 
derneath the  paste,  inscribed  Ta  dicing  Yung  cheng  nien  chih^ 
“Made  in  the  reign  of  Yung-cheng  (1723-35),  of  the  Great  Ch’ing 
[dynasty].”  LXXXV. 

Vase  {PHng),  inches  high,  of  depressed,  bulging  form,  with 
a pair  of  handles  projecting  from  the  shoulder  fashioned  in  the 
shape  of  lions’  heads  with  rings  in  their  mouths.  It  is  enameled 
all  over  with  a pellucid  glaze  of  grayish  celadon  color,  crackled 
with  a wide  reticulation  of  brownish-red  lines,  connected  by  a few 
superficial  colorless  lines  within  the  meshes.  The  foot  is  invested 
underneath  with  the  same  crackled  glaze,  so  as  to  leave  the  rim 
uncovered,  which  is  tinted  iron-gray.  The  upper  rim  and  the  han- 
dles are  touched  with  brownish-red. 

There  is  no  mark.  It  is  probably  a production  of  the  Yung- 
cheng  period  (1723-35),  emulating  the  ancient  Ko  Yao  of  the 
Sung  d}masty,  which  is  described  as  having  had  iron-colored  feet 
and  copper-red  mouths.  LXXXVI’ 

Vase  [PHug),  of  ovoid  form,  swelling  toward  the  shonldeiy 
Tvhich  is  defined  by  a line  in  slight  relief  as  it  recedes  into  the 


804 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


neck.  The  thin  lip  of  the  gently  flaring  mouth  is  encircled  by  a 
ring  of  black  enamel,  and  the  two  solid  handles  which  project 
from  the  sides  of  the  vase,  modeled  as  grotesque  lions’  heads  and 
perforated  for  rings,  are  invested  with  a brilliant  bronze-black 
glaze  of  metallic  aspect.  The  rest  of  the  surface  is  enameled  with 
a bright  yellow  monochrome  glaze  of  slightly  greenish  tone, 
crackled  throughout  with  a fine  network  of  superficial  lines  (trui- 
tee).  The  foot  is  invested  with  the  same  glaze.  Period,  ChHen-lung 
(1736-95).  LXXXVII. 

Furnace-Transmutation  Vase  [Yao  Pien  PHng),  of  hexag- 
onal section,  with  two  open  looped  handles  projecting  from  the 
neck,  roughly  fashioned  in  the  shape  of  elephants’  heads.  The 
enameled  surface,  superficially  crackled  with  a wide  reticulation, 
exhibits  a mottled  investment  of  olive-brown,  overlaid  with  thick 
splashes  of  brilliant  crimson  shades  streaked  with  purplish  grays, 
produced  by  varied  oxidation  of  the  copper  silicates  of  the  glaze 
as  it  ran  down  in  the  kiln  in  massive  drops.  The  inside  of  the 
mouth  shows  the  substratum  of  pale-green  tint,  flecked  with  a few 
Jlambe  spots.  The  foot  is  of  mottled  olive -color,  leaving  a broad 
rim  unglazed,  where  the  dark,  yellowish  color  of  the  paste  is  ex- 
posed. Period,  (1736-95).  LXXXYIII. 

Double-Gourd  Vase  [Hu-lu  PHng)^  of  Fen-Ting  porcelain, 
with  a grayish-white  paste  of  fine  texture,  and  an  ivory-white  glaze 
of  purest  translucence,  delicately  crackled  throughout  with  a wavy 
network  of  light-brown  lines.  The  decoration,  worked  in  the  paste 
in  slight  relief,  consists  of  two  broad  bands  of  floral  scrolls,  com- 
posed of  sprays  of  the  lotus,  peony,  and  lily,  designed  in  a conven- 
tional or  idealized  style,  with  formal  borders  of  gadroon  bands  and 
“ scepter-head  ” scrolls,  and  a girdle  of  rectangular,  interrupted  fret 
round  the  waist.  The  base  is  invested  with  a similar  crackled 
glaze.  It  is  an  admirable  specimen  of  perfect  beauty  and  finish, 
to  be  referred,  probably,  to  the  F'ang-hsi  period,  when  the  potters 
of  Ching-te-Chen  emulated,  and  surpassed,  the  makers  of  the 
ancient  Ting-chou  ware  of  the  Sung  dynasty.  LXXXIX. 

Flower  Vase  [Hua  PHng)^  of  fine  form  and  finished  tech- 
nique, with  molded  and  chiseled  designs  invested  with  a white  glaze 
of  perfect  purity  and  translucence.  The  body  is  ornamented  with 
a broad  band  worked  in  relief,  composed  of  a pair  of  the  archaic, 
one-horned,  lizardlike  dragons  called  chHh-lung ^ winding  through 
interlacing  scrolls  of  the  miraculous  fungus  of  longevity  {ling-chih). 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS, 


805 


This  is  succeeded  above  and  below  by  an  etched  band  containing 
symbols  encircled  by  waving  fillets,  with  cloud  scrolls  in  the  in- 
tervals, the  sj^mbols  represented  being  a pair  of  rhinoceros-horn 
cups,  and  the  fang-sMng ^ or  double  lozenge,  above,  the  conch- 
shell  and  the  palm-leaf  below.  Round  the  lip  a ring  of  triangular 
fret  is  lightly  etched.  There  is  a mark  of  the  Sung  dynasty 
penciled  on  the  foot  in  underglaze  blue — Hsuan  ho  nien  chih — i.  e., 
“Made  in  the  period  Hstian-ho  (1119-25),”  a time  when  the  pro- 
ductions of  Ching-te-chen  are  said  to  have  rivaled  the  finest  white 
jade.  This  piece,  however,  is  a reproduction,  and,  from  its  perfect 
technique,  is  to  be  attributed  to  the  reign  of  K'ang-hsi  (1662- 
1'722).  XC. 

Yase  [PHug),  of  white  Fen-Ting  porcelain  oi  %\\q  K’’ang-hsi 
period  (1662-1722),  with  a rich,  pellucid  glaze  of  pure  tone,  crackled 
with  a wide  network  of  superficial,  colorless  lines.  The  charac- 
teristic translucence  of  the  surface  is  well  represented  in  the  illus- 
tration. The  foot  is  enameled  underneath  with  a similarly  crackled 
glaze,  and  has  no  mark  attached.  XCI. 

Bottle-shaped  Yase  {Hua  PHng')^  enameled  with  a mono- 
chrome coral-red  glaze  of  perfect  purity,  displaying  a remarkably 
uniform  vermilion  tint.  The  lip  is  defined  by  a line  of  white. 
The  foot  is  coated  underneath  with  a white  glaze  of  greenish  tone, 
leaving  exposed  a ring  of  paste  of  grayish  color.  There  is  no  mark 
attached;  it  belongs,  probably,  to  the  ChHen-lung  period  (1736-95). 

XCII. 

Yase  [PH^ig),  15|-  inches  high,  with  a bulging  body  and 
slender  cylindrical  neck,  exhibiting  the  souffle  cobalt-blue  glaze  of 
mazarin  tint  in  its  most  brilliant  tone  of  coloring. 

There  is  no  mark  underneath,  but  the  vase,  without  doubt,  is  to 
be  referred  to  the  reign  of  K'oMg-hsi  (1662-1722).  The  process 
of  cPui  chHng^  or  “ insufflation  of  the  blue,”  on  the  unburned  clay 
before  glazing  is  fully  described  by  P^re  d’Entrecolles  in  his 
second  letter  written  from  Ching-te-chen  in  the  year  1722. 

XCIII. 

Ancient  Chun-chou  Flower-Pot  [Hua-P''en)y  8 inches  across, 
of  depressed  globular  form,  with  slightly  spreading  feet,  per- 
forated at  the  bottom  with  five  holes.  The  bowl  is  enameled  with 
a rich  glaze  of  finely  mottled  aspect,  in  which  the  prevailing  tone 
of  bluish  gray  is  flecked  with  purple  and  crimson  spots;  it  becomes 


806 


DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTEATIONS. 


stone-gray  on  the  upper  rim,  and  is  broadly  splashed  with  crimson 
at  the  back  near  the  foot,  where  it  has  run  down  more  thickly.  In 
the  hollow  of  the  foot  is  a brown  of  olive  tint.  The  paste,  where 
it  is  exposed  at  the  top,  shows  the  material  to  be  a dense,  hard 
stoneware  of  yellowish  tint.  The  upper  rim  is  mounted  with  a 
wooden  collar,  and  the  stand  is  also  elaborately  carved  in  rose- 
wood, and  incised  underneath  with  the  cyclical  character  chia^ 
indicating  that  it  came  from  the  imperial  collection  at  Peking,, 
where  the  stands  are  marked  in  this  way.  There  is  a companion 
flower-pot  in  the  collection,  of  the  same  size  and  shape,  enameled 
with  a glaze  of  darker  tint,  and  more  thickly  flecked  with  crimson,, 
passing  into  purple.  They  are  both  specimens  of  Chun  Yao  from 
the  Chtin-chou  potteries  of  the  Sung  dynasty.  Modern  reproduc- 
tions of  the  ChHen-lung  period  are  distinguished  by  the  finer  and 
whiter  texture  of  their  paste  and  by  a more  finished  technique. 

XCIV. 

Tall  Imari  Vase  (Hana-ike),  23  inches  high,  of  cylindrical, 
beaker-shaped  form,  swelling  into  a prominent  ridge  near  the  foot,, 
and  flaring  above  at  the  mouth.  It  is  decorated  in  blue  and  white 
in  combination  with  enamel  colors  and  gilding.  The  floral  ground,, 
painted  in  blue  with  interlacing  sprays  of  peonies,  is  interrupted  by 
two  long  panels  of  foliated  outline,  which  contain  flowers  growing 
from  rocks,  painted  in  enamel  colors  upon  a white  ground..  The 
blue  floral  ground  is  overlaid  with  fillets  of  deep  vermilion-red  tied 
in  bows  which  inclose  flowers,  and  the  foot  of  the  vase  is  encircled 
by  a ring  of  foliations  filled  with  stiff  upright  flowers.  The  inner 
rim  of  the  mouth  is  decorated  in  plain  blue  with  a band  of  peony 
sprays;  the  foot  is  glazed  white  underneath,  with  no  mark  in- 
scribed. Period,  1650-1700.  XCV. 

Statuette,  of  Tokyo  porcelain  invested  in  white  enamel,  with 
the  face  and  right  hand  reserved  en  biscuit,  representing  the 
famous  general  and  statesman,  Take-nouchi  no  Sukune,  who  wa& 
the  leading  spirit  in  the  celebrated  Korean  expedition  under  the 
Empress  Jingo,  and  prime  minister  under  three  succeeding  em- 
perors, and  who  is  said  to  have  attained  the  great  age  of  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  years.  The  figure  is  boldly  modeled,  with  bearded 
face  and  beetling  eyebrows,  the  furrowed  brow  surmounted  by 
a winged  hat  of  ancient  Chinese  st3de.  The  flowing  robes  are 
brocaded  with  dragon  scrolls  and  ornamental  borders  worked  in 
relief  under  the  glaze,  and  the  figure  of  a stork  flying  among 


DESCKIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS.  807 


clouds  is  emblazoned  on  the  breast.  The  riglit  hand  is  lifted  up 
as  if  grasping  the  official  badge  of  his  higli  rank.  The  mark 
incised  underneath  is  Dai  Nippon  Tokyo  Enouye  Diosai  tsukiiru 
— i.  e.,  Made  in  Great  Japan  at  Tokyo  by  Enouye  Riosai.”  It  is 
said  to  have  been  specially  made  for  the  Pliiladelphia  Centenary 
Exposition.  XCVI. 

1.  “Old  Japan”  Imari  Sake-Bottle  [Tokuri)^  of  square  section, 
with  a bulging  body  gracefully  tapering  upward  to  a slender  neck, 
ending  in  a square  thin- rimmed  mouth.  Invested  with  a glaze  of 
pure  ivoiy- white  tone,  it  is  decorated  in  a formal  archaic  style  with 
floral  designs  painted  in  delicate  enamel  colors  with  gilding;  the 
four  sides  of  the  body  with  a gnarled  plum-tree  bearing  red  and 
gilded  blossoms,  alternating  with  a conventional  spray  displaying 
three  bunches  of  starlike  flowers;  the  neck  with  long,  foliated 
panels  of  floral  scrolls  relieved  by  coral-red  and  white  grounds. 
The  base  is  flat  and  unglazed  underneath,  showing  a fine  paste  of 
finished  technique;  the  date  would  be  circa  1650. 

2.  “ Old  Japan  ” Imari  Sake-Bottle  {Tokiiri)^  of  circular  sec- 

tion, with  an  ovoid  body  and  a long,  slender  neck  with  everted 
lip,  decorated  in  a bold,  free  hand,  after  the  Chinese  style  of  the 
Wan-li  period,  partly  in  cobalt-blue  of  two  shades,  painted  sur 
biscuit  partly  in  overglaze  enamel  colors,  with  profuse  gilding.  A 
rocky  outdoor  scene  is  represented  with  two  aged  figures  in 
Chinese  costume  in  the  foreground,  one  carrying  a crooked  staff, 
standing  under  the  trees;  the  rocks  are  clad  with  bamboos,  and 
there  are  palms  rising  in  the  background,  and  an  open  rockery  with 
peony  shrubs  beside  it.  No  mark  underneath.  Period,  about 
Iloo]  XCVII. 

Tall  “ Old  Japan  ” Imari  Vase  (PHny),  25  inches  high,  painted 
partly  in  cobalt-blue,  partly  in  enamel  colors  with  lavish  gilding. 
It  is  decorated  with  panels  containing  pictures  painted  upon  a white 
ground,  irregularly  distributed  upon  a blue  ground  richly  bro- 
caded with  flowers.  Two  large  panels,  of  indented  oval  outline, 
contain  identical  pictures  of  landscapes,  executed  in  conventional 
Chinese  style,  with  lake  scenes  and  waterfalls,  temples  and  pago- 
das; two  minor  panels,  which  they  partly  hide,  are  filled  with  droop- 
ing wistaria-flowers;  and  the  two  indented  panels  below  display 
the  same  outdoor  scene,  with  a traveler  in  Chinese  dress  attended 
by  two  boys,  one  holding  a gilded  umbrella  over  his  head,  the 
other  pointing  to  a waterfall.  The  blue  ground  which  covers  the 


808  DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


remainder  of  the  vase,  with  the  exception  of  a few  floral  reserves 
and  a band  of  white  around  the  shoulder,  a deep  cobalt  color  of 
mottled  brilliant  sheen,  is  overlaid  with  gilded  sprays  of  chrysan- 
themum-flowers, an  occasional  blossom  of  which  is  penciled  in  red; 
the  neck  is  decorated  in  gold  with  a pair  of  three-clawed  dragons 
among  clouds  and  flames;  the  shoulder  is  gilded  with  a band  of 
conventional  flowers  on  white;  and  chains  of  spiral  and  rectangular 
fret  and  heavily  gilded  rims  complete  the  decoration,  with  small 
square  patches  of  gold-leaf  applied  at  irregular  intervals  inside  the 
mouth. 

There  is  no  mark  underneath.  The  vase  dates  from  the  middle 
of  the  seventeenth  century,  and  is  a fine  example  of  the  richly 
ornamented  porcelain  produced  in  Japan  at  this  time  for  export  to 
Europe.  XCVIII. 

“Old  Ja.pan”  Imari  Sake-Pot  [Ghoshi)^  oi  hexagonal  form 
with  rounded  top,  the  handle  of  which  is  the  overarching  scaly 
body  of  a dragon,  which  protrudes  its  head  through  the  side  of  the 
pot  to  form  the  spout.  The  dragon,  which  has  a two-horned  head 
and  four-clawed  feet,  with  red  flames  proceeding  from  its  flanks,  is 
modeled  after  the  Chinese  type.  The  enamel  colors  used  in  the 
decoration  are  deep  “ iron-red,”  overglaze  blue  of  greenish  tint, 
pale  green,  and  gold.  The  top  of  the  sake-pot,  being  the  firma- 
ment in  which  the  dragon  is  disporting,  is  gilded  with  cloud  scrolls 
and  flames  upon  a red  ground;  the  cover  is  painted  with  similar 
designs  and  crowned  with  a floral  knob.  The  six  panels  are 
enameled  with  grounds  of  different  color;  the  central  panels  at  the 
front  and  back  have  a circular  medallion  reserved  in  the  middle  of 
the  red  ground,  which  contains  a gilded  floral  crest;  the  side  panels 
display  the  three  jewels  of  Buddhistic  lore  enveloped  in  flames,  and 
two  identical  pictures  of  crested  sea-waves  and  distant  hills.  The 
feet  are  three  floral  buttons.  There  is  no  mark,  but  the  date  would 
be  about  1150.  XCIX. 

1.  Teacup  (Cha-wan),  of  Satsuma  faience,  covered  with  a finely 
crackled  glaze  of  pale,  mottled-brown  tint,  invested  round  the 
upper  rim  with  a line  of  light  olive-brown,  which  runs  down 
inside  the  lip  in  deep,  colored  drops,  becoming  almost  black. 
This  rare  example  of  Satsuma  decorative  treatment  is  referred  to 
the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century. 

2.  Flower- Vase  (Ifa?ia-ike) y of  Satsuma  faience,  modeled  in 
the  form  of  a four-lobed  beaker,  and  chastely  decorated  in  soft 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


809 


€olors  with  gilding.  It  is  molded  with  a prominent  ring  encircling 
the  base  of  the  neck  above  four  panels  bordered  in  spiral  relief, 
which  spread  downward  and  are  painted  inside  with  red  peony- 
flowers  encircled  by  green  leaves,  all  outlined  in  gold.  The  rest 
of  the  decoration  consists  of  three  narrow  bands  of  conventional 
ornament,  filled  in  witli  the  same  three  colors — red,  green,  and 
gold.  Date,  about  1800.  C. 

1.  Incense-burner  {Koro)^  of  Satsurna  faience,  finely  decorated 
in  delicate  enamel  colors  with  gilding.  The  body  is  divided  by 
bands  of  spiral  fret  into  three  broad  panels,  which  are  filled  with 
formal  sprays  of  peonies;  conventional  foliations  surround  the 
shoulder  and  spread  down  over  the  three  feet;  the  neck  is  encircled 
by  tlie  eight  mystic  trigrams  {pa  kua)  of  Chinese  philosophy. 
The  dome-shaped  cover,  decorated  with  an  ornamental  band  round 
the  rim,  is  perforated  by  six  round  holes,  and  surmounted  b}'^  the 
flgure  of  the  Chinese  lion  couchant.  The  rims,  both  of  the  censer 
and  of  the  cover,  are  strengthened  by  a silver  casing.  Date,  close 
of  the  eighteenth  century. 

2.  Teapot  ( Choshi)^  of  Satsurna  faience,  of  somewhat  archaic 

design,  four-lobed  in  outline,  with  a short  spout,  and  overarching 
handle,  invested  with  a minutely  crackled  glaze  of  ivory-white 
tone.  It  has  been  used  for.  sake,  and  the  surface  is  dulled  by  wear 
and  stained  brownish  in  some  places  by  the  liquid.  Period,  1700- 
1750.  Cl. 

Vase  {Hana-ike)^  llL  inches  high,  of  Satsurna  faience,  ovoid 
in  form,  bulging  above,  with  two  handles  fashioned  in  the  shape 
of  lions’  heads  projecting  from  the  shoulder.  It  is  decorated  with 
storks  flying  among  clouds,  relieved  by  an  i?itensely  black  ground, 
which  fills  in  all  the  intervals  of  the  decoration.  The  details  are 
painted  with  red  and  green  enamel  colors  in  combination  with 
gilding  and  silvering,  some  portion  of  the  cloud  scrolls  being  left 
untouched,  so  as  to  show  the  natural  finely  crackled  surface  of  the 
ivory-white  glaze.  The  borders  are  encircled  by  ornamental  bands 
of  geometrical  design,  defined  by  lines  of  gold.  The  base  is 
enameled  plain  black  underneath,  with  no  mark  aflixed.  Date, 
1800-1850.  CII. 

1.  Japanese  Kutani  Incense-burner  (Koro),  of  circular  sec- 
tion, with  three  small  feet,  enameled  with  an  iron-red  glaze  of 
deep  vermilion  tint,  overlaid  with  gilded  and  silvered  decoration. 


810 


DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


On  the  body  a three-clawed  dragon  outlined  in  gold  is  winding^ 
round  the  side,  above  a floor  of  crested  waves  painted  in  silver* 
a band  of  lotus  petals,  touched  in  silver  with  gilded  outlines, 
encircles  the  upper  rim.  The  paste,  buff  inside,  is  enameled  white 
round  the  edge  and  underneath  the  foot.  CIII. 

2.  Rice-Bowl  {3Ieshi-wa7i),  of  Japanese  Kutani  ware,  enameled 
with  the  same  deep  vermilion  glaze,  and  decorated  in  colors,  includ- 
ing a pale  green,  in  combination  with  the  gold  and  silver.  A con- 
ventional scroll  of  the  sacred  lotus  extends  round  the  bowl,, 
studding  it  with  four  formal  flowers,  bordered  above  by  a broad 
band  of  ornamental  fret,  alternately  gilded  and  silvered  below, 
with  a ring  of  lotus-petals.  The  foot  is  red  underneath,  as  well  as 
the  lower  rim,  leaving  none  of  the  paste  visible;  the  interior  of  the 
bowl  is  coated  with  a white  enamel  of  pitted  texture.  Period  of 
both  pieces,  about  1750.  CIII. 

1.  Japanese  Kutani  Rice-Bowl  [Meshi-wan)^  enameled  witb 
a monochrome  iron-red  glaze  of  deep  vermilion  tint,  with  gilded 
rings  to  define  the  borders,  and  decorated  in  gold  and  silver,  with 
a pair  of  phoenixes  with  long,  trailing  tails,  traversing  scrolls  of 
the  moutan  peony  wound  round  a paling,  indicated  convention- 
ally in  the  intervals.  The  rim  of  the  foot  is  painted  wdth  lozenge- 
shaped symbols,  separated  by  light  scrolls  of  clouds.  The  foot  is 
red  underneath,  the  interior  of  the  bowl  a greenish  white.  Date, 
about  1750. 

2.  Japanese  Kutani  Rice-Bowl  {Meshi-wan),  of  thin,  trans- 

lucent porcelain,  with  the  interior  molded  in  the  style  of  ancient 
Chinese  Tingchou  ware,  with  sprays  of  lotus,  chr^^santhemum, 
aster,  and  other  flowers  inclosed  in  panels,  six  of  foliated  outline 
surrounding  the  circular  panel  beneath,  and  with  an  encircling 
chain  of  rectangular  fret — all  molded  in  slight  relief  under  a glaze 
of  pale  celadon  color.  The  exterior  of  the  bowl  is  decorated  in 
enamel  colors,  with  gilding,  with  four  round  medallions  containing 
peonies,  alternately  green  and  gilded,  in  a red  ground,  and  with 
floral  designs  in  the  intervals,  connected  by  a network  of  beaded 
strings  hung  with  symbols  and  tassels.  The  foot  is  enameled  red 
underneath,  with  a white  rim;  the  lip  is  strengthened  by  a silver 
collar.  Period,  1700-1750.  CIV. 

“Old  Japan”  Imari  Incense-burner  (ATdro),  modeled  in  the 
form  of  a rounded  bowl,  mounted  upon  three  small  scrolled  feet^ 
with  two  molded  handles  projecting  from  the  shoulder,  fashioned 


DESCKIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTEATIONS. 


811 


in  the  shape  of  grotesque  lions,  and  a cover  fitting  inside  the  rim 
of  the  bowl,  surmounted  by  an  elaborate  superstructure,  delicately 
modeled  in  openwork  relief,  consisting  of  a hollow  chestnut-tree 
with  prickly  fruit  upon  it,  burst  open  so  as  to  show  the  gilded  nuts 
inside,  and  having  a spray  of  chrysanthemum  and  a bunch  of  scarlet- 
berried  fruit  attaclied.  The  rim  of  the  bowl  is  encircled  by  a band 
of  fret;  the  surface,  as  well  as  that  of  the  neck,  is  ornamented 
with  floral  scrolls  on  a vermilion-red  ground.  This  floral  ground 
is  interrupted,  on  the  bowl,  by  panels  of  dentated  outline,  which  are 
painted  in  delicate  enamel  colors,  green,  buff,  pale  purple,  red,  and 
gold;  a broad  panel  in  front  witli  the  picture  of  a mountain  scene, 
with  two  aged  figures  in  Chinese  costume  resting  under  a spread- 
ing pine;  two  panels,  side  by  side,  at  the  back,  one  containing 
peonies  growing  behind  a reed  fence,  the  other  a rockery  and  a 
blossoming  plum-tree.  The  foot  is  only  partially  glazed  under- 
neath, with  no  mark  attached.  Period,  about  1700.  CV. 

Japanese  Imari  Hanging  Censer  {Koro),  of  regular  oval  form, 
with  a gilded  loop-handle  at  the  top  for  suspension,  and  an  opening 
of  indented  oval  outline  in  front  for  the  introduction  of  the 
incense,  which  is  closed  by  a movable  silver  lid,  pierced  in  the 
middle  with  a kiri-mon,  or  Paulownia  crest.  The  censer  is  dec- 
orated outside,  in  shaded  vermilion-red  and  gold,  with  panels  of 
brocaded  design,  both  on  the  front  and  back,  which  are  decorated 
with  jewels  emitting  effulgent  rays  poised  upon  clouds,  and  with 
oloud  scrolls,  outlined  in  gold  upon  a mottled  red  ground.  The 
panels  hang  from  dragons’  heads  at  the  upper  corners,  and  are 
encircled  by  gilded  foliations;  the  intervening  ground  is  sprinkled 
with  sacred  jewels  and  conventional  flowers.  Date,  about  1700. 

CVI. 

1.  Sake- Pot  {Choshi),  of  Satsuma  faience,  with  a minutely 
crackled  glaze,  decorated  in  enamel  colors — blue,  red,  and  green — 
with  gilding.  Of  square  outline,  with  a spout  curving  upward 
from  below  and  a scrolled  handle,  it  has  a cover  fashioned  in  the 
form  of  a chrysanthemum,  and  a second  ring  of  petals  encircling 
the  rim  of  the  mouth,  below  a dotted  blue  band  which  intervenes. 
The  upper  surface  of  the  sake-pot,  and  the  four  side  panels,  are 
filled  with  sprays  of  the  fir,  plum,  and  bamboo — the  three  floi-al 
emblems  of  long  life;  the  panels  are  framed  in  blue  and  studded 
with  gilded  flowers. 

2.  Flower- Vase  i^Hana-ike)^  of  Satsuma  faience,  enameled 


812 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


with  a similar  finely  crackled  glaze,  and  decorated  in  delicate 
colors  with  gilding.  The  body  is  covered  with  gracefully  waving 
' sprays  of  the  Paulownia  imperialism  displaying  large  conventional 
flowers;  the  neck  is  encircled  formal  foliations  of  pointed  shape 
in  two  rings,  spreading  upward  and  downward.  The  mottled 
brown  staining  of  the  surface  indicates  that  the  vase  has  been  used 
as  a sake-bottle.  The  two  pieces  are  referred  to  the  same  period 
— the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century.  CVIL 

1.  Teacup  ( Cha-wan)^  of  Satsuma  faience,  decorated  in  colors, 
covered  outside  with  a trelliswork  pattern  of  svastika  design  painted 
in  bright  green,  outlined  with  gold,  so  as  to  stand  out  in  slight  relief 
upon  the  white  background,  which  is  finely  crackled  with  brown 
lines.  The  fretted  ground  is  broken  on  either  side  by  a badge  or 
crest,  the  one  in  front  being  composed  of  a double  garland  of 
wistaria-flowers,  with  three  leaflets  at  the  top,  the  other  of  a formal 
spray  of  Paulownia,  with  a central  flower  of  five  florets  and  lateral 
flowers  of  three,  springing  from  three  gilded  leaves,  representing^ 
the  official  and  private  crests  of  the  owner.  Bands  of  diaper 
penciled  in  red  and  gold  encircle  the  rims.  Date,  1800-1850. 

2.  Flower- Vase  (Hana-ike),  of  Satsuma  faience,  of  graceful 

ovoid  form,  with  two  handles  composed,  as  it  were,  of  plain  and 
brocaded  fillets  tied  in  knots.  The  surface,  of  the  usual  finely 
crackled  texture,  is  decorated  with  delicate  scrolls  of  a vine  with 
many  colored  leaves  and  curling  tendrils.  Waving  spirals  encircle 
the  foot,  which  is  partly  gilded,  and  the  rim  of  the  lip  is  defined 
by  a heavy  line  of  gold.  Date,  1750-1800.  CVIIL 

Sake-Bottle  [Toknri)^  of  Hirado  porcelain,  modeled  in  the 
shape  of  a gourd,  with  a slightly  compressed  waist,  and  drawn  in 
above  to  a small  mouth,  which  is  closed  by  a round  stopper.  The 
aperture  is  tightened  by  a cap  of  yellow  silk,  the  fringe  of  which 
is  seen  in  the  illustration.  There  is  a floral  decoration  outside, 
executed  in  white  slip,  worked  in  slight  relief,  and  finished  with 
the  graving  tool;  it  consists  of  sprays  of  chrysanthemum-flowers, 
intermingled  with  a few  blades  and  a single  penciled  head  of  grass. 
The  investing  glaze  is  of  soft,  white  tone  with  a tinge  of  green. 
There  is  no  mark  attached.  The  date  is  1750-1800.  CIX. 

1.  Sake-Bottle  {Tokuri)^  of  Hirado  porcelain,  modeled  in  the 
form  of  a vase,  with  a bulging,  globular  body  tapering  inta 
a slender,  upright  neck.  It  is  decorated  in  soft-toned  cobalt-blue. 


DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


813 


with  a miniature  garden-scene,  a sketcli  of  a rockery  and  a paling, 
witli  a palm,  peonies,  and  other  flowers,  behind  the  fence.  At  the 
back  there  is  a group  of  five  small  boys  dancing  round  a couple  of 
fiffhtinsr-cocks.  Date,  1V50-1800.  The  SometsukL  or  blue  and 
white,  decorated  at  this  period  with  Chinese  boys  playing,  was 
made  especially  for  the  use  of  a prince  of  the  Matsu-ura  family 
residing  at  Hirado,  and  its  sale  was  prohibited. 

2.  Incense-burner  {Koro),  of  Hirado  porcelain,  molded  in  the 
form  of  a puppy  squatting  on  the  ground,  its  head,  which  is 
detachable,  being  the  cover,  the  line  of  junction  being  the  lower 
edge  of  the  ribbon  which  is  represented  as  tied  round  the  neck. 
The  flanks  are  decorated  with  chrysanthemum-sprays,  which  have 
the  flowers  worked  in  white  relief,  the  leaves  penciled  in  blue;  on 
the  back  is  a panel  similarly  ornamented  with  a carp  leaping  from 
waves,  and  a foliated  patch  with  a blue  ground  is  painted  between 
the  ears.  No  mark.  Period,  1V50-1800.  CX. 

Water-Jar  [Midsu-sashi),  of  Hirado  porcelain,  of  bowl-like 
form  with  upright  sides;  of  circular  section  below,  it  becomes 
gradually  quadrangular,  with  rounded  corners  toward  the  upper 
rim.  It  is  decorated  with  bamboos  painted  in  underglaze  cobalt- 
blue,  shaded  in  soft  tones  of  grayish  tint;  a small  clump  of  bam- 
boo rises  in  front,  with  three-jointed  stems,  from  which  branches 
of  foliage  spread  over  the  bowl,  while  the  other  side  is  painted  with 
a hanging  spray  of  foliage  extending  along  the  upper  rim.  Date, 
1750-1800.  CXI. 

Hirado  Blue  and  White  Censer  (ATdro),  of  depressed  globu- 
lar form,  with  a pierced  outer  casing  and  a rounded  openwork 
cover,  poised  upon  a pillar  with  a square  base,  which  is  mounted 
on  a square  pedestal  with  four  scroll  feet — all  molded  in  one  piece. 
There  are  two  projecting  loop-handles  of  scrolled  form  proceeding 
from  the  mouth  of  monstrous  unicorn  heads,  and  the  pillar  has 
a pair  of  two-horned,  three-clawed  dragons  coiled  round  it,  mod- 
eled in  salient  openwork  relief,  with  the  scaly  spinous  bodies  enam- 
eled white.  Through  the  outer  casing  of  the  censer,  which  is 
pierced  in  a trellis  pattern,  the  decoration  is  seen  penciled  inside  in 
delicate  blue,  consisting  of  a flock  of  sea-birds  on  one  side  and 
a pair  of  butterflies  on  the  other.  The  rims  of  the  bowl  and  cover 
are  encircled  by  borders  of  conventional  ornament,  painted  in  the 
same  grayish  blue;  the  intervals  of  the  dragon  forms  are  filled  in 
with  cloud  scrolls,  and  the  base  of  the  pillar  enveloped  in  rolling 


814 


DESCEIPTIYE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIOIS^S. 


sea-waves;  the  pedestal  is  surrounded  by  a chain  of  rectangular 
fret,  and  the  feet  with  spiral  bands.  There  is  a mark  paitited  in 
minute  blue  characters  under  one  of  the  feet,  of  which  the  first 
character  of  the  potter’s  name  is  blurred  and  illegible.  It  reads: 
Hirado  san  Mikawachi  . . . Jake  sei — i.  e.,  “ Made  by  . . . 
Jake  at  Mikawachi  in  Hirado.”  CXII. 

Hirado  Blue  and  White  Yase  [Ha^ia-ike),  12|  inches  high, 
of  round  beaker-shaped  form,  with  a widely  flaring  mouth,  and  two 
solid  handles  molded  in  the  guise  of  frogs  crawling,  as  it  were,  up 
the  neck.  It  is  decorated,  inside  and  out,  in  underglaze  cobalt-blue 
of  grayish  tone  with  a water  scene.  Two  trunks  of  drooping  wil- 
low-trees rise  from  the  interior  of  the  vase,  decorating  its  surface 
with  a mass  of  foliage,  and  sending,  besides,  several  branches  over 
the  rim  to  cover  the  upper  portion  of  the  exterior  with  gracefully 
curving  spra^^s.  The  lower  portion  is  painted  with  scrolled  waves 
to  indicate  the  water  from  which  the  frogs  are  supposed  to  spring. 
The  scene  depicted  on  the  vase,  it  is  suggested,  reminds  a Japanese 
of  the  famous  calligraphist  and  poet,  Ono  no  Dofu,  who  lived  dur- 
ing the  tenth  century  a.  d.,  and  who  is  always  represented  watch- 
ing frogs  leaping  out  of  a stream  into  willow-trees — illustrative  of 
successful  perseverance.  There  is  no  mark.  It  is  to  be  referred, 
probably,  to  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century.  CXHI. 

1.  Japanese  Hot- water  Bottle  [Shaku-date) , used  with  a 
ladle  (shaku)  inside  at  tea-ceremonies;  brown  stoneware,  invested 
with  an  opaque  olive-brown  glaze,  flecked  with  minute  yellowish 
spots  of  lustrous  aspect,  terminating  in  an  irregularly  undulating 
line  before  it  reaches  the  base,  so  as  to  show  the  natural  color 
of  the  fired  clay;  near  the  top  it  is  overlaid  with  splashes  of  deep 
yellow  color  with  crackled  surface,  becoming  reddish  as  they  min- 
gle with  the  surrounding  ground.  Idzumo  ware,  made  at  Fujina, 
in  the  province  of  Idzumo,  in  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth 
century. 

2.  Japanese  Tea-Jar  [Cha-ire),  made  of  folds  of  translucent 
paper,  gilded  in  the  interior,  and  coated  externally  with  lacquer  to 
imitate  glazed  pottery,  from  which  it  can  hardly  be  distinguished. 
The  cover  is  made  of  ivory,  the  bag  of  brocaded  silk. 

3.  Japanese  Tea-Jar  (Cha-ire),  of  cylindrical  form,  tapering 
upward  to  the  shoulder;  made  of  dark-brown  stoneware,  covered 
with  a brilliant  yellowish-brown  glaze  of  mottled  aspect  and  par- 
tially crackled  surface,  invested  round  the  top  with  a layer  of  dark 


DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


815 


olive  color,  which  runs  down  behind  in  a vertical  streak,  mingling 
with  the  other  glaze.  Seto-ware,  made  in  the  province  of  Owari 
about  iVoo.  CXIY. 

Japanese  Tea-Jars  ( Cha-ire). 

1.  Of  oval  form,  with  a sharply  ridged  shoulder  contracting  to  a 
small  mouth.  A paste  of  light  grayish  material,  invested  with 
a yellowish-brown  glaze  of  brilliant  tint,  overlaid  with  a splash  of 
verdigris  color  which  runs  down  on  one  side  in  two  finely  crackled 
green  streaks,  ending  in  olive  drops.  Shigaraki  pottery,  made 
in  the  province  of  Omi  about  1850. 

2.  Of  wide,  depressed  form,  with  a prominently  ridged  center, 
simulating  a covered  bowl.  Composed  of  a red  clay  and  covered 
with  a brown  glaze,  over  which  is  spread  a thick  enamel  of  mottled 
gray  tone  passing  into  brilliant  olive  tints,  running  down  irreg- 
ularly in  unctuous  drops.  Takatori  stoneware,  made  in  the  prov- 
ince of  Chiknzen  about  1750. 

3.  Of  oval  shape,  with  a horizontally  ridged  surface,  and  two 

slightly  projecting  strap  handles.  A paste  of  light-brown  material, 
covered  with  a yellowish-brown  glaze,  overlaid  on  either  side  of  the 
shoulder  by  an  irregular  splash  of  paler  yellow  with  a brilliant 
crackled  surface.  Idzumo  stoneware,  from  Fujina,  in  Idzumo 
province,  about  1750.  CXV. 

Vase  {P'mg),  12  inches  high,  of  ancient  Korean  faience,  dating 
from  the  thirteenth  century  a.  d.,  covered  with  a gray-brown  glaze, 
crackled  where  it  is  thick  as  it  collects  round  the  neck  aiid  above 
the  circular  rim  of  the  foot.  It  is  decorated  with  floral  designs  and 
diapered  grounds,  inlaid  in  an  ivory-white  slip  of  brilliant  crackled 
texture.  The  body,  defined  by  encircling  rings,  is  inlaid  with  two 
boldly  designed  sprays  of  formal  flowers,  with  flying  insects  like 
wasps  filling  in  the  intervals  of  the  floral  decoration,  and  a bird  of 
rough  archaic  outline  perched  upon  one  of  the  flowers.  The 
remainder  of  the  surface  is  filled  in  with  simple  diapers,  two  broad 
bands  extending  round  the  neck  and  shoulder  of  the  base,  two  nar- 
rower bands  round  the  base.  The  bottom,  curiously  wrinkled  un- 
derneath, is  only  partially — for  about  half  of  its  surface — coated 
with  a gray-brown  glaze,  so  as  to  expose  the  material,  which  is 
a drab-colored  faience.  CXVI. 


816 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


II.  TEXT  CUTS. 

Baluster-shaped  Vase  i^Mei  P'^ing),  of  good  form,  vertically 
grooved  so  as  to  be  of  five-lobed  section.  The  decoration,  which  is 
lightly  etched  at  the  point  in  the  paste,  consists  of  birds  and  grace- 
ful sprays  of  bamboos,  with  lambrequins  round  the  neck  studded 
with  single  blossoms,  and  rings  of  palmations  encircling  the  rims 
above  and  below.  The  finely  crackled  turquoise  glaze,  which  in- 
vests the  whole,  varies  in  soft  translucid  tints,  according  to  its 
depths,  so  as  to  enhance  the  effect  of  the  engraving  underneath. 
French  mounting  of  the  most  graceful  and  artistic  style.  Height, 
inches. 

Pair  of  Vases  ( Yi  Tui  PHng)^  of  hexagonal  outline,  with  spread- 
ing feet,  and  slender  necks  furnished  at  the  side  with  two  open  loop 
handles  emerging  from  projected  heads  of  dragons.  The  spring  of 
the  foot  is  encircled  by  a fillet,  binding  rings  of  leaves,  which  spread 
upward  and  downward,  worked  in  slight  relief  in  the  paste.  The 
finely  crackled  monochrome  glaze  of  rich  and  translucent  turquoise 
tint,  together  with  the  form  and  technique,  indicate  the  reign  of 
Wan-li  (1573-1619),  of  the  Ming  dynasty.  The  mounting  is 
French  ormolu  work  of  the  eighteenth  century.  Height,  12  inches. 

No.  1. 

Octagonal  Eggshell  Lantern  {To-faiTeng),  of  the  K'^ang-hsi 
period  (1662-1722),  decorated  in  brilliant  enamel  colors  with  the 
eight  Taoist  immortals  {Pa  Hsien)  crossing  the  sea  in  procession. 
The  other  side  of  this  lantern  is  illustrated  in  Plate  XI,  where  it  is 
described  in  full  detail.  Height,  13  inches.  A full  account  of  each 
of  the  Pa  Hsien  is  given  on  pages  579-581.  No.  2. 

Yuan  Dynasty  Bowl  ( Yuan  Tz^iX  Wan),  a small  bowl  of  hard 
dense  ware  of  grayish  fabric,  invested  with  a thick  lustrous  glaze  of 
ivory-white  tone,  minutely  crackled  with  a network  of  dark  lines. 
It  is  only  partially  enameled  underneath,  the  lower  third  and  the 
foot  being  left  bare.  Diameter,  4^  inches. 

Jar,  of  archaic  iron-gray  stoneware,  with  a crackled  glaze  of 
stone-gray  celadon  color;  Kwang-yao  of  the  Yuan  dynasty. 

Bowl,  of  Yuan  dynasty  ware,  of  reddish-gray  body,  with  crackled 
purplish  glaze,  mottled  with  brown.  No.  3. 

Square  Bottle  {Fang  PHng),  one  of  a pair,  of  the  K’^ang-hsi 
period,  enameled  with  a remarkably  iridescent  ground  of  coral-red 


DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


817 


of  intense  tone,  with  reserved  rnedallions  painted  in  enamel  colors 
with  gilding  upon  a white  ground.  The  panels  on  the  front  and 
back,  shaped  like  finger-citrons,  are  filled  with  pomegranates  and 
asters,  with  a cock  crowing;  the  panels  on  the  sides,  shaped  as 
begonia-flowers  and  plum-blossoms,  contain  goldfish  and  moss, 
crabs  and  shrimps.  The  bottoms  are  unglazed.  Louis  XVI 
mounts.  Height,  14  inches.  No.  4. 

Large  Vase  (PHng)^  of  Lang  Yao  porcelain  of  IVang-hsi  date, 
with  a brilliant  sang-de-boeuf  glaze  of  crackled  texture,  displaying 
the  characteristic  mottling  and  streaked  play  of  color.  The  base  is 
coated  underneath  with  a grayish  “rice-colored”  (mi-se)  crackled 
glaze,  mottled  with  brown.  A rare  example  of  the  class,  with 
an  old  European  mounting.  Height,  20  inches.  No.  5. 

Ovoid  Vase  ( Yuan  PHng),  one  of  a pair,  coated  with  brownish- 
red  monochrome  glaze  of  K''ang-hsi  date,which  have  been  cut  across 
horizontally  and  mounted  in  silver  in  Europe  as  bowls  with  covers. 
The  enamel,  of  deep  rich  tone  mottled  with  darker  spots,  is  finely 
pitted  on  the  surface.  The  bases  are  enameled  pure  white.  Height, 
8 inches.  No.  6. 

Large  Vase  {^Ta  PH7ig),  of  the  Ming  period,  coated  with  a cela- 
don glaze  {Lung-cPuan  yu)  of  darkest  green  tint,  not  crackled, but 
dotted  all  over  with  minute  bubblelike  points.  The  decoration, 
which  is  boldly  worked  in  the  paste  in  slight  relief  under  the  glaze, 
consists  of  a pair  of  phoenixes  flying  through  a floral  ground  of 
sprays  of  the  tree-peony  (Pceonia  nioutan).  The  foot  is  encircled 
outside  by  a band  scored  with  crossed  lines.  It  is  unglazed  at  the 
base,  showing  a paste  of  grayish-yellow  color.  Height,  2 feet  5 
inches.  No.  V. 

Vase  coated  with  a minutely  crackled  turquoise  glaze  of 

pure  soft  tone,  over  a delicately  etched  decoration  of  dragons  and 
bats  enveloped  in  scrolls  of  clouds.  A gadroon  band  extends  round 
the  vase,  succeeded  by  a chain  of  rectangular  fret  at  the  foot,  also 
incised  at  the  point  in  the  paste  under  the  glaze.  There  is  an 
etched  seal  underneath,  inscribed  Ta  ChHng  Chia  chHng  .nien  chih, 
“Made  in  the  reign  of  Chia-ch’ing  of  the  Great  Ch’ing  [dynasty].” 
The  openwork  mounting  is  of  modern  French  work,  executed  in 
gold.  Height,  8 inches.  No.  8. 

Fruit-Dish  (Ifuo  P'*an),  one  of  a pair  of  rare  type,  of  JYang-hsi 
date,  which  are  molded  in  the  shape  of  leaves  with  convoluted 


818 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


folded  margins,  and  decorated  sur  biscuit,  in  colored  enamels.  The 
, dish  is  enameled  with  a truite  ground  of  apple-green;  the  handle,  a 
knotted  branch  of  primus,  colored  purple,  passes  over  the  rim  of  the 
dish,  to  decorate  the  interior,  in  relief,  with  sprays  of  flowers  and 
buds  which  are  colored  red,  dark  blue,  and  gold. 

The  companion  dish  is  overlaid  inside  with  branches  of  fruit, 
instead  of  flowers,  which  are  painted  in  similar  colors.  The  stands 
are  designed  in  gilded  bronze  as  graceful  mermaids  of  classical 
form,  seated  with  their  fish-legs  intertwined,  and  supporting  the 
dishes  with  extended  arms.  Diameter,  10  inches.  No.  9. 

Gourd-shaped  Vase  {Hu-lu  PHng  ),  one  of  a pair  of  old  stone- 
gray  crackled  gourds  that  have  been  mounted  in  Europe,  with 
scrolled  handles  of  graceful  design  springing  from  classic  masks. 
Height,  10|-  inches.  No.  10. 

Vase  (PHng'),  one  of  a pair,  of  K'‘ang-hsi  porcelain  painted  sur 
biscuit  in  delicate  enamel  colors,  the  base  being  unglazed,  only 
marked  with  the  cross-lined  pattern  of  the  stuff  on  which  the  paste 
was  pressed.  They  are  molded  with  ribbed  surfaces  as  if  composed 
of  a series  of  jointed  bamboo-stems,  the  joints  of  which  are  used  as 
panels  for  the  decoration  of  floral  sprays.  The  flowers,  including 
the  lotus,  chrysanthemum,  aster,  peony,  peach,  plum,  magnolia, 
pink,  iris,  and  narcissus,  with  palm-leaves  and  twigs  of  bamboo,  are 
relieved  by  enameled  grounds  of  white,  yellow,  purple,  and  two 
shades  of  bright  green.  At  the  base  of  the  neck  a ring  of  lotus- 
petals  modeled  in  slight  relief  is  tinted  red  and  bound  round  with 
a green  strip  of  reed.  Height,  sf  inches.  No.  11. 

Snuff-Bottle  (Pi  Yen  Hu),  decorated  in  enamel  colors  and 
gilding  with  groups  of  the  varied  paraphernalia  of  the  liberal  arts 
known  as  Po  Ku,  or  the  “ Hundred  Antiques,”  displayed  in  salient 
relief  upon  a pale-green  background  of  lozenge-pattern  fret. 
Marked  in  red  underneath  with  a seal  similar  to  that  described 
in  No.  25.  No.  12. 

Small  Jar  with  Cover  (Hsiao  Kuar\),  enameled  with  a pale 
pea-green  glaze  (tou-ch'ing  yu),  the  typical  celadon  of  the  ChHen- 
lung  period.  It  is  decorated  in  relief  in  the  paste  with  archaic 
designs  taken  from  ancient  bronzes,  bands  of  fret  of  different  pat- 
tern, rings  of  scrolled  palmations,  and  other  foliated  designs  of 
conventional  ornament,  which  show  out  in  pale  relief  in  the  parts 
less  thickly  coated  with  glaze.  There  is  an  impressed  seal  under- 


DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTEATIONS. 


819 


neath— Ta  Ch^ing  CKien  lung  nien  chilly  “ Made  in  the  reign  of 
Ch’ien-lung  of  the  Great  Ch’ing  [dynasty].”  The  jar  is  elaborately 
mounted  in  metal,  parcel  gilt,  and  inlaid  with  colored  enamels. 
An  openwork  floral  scroll  extends  around  the  foot,  inclosing  bats 
and  peaches,  linked  chains  are  attached  to  the  upright  loop-han- 
dles, a lizardlike  dragon  is  coiling  up  the  shoulder,  and  a lion  with 
one  of  its  fore  feet  upon  a ball  surmounts  the  cover.  Height,  with 
mount,  6 inches.  No.  13. 

Tall  Vase  {Hua  PHng)^  one  of  a pair,  artistically  decorated 
in  brilliant  blue  and  white  of  the  IVang-hsi  period,  with  idealized 
floral  scrolls  consisting  of  encircling  bands  and  upright  sprays  of 
graceful  arabesquelike  design.  The  broad  band  round  the  body  of 
the  vase  is  interrupted  by  four  circular  medallions  inclosing  phoe- 
nixes in  the  midst  of  clouds,  the  intervening  sprays  displaying 
blossoms  like  asters  and  lilies  with  anomalous  buds  and  leaves  of 
diverse  form,  all  springing  from  the  same  stalk,  the  general  effect 
of  which  is  highly  decorative.  Mounted  in  bronze  of  old  European 
work.  A similar  unmounted  vase  in  the  Walters  Collection  shows 
the  mark  underneath — a double  ring.  Height,  16  inches.  No.  14. 

Bottle-shaped  Vase  one  of  a pair,  of  NienYao  of  the 

Yung-ching  period,  enameled  with  a monochrome  glaze  of  rub^^-red 
tint  derived  from  copper.'  The  glaze,  of  a beautiful  uniform  tone, 
exhibits  the  characteristic  stippled  texture  which  is  due  to  its  souffle 
method  of  application.  They  are  mounted  with  an  artistic  setting 
of  the  Louis  XV  period  as  ewers,  with  the  lip  formed  of  the  out- 
spread wings  of  a swan  alighting  upon  a clump  of  bulrushes. 
Height,  10T  inches.  No.  15. 

Porcelain  Pillow  Chen),  decorated  in  bright  enamel 

colors  of  the  K'^ang-hsi  period,  with  a foliated  diamond-shaped 
panel  of  floral  brocade  composed  of  scrolls  of  peony  relieved  by  a 
yellow  ground,  and  with  bands  of  formal  diaper  and  fret  round  the 
two  ends.  The  colors,  all  overglaze,  include  a bright  green,  nan- 
kin-yellow  of  primrose  tint,  manganese-purple,  coral-red,  and  black, 
with  a sparing  addition  of  gold.  Length,  19  inches.  No.  16. 

Saucer-shaped  Dish  i^Kuo  P’’an),  of  the  lYang-hsi  period, 
painted  in  blue  under  the  white  glaze  with  conventional  scrolls  of 
lotus  spreading  over  the  interior  and  covering  the  under  border 
with  a symmetrical  arrangement  of  large  blossoms,  which  are  fully 
expanded,  so  as  to  display  in  each  flower  the  cup-shaped  fruit 


820  DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


studded  with  the  seeds  in  the  midst  of  a whorl  of  petals.  Round 
the  base  of  the  dish,  underneath,  a groove  is  left  unglazed,  so  that 
it  has  a second  sharply  prominent  inner  rim,  a characteristic  of 
some  of  the  finest  large  dishes  of  the  time.  In  the  middle  the 
mark  is  penciled  in  blue,  encircled  by  a double  ring,  Ta  ChHng 
IC'ang-hsi  nien  chih,  “ Made  in  the  reign  of  K’ang-hsi  of  the 
Great  Ch’ing  [dynasty].”  Diameter,  15  inches.  No.  11. 

Wine-Cup  (Chiu  Chtmg),  of  eggshell  thinness  and  bell-like 
form  with  upright  rim,  translucidly  white,  with  the  exception  of  a 
formal  scroll  of  underglaze  blue  penciled  round  tlie  foot  outside, 
which  shows  clearly  through  inside  when  the  delicate  fragile  cup  is 
held  up  to  the  light.  The  mark,  written  in  minute  characters, 
almost  requiring  a lens  to  read  them,  within  a double  ring,  is  7h 
ChHng  K'^ang-hsi  nien  chih^  “ Made  in  the  reign  of  K’ang-hsi  of 
the  Great  Ch’ing  [dynasty].”  Diameter,  2^  inches. 

Wine-Cup  (Chiu  Pei)^  one  of  a pair,  of  delicate  eggshell  fabric,* 
with  a white  glaze  having  a slight  tinge  of  blue.  The  decoration 
is  lightly  molded,  or  impressed  in  the  paste,  in  the  interioi’  of  the 
cups,  so  as  to  show  through  in  shaded  tones  when  held  up  to  the 
light,  like  a water-mark  in  paper.  It  consists  of  a pair  of  five- 
clawed  dragons  in  the  midst  of  flames  and  scrolled  clouds,  pursuing 
effulgent  jewels.  The  mark,  boldly  written  in  underglaze  blue,  in 
an  oblong  double-lined  panel,  is  Ta  Mmg  Wan  li  nien  chih^ 
‘‘Made  in  the  reign  of  Wan-li  (1573-1619)  of  the  Great  Ming 
[dynasty].”  Diameter,  inches.  No.  18. 

Tall  Cylindrical  Ewer  (Thing  Hii)^  of  the  IC*ang-hsi  period, 
modeled  in  the  shape  of  a three-jointed  section  of  bamboo,  with  the 
rim  projected  upward  in  front  in  the  form  of  a tiara;  there  is  a 
short  curved  spout  on  one  side,  and  on  the  other  there  are  two  studs 
fashioned  as  grotesque  lions’  heads  and  perforated  for  the  copper 
handle.  It  is  enameled,  inside  and  outside,  as  well  as  over  the  base, 
with  a finely  crackled  monochrome  purple  glaze  of  rich  aubergine 
tint.  The  elaborate  mounts  are  in  French  metal- work  of  the  Louis 
XVI  period.  Height,  19  inches.  No.  19. 

Tall  Vase  (ITua  P'^ing),  of  perfect  form  and  beautifully  soft 
turquoise  tint,  dating  from  the  finest  period  of  the  reign  of  K"*ang- 
hsi.  A crested  dragon  (chHh-lung)  of  archaic  form,  with  waving 
scrolls  of  mane  and  long  mustaches,  projects,  in  full  undercut  relief, 
upon  the  shoulders  of  the  vase,  with  its  branching  tail  coiled  closely 
round  the  neck.  The  ground  color  is  a pure  turquoise  of  finely 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


821 


crackled  texture,  collecting  as  it  runs  ” in  greenish  drops,  and 
mottled  with  brownish  tints  over  the  dragons.  It  is  inagniHcently 
mounted  in  the  most  artistic  French  work  of  the  seventeentli  cen- 
tury. Height,  with  mount,  22  inches.  No.  20. 

Small  Baluster  Vase  {Hsiao  Mei  PHng)^  enameled  with  dark- 
brown,  almost  black,  monochrome  glaze,  thickly  flecked  with  iri- 
descent spots  of  metallic  aspect.  A typical  specimen  of  the  “ iron- 
rust  ” {fieh-hsiu)  glaze  of  the  Chinese.  It  has  been  mounted  in 
Europe  with  flowing  handles,  a spreading  open  foot,  and  a cover  in 
ormolu.  Height,  with  mount,  8|  inches.  No.  21. 

Large  Vase  {PHng)^  one  of  a pair,  of  ovoid  form,  bulgiiig  in 
the  middle,  alternately  ridged  and  grooved  in  vertical  lines  so  as  to 
be  of  foliated  section.  They  are  coated  with  a monochrome  glaze 
derived  from  cobalt  of  pale-blue  color,  the  Chinese  “ sky  blue 
{t'ien-chHag),  which  is  of  grayish  tone,  and  becomes  nearly  white 
over  the  prominent  ridges.  Dating  from  the  K'a7ig-hsi  period, 
they  are  mounted  in  ormolu  of  Louis  XVI  work,  with  handles  of 
flsh  having  garlands  of  oak  with  acorns  hanging  from  their  mouths, 
tied  together  at  the  ends  with  bows.  Height,  21  indies.  No.  22. 

Snuff-Bottle  {Pi  Yen  Hu),  of  Yi-hsing  “boccaro”  ware,  being 
made  of  fine  red  faience,  enameled  outside  in  soft  colors  with  a 
miniature  mountain  landscape  of  temples,  pavilions,  and  bridges. 

No.  23. 

Bowl  ( Wan),  one  of  a pair,  of  the  IC*ang-hsi  period,  enameled 
sur  biscuit  with  a finely  crackled  monochrome  purple  glaze  of  auber- 
gine tint.  The  base  is  partially  coated  with  a wrinkled  grayish 
enamel.  European  mounts  of  bronze.  Diameter,  7 inches. 

No.  24. 

Snuff- Bottle  {Pi  Yen  Hu),  with  an  outer  pierced  casing  carved 
with  nine  lions  Sjiorting  with  brocaded  balls,  between  borders  of 
conventional  scrolls,  and  with  a fret  band  etched  round  the  rim, 
enameled  white.  The  mark  under  the  foot  is  a red  seal  inscribed 
Chid  chHug  nien  chih,  “Made  in  the  reign  of  Chia-ch’ing  (1796- 
1820).”  The  stopper,  mounted  with  a button  of  glass  and  ame- 
thyst, has  the  usual  miniature  spoon  of  ivoiy  attached  to  it  inside 
for  ladling  out  the  snuff.  No.  25. 

Vase  (PHng),  coated  with  a deep  rich  glaze  of  greenish  celadon 
color,  crackled  throughout.  A band  is  reserved  in  the  glaze  round 


822 


DESCKIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


the  shoulder  of  the  vase  and  filled  in  with  a ring  of  rectangular  fret 
succeeded  by  formal  scrolls,  all  worked  in  relief  in  slip  and  colored 
iron-gray.  The  handles  are  oval  garlands  of  rosettes  in  the  same 
relief- work.  It  is  elaborately  mounted  in  ormolu  of  old  European 
workmanship.  Height,  with  mount,  14  inches.  No.  26. 

Tra^nsmutation  Vase  ( Yao-pien  PHng),  one  of  a pair,  of  Euro- 
pean form  and  design,  festooned,  as  it  were,  with  curtains  gathered 
up  b}^  ribbons  in  front  and  hanging  in  knotted  folds  at  the  sides, 
and  coated  with  a transmutation  glaze  of  early  Cli’ien-lung  date, 
exhibiting  all  the  characteristic  brilliant  tints  as  it  runs  down  in 
heavy  drops,  streaked  and  mottled  with  crimson,  purple,  and  brown, 
in  variegated  clouds.  European  mounts.  Height,  14  inches. 

No.  27. 

Vase  [PHng),  of  JYien  Yao  of  the  Yung-chhig  period,  of  the  same 
ruby-red  monochrome  glaze  as  the  pair  described  under  15.  The 
neck  of  the  vase  has  been  cut  down,  and  it  has  been  mounted  in 
Europe  in  gilded  bronze  as  a cistern,  placed  in  an  elaborate  stand 
supported  by  three  dolphins,  and  perforated  for  a tap,  which  is 
fashioned  in  the  shape  of  a griffin.  Height,  with  mount,  12  inches. 

No.  28. 

Square  Bottle  {Fang  PHng),  one  of  a pair,  with  powder-blue 
grounds  of  the  K'’ang-hsi  period,  enameled  over  in  gold  with 
flowers  and  birds.  Bottoms  unglazed,  European  mounts  of  the 
eighteenth  century.  Height,  inches.  No.  29. 

Vase  {PHng),  of  decoration  similar  to  the  pair  described  under 
No.  11,  and  mounted  in  the  same  style,  to  form  a center-piece  of  a 
set,  intended  to  figure  as  a garniture  de  cheminee.  The  artistic  set- 
ting, which  is  beautifully  executed  in  gilded  openwork  designs  of 
Oriental  scrolls,  is  signed  “ F*®  Boucheron,  Paris.”  Height,  10 
inches.  No.  30. 

Little  Covered  Bowl  {Hsiao  Kai  TFa/^),  one  of  a pair,  of 
finely  crackled  turquoise  enamel  of  CPien-lung  date,  mounted  in 
European  metal-work,  and  placed  upon  square  pedestals  of  German 
porcelain  which  are  marked  F.,  probably  for  Fiirstenburg.  Height, 
with  mounts,  7 inches.  No.  31. 

Snuff-Bottle  {Pi  Yen  Hn)^  of  rounded  vaselike  form,  molded 
in  a basket-work  pattern,  with  lions’-head  handles,  and  enameled 
with  a minutely  crackled  turquoise  glaze  of  the  usual  mottled  tone. 

No.  32. 


823 


DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Shell  one  of  a pair,  fashioned  of  pure  pate  in  the 

shape  of  wlielks,  and  enameled  sur  biscuit  with  a finely  crackled 
turquoise  glaze  of  uniformly  blue  tint.  The  round  covers  are 
molded  in  the  form  of  lotus-leaves,  with  conical  shells  on  the  top  as 
handles.  One  of  the  shells  is  marked  in  the  interior,  which  is 
unglazed,  with  the  Chinese  numeral  3 penciled  in  black;  the  other 
is  incised  with  a line  surmounted  by  a dot.  Tlie  mounts  are  French 
work  of  the  eighteenth  century.  Height,  'ZJ  inches.  No.  33. 

Mug  ( Chiu  Pei)^  of  the  IC’ang-shi  period,  painted  in  brilliant 
blue,  with  a formal  mountain  landscape  containing  temples  and 
open  pavilions  on  wooded  hills  and  houses  on  the  banks  of  a wide 
river.  The  base  is  encircled  by  a ring  of  conventional  foliations, 
and  the  upper  rim  b3"  a band  of  chrysanthemum-sprays.  The 
bottom  is  unglazed.  Mounted  in  Europe,  with  a silver  lid  engraved 
with  a crest.  Height,  18  inches.  No.  34. 

Cylindrical  Vase  {T'^ung  PHng)^  of  Khing-hsi  porcelain,  bril- 
liantly decorated  in  enamel  colors  in  the  same  style  as  the  vase 
described  under  No.  268.  It  has  been  cut  down  and  mounted  in 
Europe  as  a mug,  with  a coronet  and  coat  of  arms  etched  upon  the 
lid.  Height,  9|  inches.  No.  35. 

Vase  [PHng)^  of  white  enameled  porcelain  of  ancient  bronze 
form  and  design,  with  two  loop  handles  springing  from  grotesque 
heads,  and  archaic  designs  worked  in  slight  relief  in  the  paste  under 
the  white  glaze.  The  seal,  impressed  in  the  paste  underneath,  is 
Ta  ChHng  CP ien-lung  nien  chih — i.  e.,  “ Made  in  the  reign  of 
Ch’ien-lung  (1 '736-95)  of  the  Great  Ch’ing  [dynasty].”  The 
mounting  is  European.  Height,  9J  inches.  No.  36. 

Bowl  ( Wan)^  enameled  with  a pale  soujffle  glaze  of  sky-blue 
{fieri- cPhig)  derived  from  cobalt,  mounted  in  Europe  upon  a 
pedestal  representing  a clump  of  bulrushes,  together  with  a pair  of 
fish  of  finely  crackled  turquoise,  the  “ peacock-green  ” {kung-chuo 
lu)  glaze  of  the  Chinese  ceramist.  Height,  inches. 

Cup  with  Cover  {Kai  Wan)^  of  the  Fen-Ting  class,  painted  in 
blue  after  the  early  style  of  the  Ming  dynasty.  The  handle  of  the 
cover  is  fashioned  in  the  shape  of  a phoenix  and  colored  blue. 
Both  the  cup  and  the  cover  are  decorated  outside  with  a pair  of 
five-clawed  dragons  pursuing  jewels  in  the  midst  of  clouds  and 
flames,  painted  in  soft-toned  shades  of  blue  under  the  soft-looking 
glaze,  which  is  of  ivory-white  tone  and  finely  ci'ackled  throughout — 


824 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


in  tlie  interior  of  the  piece  as  well  as  outside.  Height,  with  cover, 
inches;  diameter,  3 inches. 

Flower-Vase  ^Hua  PHng),  molded  in  the  form  of  a growing 
Shantung  cabbage  [Prassica  chinensis^  L. ; in  Chinese,  Po-ts*ai)y 
mistaken  for  an  opening  Nelurnbo,  with  a sprout  springing  from 
the  base,  making  a smaller  receptacle  for  a separate  flower.  The 
leaves  stand  up  in  duplex  tier,  shaped  in  naturalistic  detail  with 
finel}^  dentated  margins,  and  colored  outside  in  two  shades  of  green 
etched  over  with  the  natural  venation  in  black,  the  stalks  being 
left  white.  The  interior  is  enameled  with  the  soft,  pale-green 
monochrome  glaze  characteristic  of  some  of  the  finest  vases  of  the 
ChHen-lung  period,  to  which,  no  doubt,  this  quaint  specimen  be- 
longs. Height,  4|-  inches.  No.  37. 

WnsTE-Cup  [Chiu  Pei)^  of  swelling,  bowl-like  form  and  most 
delicate  texture,  decorated  over  the  white  glaze  in  gold  with  sprays 
of  chrysanthemums.  The  hall-mark  of  Ching  SsU  T'^ang  Chih  is 
penciled  underneath  in  red.  Diameter,  2|  inches. 

Wine-Pot  {Chiu  Ha)^  a miniature  square  vessel  of  the  Ming 
period,  fashioned  in  the  shape  of  an  old  bronze  casting.  Of  solid 
make,  with  an  arched  handle  on  the  top,  and  a short  hexagonal 
spout  projecting  from  one  side,  it  is  enameled  turquoise-blue  over- 
laid with  splashes  of  aubergine-purple,  both  these  glazes  being  of 
minutely  crackled  texture. 

Wine-Cup  {Chiu  Pei)^  decorated  in  soft  enamel  colors  with 
the  eight  propitious  symbols  {pa-chi-hsia7ig)  of  Buddhist  origin, 
arranged  in  four  pairs  encircled  by  waving  fillets,  and  with  borders 
of  conventional  scrolls  round  the  rims.  The  mark,  penciled  in  red 
underneath  the  foot,  is  Tao  kuang  ke^ig  hsu  nien  chih,  “ Made  in 
the  year  keng-hsii  (1850)  of  the  reign  of  Tao-kuang.”  Diameter, 
2J  inches.  No.  38. 

Gourd-shaped  Bottle  {IIu-lu  P'‘ing'),  one  of  a pair,  of  the 
K'‘ang-hsi  period,  decorated  on  a white  ground  with  convention- 
alized scrolls  studded  with  formal  cruciform  flowers,  painted  in 
mottled  blue  of  very  brilliant  tone.  European  mounts,  the  cover 
representing  a bee  in  the  middle  of  a garland  of  flowers.  Height, 
10  inches.  No.  39. 

Fish-Bowl  ( Yu  Kang),  one  of  a pair,  of  depressed  globular 
form,  the  traditional  shape  of  the  alms-bowl  of  Buddha,  enameled 
with  a finely  crackled  turquoise  glaze  of  mottled  hue,  of  the  same 
date  as  the  vase  illustrated  in  Fig.  20.  The  two  bowls  are  elabo- 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS.  825 

rately  mounted  in  artistic  French  work  of  style  similar  to  that  of 
the  vase.  Diameter,  9 inches.  No.  40. 

Pilgrim  Bottle  (Pei  Hu  PHng)^  with  a central  boss,  a chan- 
neled foot,  and  four  looped  handles  at  the  sides.  The  surface  is 
worked  in  slight  relief  with  white  flowers  and  butterflies,  etched 
with  the  graving-tool,  and  brought  out  by  a monochrome  ground  of 
pale  cobalt-blue.  Artistically  mounted  in  Europe  for  suspension. 
Height,  with  mount,  12  inches.  No.  41. 

Vase  (PHng),  one  of  a pair,  painted  in  brilliant  blue  of  the 
Hang-hsi  period.  The  body  is  decorated  with  figures  of  Chinese 
ladies  standing,  or  seated  on  barrel-shaped  seats,  arranged  in 
-couples,  beside  pots  of  peonies,  and  holding  flowers  in  tlieir  hands. 
Palms  fill  in  the  intervals,  and  a formal  band  of  blue  defines  the 
base  of  the  neck,  which  is  covered  with  sprays  of  blossoming 
prunus.  The  mark,  penciled  in  blue  underneath,  is  a leaf  encircled 
by  a fillet,  inclosed  within  a double  ring.  Height,  with  mounts  of 
European  work,  inches.  No.  42. 

Five-nozzled  Rosadon  ( Wu  Tsui  PHug)^  enameled  with  a pea- 
green  celadon  glaze  (tou-cPing  yu)  of  the  Yung-cheng  or  early 
CPien-lung  period.  Artistically  mounted  in  Europe  with  grape- 
knobbed  covers,  connected  by  chains,  and  with  garlands  of  vine 
stretched  round  the  necks.  Height,  with  mount,  12  inches. 

No.  4.3. 

Large  Celadon  Dish  (Lung-cPuan  P'^an')^  of  circular  form, 
with  vertically  ribbed  sides  and  foliated  rim,  decorated  with  floral 
designs  etched  in  the  paste  under  the  rich  glaze,  which  is  of  green- 
ish tone.  The  large  medallion  occupying  the  bottom  inside  is  filled 
with  branches  of  a fruit  tree,  apparently  the  Wephelium  litchi. 
The  slope  is  chased  with  upright  sprays  of  peony-flowers,  sixteen 
in  number,  of  identical  design,  in  panels  corresponding  to  the  folia- 
tions of  the  border.  The  panels  on  the  convexity  underneath  are 
worked  with  leafy  sprays  in  slight  relief.  The  rim  is  lightly 
etched.  Under  the  foot  there  is  a wide  ring  of  paste  uncovered 
Avith  glaze,  with  regular  edges,  as  if  ruled  by  a compass,-  the  bare 
field  of  which,  IT  inches  broad,  is  of  brick-dust  color.  Diameter, 
22  inches.  No.  44. 

Covered  Bowl  (Kai  Wan)^  pierced  with  trellis  panels  and  deco- 
rated in  enamel  colors  of  the  best  lYang-hsi  period.  The  sides, 
pierced  with  six  panels  of  hexagonal  trellis- work  inclosing  spi’ays 


826  DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


of  flowers,  are  painted  with  bands  of  diaper  and  witli  borders 
of  dotted  green  studded  with  prunus-blossorns  alternately  white 
and  overglaze  blue  of  purplish  tone.  The  cover,  which  is  sur- 
mounted by  a blue  lion,  is  encircled  b}"  a belt  of  trellis,  succeeded 
by  a band  of  floral  pattern  similar  to  that  on  the  bowl.  It  has  been 
artistically  mounted  in  bronze  in  Europe  as  a flower-basket  raised 
upon  a four-footed  stand.  Height,  with  mount,  inches. 

No.  45, 

Oblong  Vase  (Fang  PHng),  of  lozenge-shaped  section,  enam- 
eled with  a pale  monochrome  glaze  of  IFang-hsi  date  of  pure  cela- 
don tint  (Tung  cPhig).  It  is  molded  with  symbols  under  the 
glaze,  displaying  tlie  yin-yang  emblem  between  the  eight  trigrams 
(pa  kua)  in  sunk  panels  on  each  of  the  four  sides.  Height,  11 
inches.  No.  46, 

Vase  (PH7ig),  enameled  with  a coral-red  monochrome  glaze  of 
beautiful  color,  the  charming  effect  of  which  is  enhanced  by  the 
European  ormolu  mounts  of  light  sprays  and  festoons  of  grapevine 
which  wind  round  the  vase.  The  graceful  form,  with  spreading^ 
foot,  indicates  the  Yung-cheng  period,  and  the  white  enamel  with 
which  the  foot  is  coated  underneath  is  of  pale  greenish  tone. 
Height,  with  mount,  9|  inches.  No.  47, 

Snuff-Bottle  (PI  Yen  ITu),  with  carved  decoration  filled  in 
with  enamel  colors  of  the  ChHen-lung  period.  The  two  panels 
contain  the  star-gods  of  happiness,  rank,  and  long  life,  with  their 
attributes,  mounted  on  cloud  pedestals,  displayed  upon  a back- 
ground of  scrolled  sea-waves.  The  framework  is  carved  in  pierced 
work,  with  the  symbols  of  the  eight  Taoist  immortals  (Pa  Hsien) 
inclosed  in  scrolls.  The  upper  rim  is  gilded.  No.  48, 

Vase  (PHng),  of  ancient  brownish-red  stoneware  of  the  Ilan 
dynasty  (b.  c.  206-a.  d.  220),  coated  with  a thin  but  lustrous  glaze 
of  camellia-leaf  green.  The  bottom,  only  partially  enameled  over 
about  one  third  of  its  surface,  shows  the  color  of  the  material. 
Height,  9J  inches.  Diameter,  10  inches.  ^ No.  49, 

Pilgrim  Bottle  (Pao  Yueh  PHng')^  with  two  open  flowing  han- 
dles fashioned  in  the  form  of  archaic  two-horned  dragons  (cPih- 
lung)^  decorated  in  enamel  colors  and  gilding  of  the  ChHen-lung 
period,  in  connection  with  details  previously  outlined  in  underglaze 
blue.  The  dragon-handles  are  in  shaded  red  touched  with  gold. 
Round  the  neck  and  in  the  hollow  of  the  foot  are  bats  displayed  in 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS.  827 


tlie  midst  of  clouds.  The  body  is  emblazoned  on  each  side  with  a 
central  shou  (longevity)  monogram,  surrounded  by  the  eight  Taoist 
emblems  (pa  an-hsieii)  tied  in  pairs  with  waving  fillets,  inter- 
mingled with  floral  sprays  and  cloud  scrolls,  inclosed  in  a wide 
panel  by  a circular  line  of  blue  and  gold.  The  convexities  of  the 
vase  between  the  panels  are  occupied  by  the  eight  Buddhist 
symbols  (pa  chi-hsiang)  with  scrolls  and  flowers.  The  seal  pen- 
ciled in  blue  underneath  has  the  ordifiary  seal-character  inscription 
of  the  reign  of  ChHen-liing  (1736-95).  Height,  19|  inches. 

No.  50. 

Large  Jar  vtith  Cover  (Mei  Haa  Kuan),  of  the  K'*ang-hsi 
period,  decorated  in  brilliant  hue  with  blossoming  branches  of 
prunus  (mei  hua)  alternately  rising  and  descending  to  cover  the 
surface  of  the  jar  as  well  as  the  top  of  the  cover.  '^J'he  flowers  are 
reserved  in  white  upon  a mottled  blue  background,  which  is  penciled 
with  a reticulation  of  dai'ker  l)lue  lines.  A band  of  triangular  fret 
defines  the  upper  and  lower  borders  of  the  jar,  and  another  encircles 
the  projecting  rim  of  the  covei’,  which  is  surmounted  by  a globular 
knob  colored  plain  blue.  A band  of  conventional  foliations,  extend- 
ing midway  up  the  neck  of  the  jar,  completes  the  decoration.  The 
mark  under  the  foot  is  a double  ring.  Height,  with  cover,  17 
inches.  No.  51. 

Large  Deep  Plate  (Kuo  P'^an)^  of  Chinese  porcelain  of  early 
K'ang-hsi  date,  with  designs  painted  in  miderglaze  cobalt-blue, 
filled  in  with  enamel  colors — blue,  green,  ^adlow,  and  red,  with 
gilding.  The  rim  is  gilded.  The  brocaded  grounds  of  diaper 
round  the  border  are  in  miderglaze  bine,  as  well  as  the  outlines  of 
the  diversely  shaped  panels,  which  are  painted  inside  with  pictures 
in  colors.  The  field  is  filled  with  birds  flying  through  sprays  of 
chrysanthemum  and  peony,  with  a coronet  near  the  top,  under 
which  is  a shield  emblazoned  with  the  heraldic  lion  of  Holland. 
Diameter,  inches.  No.  52. 

Small  Oval  Jar  (Ch\i  Kuan),  one  of  a jiair,  decorated  with  a 
pale-blue  monochrome  ground  etched  in  darker  blue  with  floral 
designs,  ddie  sides  are  vertically  ribbed,  interrupted  by  three 
circular  medallions.  Of  the  IPnng-hsi  jiei’iod,  the  mark  under- 
neath is  a palm -leaf  inclosed  in  a double  ring.  The  mounts  are 
European,  and  the  covers,  of  Oriental  powder  blue,  are  not  original. 
Height,  without  covei’,  5^  inches.  A thii-d  little  jar  in  the  collec- 
tion, with  a similar  decoration  and  rnai  k,  only  with  s^’inbols  pen- 


S28 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIOlSrS. 


ciled  around  the  neck  instead  of  sprays  of  flowers,  is  mounted  with 
a Persian  cover  of  chased  copper.  No.  53.. 

Blue  and  White  Garniture  of  the  famed  Lange-Eleizen 
pattern;  period,  K^ang-hsi.  The  mark  on  the  foot — Chia-ching 
nien  chih — is  apocryphal.  Height,  17I  inches.  No.  54. 

Vase  {PHng),  with  flanged  lip,  of  white  enameled  porcelain,  of 
the  CPien-lung  period,  coated  with  a rich  glaze  of  somewhat 
greenish  tint  over  a decoration  molded  in  slight  relief  in  the  paste. 
This  consists  of  four  encircling  bands  of  conventional  floral  sprays,, 
defined  by  prominent  rings;  the  neck  is  surrounded  by  two  rings 
of  formal  scroll  design,  and  the  foot  by  a continuous  chain  of  rec- 
tangular fret,  succeeded  by  a spiral  gadroonlike  border.  Height,. 
15  inches.  No.  55. 

Brush-Pot  {^Pi  T'^ung')^  of  wide  cylindrical  form,  swelling  at 
the  mouth,  with  the  decoration  partly  worked  in  relief  in  ‘‘  slip,” 
painted  in  underglaze  blue  and  in  overglaze  enamel  colors,  includ- 
ing coral-red,  yellow,  greens  of  varied  shade,  and  black.  The 
pictures  of  a scholar  dreaming  are  intended  to  be  an  illustration  of 
the  half  stanza  of  verse — Meng  pi  shmg  hua,  ‘‘Dreaming  the 
pencil  blossoms  into  flowers.”  The  seal,  inscribed  underneath  in 
underglaze  blue,  is  Ta  ChHng  Yung~cMng  nien  chih^  “ Made  in 
the  reign  of  Yung-cheng  (1723-35)  of  the  Great  Ch’ing  [dynasty].” 
Diameter,  8 inches.  No.  56.. 

Libation-cup  {^Chileh),  of  white  Fuchien  porcelain  {^Chien  Tz'iX),. 
Of  hornlike  form,  it  is  fashioned  in  the  outline  of  a knotted  branch 
of  prunus,  giving  off  a blossoming  twig,  which  is  worked  in  relief 
outside  near  the  rim.  The  rest  of  the  surface  is  decorated  in  the 
same  salient  relief  with  other  archaic  designs — a flying  stork  on 
one  side,  a four-clawed  dragon,  half  hidden  in  the  clouds,  on  the 
other,  and  a fish  emerging  from  waves  underneath;  a deer  is  out- 
lined near  the  foot  in  front,  and  floral  lozenges  project  on  either 
side.  The  glaze,  of  satiny  texture,  blends  intimately  with  the 
ivory-white  paste.  Height,  2f  inches.  No.  57. 

Seal  ( Yin),  one  of  a pair,  of  oblong  form  and  square  section,, 
with  lions  mounted  upon  the  top  as  handles,  seated  upon  brocaded 
squares  of  rich  floral  pattern,  painted  sur  biscuit,  in  brilliant  enamel 
colors  of  the  famille  verte,  dating  from  the  K''ang-hsi  period. 
Height,  3 inches.  No.  58_ 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


829 


Inscriptions,  on  the  two  seals  with  lions  as  handles,  of  which 
one  is  represented  in  Fig.  58.  That  on  the  left  is  engraved,  the 
characters  appearing  in  white  reserve.  The  other  is  carved  in 
relief.  No.  59. 

Wine-Cup  {Chiu  Pei),  one  of  a pair,  of  ivory-white  Fuchien 
porcelain  {Ghien  Tz'ii),  molded  of  floral  form,  with  everted  rim, 
and  supported  by  three  small  feet.  The  stanza  of  verse  etched  in 
the  paste  upon  the  side  is  Tsui  hou  liu  chun,  cho  ming  yueh, 

When  drunk  with  wine,  save  a little,  as  a libation  to  the  briglit 
moon.”  Diameter,  ‘6^  inches.  No.  60. 

Hanging  Wall-Vase  {Kua  P'^ing),  with  flattened  back  perfor- 
ated for  suspension,  a stand  molded  in  porcelain  as  part  of  the 
piece,  and  two  open-scrolled  handles.  It  is  decorated  in  delicate 
enamel  colors  and  gilding  with  foliated  panels,  surrounded  by 
floral  designs,  and  with  conventional  palmated  borders.  The 
larger  panel  is  painted  with  the  picture  of  a hunting  scene;  the 
smaller  panel  above  contains  an  ode  in  praise  of  hunting,  signed  by 
the  Emperor  ChHen-lung.  The  back  of  the  vase  and  the  interior 
of  the  mouth  are  coated  with  the  pale-green  enamel  which  dis- 
tinguishes the  imperial  porcelain  of  the  time,  and  the  base  is  coated 
witli  the  same,  reserving  a white  panel  for  the  mark  of  Ta  ChHng 
ChHen-lung  nien  ehih,  ‘‘‘Made  in  the  reign  of  Ch’ien-lung  of  the 
Great  Ch’ing  [dynasty],”  wliich  is  penciled  in  underglaze  blue  in 
one  line  of  antique  script.  Height,  8|  inches.  No.  61. 

“Hoof-shaped”  Vase  PHng),\\^y\wg  a dome-sliaped 

body  rounding  in  to  a cylindrical  neck,  decorated  in  delicate  enamel 
colors  of  the  GKien-lung  period,  with  a picturesque  landscape 
representing  the  woody  islet  Yen  yii  shan,  in  the  Western  Lake  at 
Hangchou,  with  temples  and  pavilions  on  the  hillside,  pine-trees 
and  willows,  waterfalls  and  bridges,  and  a boat  crossing  the  lake. 
A descriptive  ode  in  four  stanzas  of  rhyming  verse  is  penciled  in 
black  on  the  other  side  of  the  vase,  which  is  also  illustrated. 
Height,  7 inches.  No.  62. 

Bowl  ( Wan),  with  flanged  brim,  of  the  Tao-kuang  period, 
decorated  on  one  side  with  sprays  of  flowers,  hung  with  an  endless 
knot — a Buddhist  symbol  of  longevity — painted  in  colors,  and 
relieved  by  an  enameled  monochrome  background  of  coral-red. 
On  the  other  side  a verse  is  inscribed  in  white  characters  reserved 
in  the  red  ground.  The  seal,  enameled  in  red  on  a pale-green 


830 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


ground  under  the  foot,  is  Ta  ChHng  Tao-huang  nien  chih — i.  e., 
“Made  in  the  reign  of  Tao-kuang  (1821-50)  of  the  Great  Ch’ing 
[dynasty].”  Diameter,  7 inches.  No.  63. 

Snufp’-Bottle  {PiYen  Hu),  of  flattened  form,  decorated  on  one 
side  in  enamel  colors  with  a little  garden  scene,  a rockery  and 
peonies  and  a boy  with  a basket  feeding  a hen  and  chicken.  On 
the  other  side  an  ode  upon  the  ceramic  art,  written  by  the  Emperor 
ChHen~lung,  is  penciled  in  black,  with  the  imperial  seal  attached  in 
red.  The  mark  inscribed  underneath  in  red  enamel  is  ChHen  lung 
nien  chih,  “Made  in  the  reign  of  Ch’ien-lung  (1736-95).”  No.  64. 

Snuff-Bottle,  same  as  that  represented  in  Fig.  64,  but  greatly 
enlarged  in  order  to  show  the  inscription,  a poem  by  the  Emperor 
CWien-lung  in  praise  of  the  ceramic  art.  A translation  is  given  on 
page  31.  No.  65. 

Censer  {^Hsiang  Lu),  of  archaic  aspect,  dating  from  the  K^ang- 
hsi  period,  with  a decoration  roughly  painted  in  cobalt-blue  under 
a crackled  glaze  of  grayish  tone,  traversed  by  deep  brown  fissures. 
The  decoration  consists  of  a pair  of  four-clawed  dragons  grasping 
the  effulgent  jewel  of  magic  power,  with  cloud  scrolls  and  forked 
flames  filling  in  the  intervals.  Diameter,  5 inches.  No.  66. 

Bowl  ( Wan),  designed  in  the  form  of  a lotus-blossom,  with  an 
outer  ring  of  eight  petals  molded  round  the  foot,  and  the  rim  of 
eightfold  foliated  outline.  It  is  enameled  with  a monochrome 
ground  of  coral-red,  with  a decoration  painted  upon  it  of  two  five- 
clawed  dragons  pursuing  effulgent  jewels;  and  with  a tiny  floral 
spray  on  each  of  the  foliated  panels  round  the  foot,  depicting  in 
order  the  prunus  and  bamboo,  narcissus,  begonia,  chrysanthemum, 
jasmine,  orchid,  convolvulus,  aster  and  lilac,  and  plum  blossoms. 
The  foot  is  enameled,  like  the  interior,  pale-green,  with  a white 
panel  reserved  in  the  middle,  which  is  penciled  in  red,  with  the  seal 
Hsieh  Chu  Tsao,  in  antique  script.  Diameter,  7 inches.  No.  67. 

Teapot  [CPa  Hu),  of  the  finest  Hu  Yueh  Hsaun  type,  deco- 
rated witli  two  broad  panel  pictures  of  landscapes  penciled  in 
briglit  overglaze  cobalt-blue  enamel.  The  rest  of  the  surface  is 
covered  witli  bands  of  floral  design,  containing  tiny  sprays  of  many 
different  kinds  of  flowers,  delicately  painted  in  enamel  colors.  The 
cover  is  ornamented  with  a similar  floral  ground,  painted  in  the 
same  characteristically  translucid  enamels,  and  the  knob  is  made  to 
simulate  a chrysanthemum.  There  is  a seal  penciled  underneath  in 


DESCKIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLFSTEATIOHS. 


831 


overglaze  blue  enamel  inscribed  Yung  cheng  nien  chih^  “Made  in 
the  reign  of  Yung-cheng  (1723-35).”  No.  68. 

Quadrangular  Vase  [Fang  PHng),  of  fine  dark-colored  paste, 
invested  with  two  coats  of  glaze,  in  the  style  of  the  ancient  imperial 
productions  of  the  Sung  dynast^L  The  base,  which  is  thinly  glazed, 
is  incised  in  the  middle  with  the  two  characters  Fsaan  ho,  which 
are  filled  in  with  the  same  grayish-white  enamel  that  forms  the 
overglaze  of  the  vase.  Height,  3J  inches.  No.  69. 

Eggshell  Bowl  [To-t'ai  Wan),  of  light  fragile  structure,  with 
a small  base,  spreading  sides,  and  a wide  rim  notched  at  regular 
intervals  with  six  indentations.  Invested  with  a pellucid  glaze  of 
slightl}^  grayish  ivory-white  tone.  The  decoration,  lightl^’^  incised 
in  the  paste  in  the  interior  of  the  bowl  round  the  sides,  so  as  to 
show  in  transparency  when  it  is  held  up  to  the  light,  consists  of  a 
pair  of  five-clawed  imperial  dragons  pursuing  a flaming  jewel 
enveloped  in  clouds,  d'he  inscription,  which  is  also  faintl}^  en- 
graved in  the  bottom  of  the  bowl,  inside,  in  a bold  archaic  style, 
is  Yung  lo  nien  chih — i.  e.,  “Made  in  the  reign  of  Yung-lo 
(1403-24).”  Height,  2|  inches;  diameter,  inches.  No.  70. 

Wine-Cup  ( Chiu  Pei),  of  eggshell  thinness,  decorated,  partly  in 
underglaze  blue,  partly  in  enamel  colors  of  the  IFang-hsi  period, 
with  a pair  of  mandarin  ducks  in  a lake  with  lotus  and  other  water- 
plants  growing  in  it  and  a kingfisher  flying  above.  The  stanza 
of  verse  at  the  back  and  the  peculiar  mark  are  explained  in 
Chapter  IV,  page  73.  A precisely  similar  cup,  painted  entirely  in 
blue,  with  the  same  stanza  inscribed  at  the  back,  has  the  ordinary 
mark  written  underneath  of  Ta  ChHng  K'^ang  hsi  nien  chih, 
“Made  in  the  reign  of  K’ang-hsi  of  the  Great  Ch’ing  [dynasty].” 
Diameter,  2^  inches.  No.  71. 

Eggshell  Bowl  (To-fai  Wan),  decorated  in  the  ai-tistic  style 
of  the  “ rose-backed  ” plates  with  the  soft  brilliant  enamels  and 
gold  of  the  famille  rose.  The  richly  brocaded  floral  grounds 
inclosing  foliated  medallions  of  fruit,  and  the  vai'ied  dia])ers  sur- 
rounding the  panel  picture  of  a Chinese  family  scene,  with  a lady 
seated  and  two  children  playing,  which  fill  the  interior  of  the  bowl, 
are  well  shown  in  the  illustration.  The  exterior  is  decorated  with 
similar  minutely  painted  diapers  and  fioral  designs,  with  four  cii*- 
cular  medallions  of  antique  dragons  on  a dark-blue  ground,  and 
with  four  large  foliated  panels  containing  charming  sj)rays  of 


832 


DESCKIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIOT^S. 


peony  and  chiysanthemum.  It  derives  additional  interest  from 
being  dated,  which  very  rarely  occurs  on  pieces  of  the  class.  Tlie 
mark  underneath  is  the  ordinary  six-character  inscription  of  the 
reign  of  Yung-cheng,  which  is  penciled  under  the  foot  in  under- 
glaze blue  written  in  stiff  archaic  style,  encircled  by  a double 
ring.  Diameter,  7|-  inches.  No.  72. 

Medallion  Bowl  ( Yueh-kuang  Wan)^  decorated  in  enamel  col- 
ors with  a brocaded  floral  ground  interrupted  by  four  circular 
medallions.  The  ground,  outside,  etched  with  a scroll  pattern,  is 
crimson  {rouge  J’or),  and  is  covered  with  sprays  of  conventional 
flowers  painted  in  delicate  colors  ; the  medallions  display  fruit  and 
flowers  on  a white  ground,  pomegranates,  peaches,  and  longan 
fruit,  peonies,  China  rose,  narcissus,  and  daisies.  The  interior  is 
painted  in  underglaze  blue  with  a basket  of  flowers  surrounded 
with  four  sprays  of  fruit,  flowers,  and  branched  Polyporus  fungus. 
The  seal,  penciled  under  the  foot  in  the  same  blue,  is  Ta  ChHng 
Tao  kuang  nieii  chih,  “ Made  in  the  reign  of  Tao-kuang  of  the 
Great  Ch’ing  [dynasty].”  Diameter,  6 inches.  No.  73. 

Rice-Bowl  {Fan  Wan),  decorated  outside  with  butterflies,, 
painted  in  delicate  enamel  colors,  and  relieved  by  an  enameled 
monochrome  ground  of  coral-red.  The  rim  is  gilded.  The  mark, 
penciled  in  red  under  the  foot,  is  She?i  Fang  Chih,  which  is 
said  to  be  an  imperial  hall-mark  of  the  reign  of  Tao-kuang. 
Diameter,  inches.  No.  74. 

Teapot  ( ChJa  Hu),  of  the  Hang-hsi  period,  decorated  in  blue 
and  white,  with  the  borders  and  rims  enameled  pale  yellow,  and  the 
overarching  handle  penciled  in  black  upon  a yellow  ground  in 
imitation  of  basketwork.  The  panels  on  the  side  are  filled,  two 
with  pictures  of  domestic  scenes,  and  one  with  bamboo  growing 
from  rocks.  The  upright  rim  has  small  panels  with  sprays  of  the 
emblematic  flowers  of  the  four  seasons.  The  knob  on  the  cover, 
carved  in  openwork  with  the  character  lu,  “rank,”  is  encircled  by 
a four-clawed  dragon  painted  blue.  The  bottom  is  en  biscuit 
with  the  exception  of  a sunk  panel  in  the  middle,  which  is  inscribed 
sous  couverte,  Yi  Yu  Fang  chih,  “Made  at  the  Hall  of  Ductile 
Jade.”  Height,  9 inches.  No.  75. 

Vase  {PHng),  of  the  Chbien-lung  period,  with  a decoration, 
etched  at  the  point  in  the  paste,  of  a pair  of  five-clawed  imperial 
dragons  in  the  midst  of  cloud  scrolls  and  lightning-flames,  pursuing 


DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTEATIONS. 


833 


the  magic  jewel,  which  is  represented  as  a round  disk  emitting  a 
spiral  effulgent  ray  from  its  center.  It  is  invested  with  a turquoise 
glaze  of  charmingly  soft  mottled  tones  and  minutely  crackled 
texture.  There  is  a hall-mark  engraved  in  the  paste  underneath, 
JSsti  Kan  Ts’ao  Kang.  The  mounting  is  European  work  of  the 
eighteenth  century.  Height,  with  mount,  12  inches.  No.  76. 

Wine-Cup  {Chiu  Pei),  one  of  a pair,  of  four-lobed  form  with 
indented  rim,  painted  in  enamel  colors,  with  a procession  of  the 
eight  Taoist  immortals  {Pa  Hsien)  crossing  the  sea.  The  interior 
is  sprinkled  with  a few  white  jasmine-flowers  {mo-li  hua),  touched 
with  the  same  delicate  tints.  There  is  a mark  under  the  foot, 
Hsieh  Chu  Tsao,  penciled  in  red,  in  antique  script  within  a square 
panel.  Diameter,  inches.  No.  77. 

Wine-Cup  {Chiu  Pei),  of  perfect  form  and  technique,  painted 
outside  in  pure  colors  upon  a translucently  white  ground  with  a 
floral  decoration.  This  consists  of  a clump  of  bamboos  with 
dianthus  pinks  growing  from  the  ground  beneath,  and  a bat  with 
a propitious  emblem  hanging  from  a ribbon  in  its  mouth  flying 
above.  There  are  butterflies  at  the  back,  and  a half  stanza  of  verse 
penciled  in  black,  “Vows  for  good  fortune  and  a thousand  fruitful 
years  !”  A blossom  and  a bud  of  the  fragrant  jasmine  are  painted 
inside  the  cup  at  the  bottom.  The  hall-mark,  Chih  Hsiu  Ts'aa 
T^ing,  is  penciled  in  red  under  the  foot.  Diameter,  2|  inches. 

No.  78. 

Wine-Cup  {Chiu  Pei),  decorated  upon  a white  ground  in  deli- 
cate enamel  colors  with  a floral  group  composed  of  the  three 
emblems  of  longevity,  the  evergreen  fir  {sung),  the  gi’aceful  leafy 
bamboo  {chu),  and  the  blossoming  winter  primus  {mei).  The  hall- 
mark of  Pao  Shan  Choi  is  penciled  in  red  under  the  foot.  Diam- 
eter, 2;J-  inches.  No.  79. 

Wine-Cup  ( Chiu  Pei),  one  of  a pair,  each  painted  in  shaded  red 
wdth  fifty  bats,  covering  the  ground  inside  and  outside,  as  emblems 
of  hundredfold  happiness.  The  circular  form  of  the  longevity 
character  {Shou)  is  outlined  in  red  on  the  bottom  of  tlie  cuj),  filled 
in  wdth  gold.  The  hall-mark  under  the  foot  is  Fu  CPing  Kang 
chih,  “ Made  at  [or  for]  the  Hall  of  Happiness  and  Good  Fortune.” 
Diameter,  inches.  No.  80. 


834 


DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTEATIOHS. 


Tall  Ewer  (^Chiu  Hit),  of  blue  and  white  porcelain  of  the 
Wa7i-li  period.  It  has  a flowing  bandlike  handle,  and  a long 
curving  spout  attached  to  the  neck  by  a spiral  buttress;  the  slender 
neck  swells  into  a bulb  near  the  mouth,  which  has  a six-sided  cover 
crowned  with  a knob.  It  is  decorated  with  phoenixes  and  storks 
flying  in  the  midst  of  clouds,  and  with  scrolled  bands  and  foliated 
borders  round  the  rims.  The  mark,  penciled  in  blue  under  the 
foot  within  a double  ring,  is  CKang  ming  fu  huei — i.  e.,  “Long 
life,  happiness,  and  honor!  ” The  handwriting,  as  well  as  the  style 
of  decoration  of  the  wine-pot,  indicate  the  Ming  dynasty.  It  is 
studded  all  over  with  uncut  turquoises  and  garnets  arranged  alter- 
nately in  gilded  settings  of  Oriental  work.  The  rims  show  traces 
of  gilded  rings,  and  are  mounted  in  chased  metal.  Height,  ISJ 
inches.  No.  81, 

WiNE-PoT  [Chiu  Hu),  molded  in  the  form  of  the  character /w, 
“ happiness,”  and  decorated  sur  biscuit  in  the  typical  “ three 
colors  ” [san  ts^ai)  of  the  K''ang-hsi  period — viz.,  yellow,  green, 
and  purple.  Tlie  rims  and  borders  are  coloVed  light  green;  the 
spout  has  a pale-yellow  ground  with  diverse  forms  of  shou  (lon- 
gevity) penciled  upon  it,  alternately  pale  purple  and  green;  the  rest 
of  the  surface  is  covered  with  bands  of  lotus-scrolls,  with  white 
and  purple  blossoms  and  green  foliations,  relieved  by  a pale-yellow 
ground  outlined  in  purple,  interrupted  by  panels  of  foliated  outline 
in  the  middle,  which  are  framed  in  green  relief.  These  panels  are 
painted  with  s3^mbolical  pictures  in  the  same  soft  colors;  on  one 
side  a pine,  ling-chih  fungus,  and  grass  growing  from  rocks,  an 
axis-deer,  and  a stork;  on  the  other  side  a peach-tree,  rocks  with 
bamboo,  a couple  of  birds  flying  together,  and  a tiger.  The  base, 
unglazed,  is  cross-hatched  with  the  lines  of  the  stuff  of  which  the 
paste  was  molded.  Height,  9 inches.  No.  82. 

Vase  [PHng),  decorated  in  blue  and  white  of  the  K'^ang-hsi 
period.  The  body  displays  two  groups  of  symbols  around  oval 
panels  in  the  middle,  which  are  inscribed  in  antique  script,  ChHen, 
“ Heaven,”  and  /S'Aow,  “ Longevity  ”;  in  front  is  a palmleaf  fan, 
ending  in  a fly-whisk,  and  a branch  of  peach-blossoms;  behind, 
a rolled-up  scroll  and  a spray  of  chrysanthemum.  Light  chains  of 
fret  encircle  the  shoulder  and  the  rim  of  the  mouth.  There  is  no 
mark  underneath.  Height,  8 inches.  No.  83. 

Vase  [PHng),  modeled  in  the  form  of  a tall  bowl  with  a vaulted 
cover,  the  line  of  junction  being  indicated  by  a prominent  ridge. 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


835 


It  is  enameled  with  a crackled  glaze  of  light  gray-brown  color, 
interrupted  by  transverse  bands  worked  in  the  paste  and  colored 
black,  a gadroon  band  round  the  foot,  and  two  basketwork  bands 
overlaid  with  circular  longevity  [shou)  characters  filled  in  with 
crackled  glaze.  The  two  loop-handles,  roughly  shaped  as  elephant 
heads,  are  colored  black,  also  the  rim  of  the  mouth,  and  the  under 
surface  of  the  foot.  Height,  6 inches.  No.  84. 

Goued- SHAPED  Vase  [Hu-lu  PHng),  richly  decorated  in  enamel 
colors  of  the  ang-hsi  period,  with  no  gilding.  The  two  segments 
are  hung  with  lambrequins  of  floral  brocade,  in  which  chrysan- 
themum-flowers are  conspicuous,  tied  with  hanging  bows  of  red 
ribbon;  the  intervals  being  filled  in  with  medallions  of  storks. 
The  neck  is  studded  with  four  large  circular  shou  characters  in 
yellow,  accompanied  by  four  smaller  svastika  symbols  in  red. 
Encircling  bands  of  floral  brocade  and  formal  ornamental  scrolls  of 
diverse  pattern  complete  the  decoration  of  the  vase,  which  is  a 
striking  example  of  brilliant  coloring,  as  well  as  of  artistic  decora- 
tion. Height,  18  inches.  No.  85. 

Figure  of  K’uei  Hsing  (Khtei  Hsmg  Hsiang^ ^ the  Stellar  God 
of  Literature,  painted  in  enamel  colors.  Poised  with  one  foot  upon 
the  head  of  a fish-dragon,  which  is  swimming  in  waves,  one  hand 
is  uplifted  to  wield  the  pencil-brush,  while  the  other  grasps  a cake 
of  ink.  The  cloak  waving  loosely  above  his  head  and  hanging 
down  in  long  ends,  and  the  general  pose  of  the  figures,  are  intended 
to  give  the  impression  of  movement.  Height,  14i  inches.  No.  86. 

Eggshell  Vase  [To-fai  PHng)^  of  delicate  texture  and  undula- 
tory  surface,  decorated  over  the  translucently  white  glaze  with  a 
spray  of  chiysanthemum  and  a single  head  of  spiked  millet,  beauti- 
fully painted  in  a neutral  sepia  tint.  The  one  touch  of  color  is  the 
vermilion  outline  of  the  seal,  which  is  attached  to  the  stanza  of 
verse,  quoted  from  an  ode  written  upon  the  chrysanthemum  by  an 
old  poet  of  the  T\mg  dynasty,  which  is  inscribed  on  the  back  of 
the  vase.  Height,  8|-  inches.  No.  87. 

Vase  {P'ing),  of  the  K\mg-lisi  period,  with  a swelling  domelike 
body  and  a tall  cylindrical  neck,  resembling  somewhat  in  shape  a 
Buddhist  cldgaha.  dTe  body  is  a pale-blue  monochrome  derived 
from  cobalt,  the  shoulder  is  surrounded  by  a ring  of  coffee-brown, 
and  the  neck  is  painted  in  dark  blue,  with  a two-horned  dragon  of 
archaic  design  pursuing  a jewel  disk.  Old  European  mounts.  No 


836 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIOKS. 


mark.  A pair  of  similar  vases,  from  the  Marquis  Collection  in 
Paris,  not  mounted,  have  the  dragons  on  the  neck  painted  in 
maroon  and  blue,  and  the  light-blue  body  of  the  vase  penciled 
in  darker  blue  with  lotus  medallions  and  shou  characters.  They 
are  marked  underneath  Shou  Fa,  “ Longevity  and  Happiness.” 
Height,  10|  inches.  Ho.  88. 

Wide-necked  Vase  [Hua  Tsun),  with  slightly  spreading  foot, 
decorated  in  enamel  colors  of  the  F'^ang-hsi  period  without  under- 
glaze blue  or  gold.  It  is  modeled  in  relief  with  foliated  panels  and 
spirally  waving  scrolls  painted  with  brocaded  bands  and  chains  of 
fret,  and  the  field,  thus  divided  into  panels,  is  delicately  painted 
with  landscapes,  sprays  of  flowers,  birds  and  butterflies,  vases  and 
censers,  symbols  and  emblems,  and  the  varied  apparatus  of  literary 
culture  in  China.  Among  the  symbols  the  eight  Buddhist  emblems 
of  good  fortune  [pa  chi-hsiang)  occupy  a conspicuous  position,  and 
the  apparatus  of  the  four  liberal  arts  of  the  scholar,  viz.,  writing, 
painting,  music,  and  chess.  The  base  is  plainly  enameled,  with  no 
mark  inscribed.  Height,  19  inches.  Ho.  89. 

- Ritual  Wine-Pot  [Chiu  Hii),  of  ancient  bronze  form,  with  a 
rounded  body  mounted  on  four  cylindrical  feet,  a wide  loop-handle, 
and  a straight  spout;  the  cover  wanting.  Painted  in  blue,  with 
conventional  scrolls  of  sacred-fungus  design,  and  with  sprays  of 
Indian  lotus  supporting  the  eight  Buddhist  symbols  of  happy 
augury  [pa  chi-hsiang')  encircled  by  waving  fillets.  A chain  of 
interrupted  rectangular  fret  round  the  shoulders  and  a ring  of 
spiral  fret  at  the  base  of  the  spout  complete  the  decoration.  The 
mark  underneath,  outlined  in  blue,  is  the  seal  Ta  ChHng  Ch’’ien 
lung  nien  chih,  “Made  in  the  reign  of  Ch’ien-lung  of  the  Great 
Ch’ing  [dynasty].”  Height,  7 inches.  Ho.  90. 

Snuff-Bottle  [Pi-yen-hu),  with  Buddhist  symbols  [pa  chi- 
hsiang),  molded  in  relief.  Ho.  91. 

The  Mark  on  the  foot  of  the  tall  vase  shown  in  Fig.  93.  It 
consists  of  the  sacred  ling-chih  fungus  enveloped  in  tufts  of  grass. 

Ho.  92. 

Gourd-shaped  Vase  [Hu  lu  PHng),  one  of  a pair,  of  the 
IFa7ig-hsi  period,  painted  in  pure  full  tones  of  shaded  blue.  It  is 
decorated  in  two  sections  with  a floral  ground  of  interlacing  peony 
scrolls  inclosing  panels  of  diverse  form.  The  three  quatrefoil 
medallions  on  the  upper  section  contain  sprays  of  blossoming 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS.  837 


prunus,  and  birds.  The  three  panels  on  the  lower  section  contain 
quadrupeds  displayed  in  white  upon  a mottled-blue  background,  an 
elephant  in  a panel  of  pomegranate  shape,  a lion  with  one  forefoot 
on  a ball  in  a ficus-leaf,  and  a chH  lin  in  a palm-leaf.  Bands  of 
chrysanthemum  scrolls  round  the  rim,  above  and  below,  and  two 
double  chains  of  triangular  fret,  separated  by  encircling  rings,  in 
white  relief,  complete  the  artistic  decoration.  The  mark  (Fig.  92) 
is  a sacred  fungus  with  tufts  of  grass  inclosed  in  a wide  double 
ring.  Height,  16J  inches.  No.  93. 

Large  Plate  [ICuo  P'an)^  decorated  in  brilliant  enamel  colors 
of  the  K'‘ang-hsi  period.  The  rim  is  gilded  over  coffee-brown, 
and  the  slope  of  the  plate  is  encircled  by  a red  scroll  and  a chain 
of  fret  in  overglaze  blue  between  plain  rings  of  yellow,  pale  purple, 
and  apple-green.  The  broad  band  of  peony  scrolls  round  the 
border  has  red  and  purple  blossoms  tipped  with  gold,  springing 
from  a wavy,  slender,  black  stem,  relieved  by  a ground  of  pale 
green  dotted  with  black,  and  five  archaic  dragons  are  wending 
their  way  round  through  the  floral  scrolls.  The  field  is  occupied 
by  a tall,  graceful  vase,  of  Ming  dynasty  style,  filled  with  a bouquet 
of  peonies,  surrounded  by  a varied  selection  from  the  paraphernalia 
of  the  liberal  arts,  which  have  been  described  in  Chapter  IV  under 
the  name  of  Po  Ku^  the  “Hundred  Antiques.”  Diameter,  18 
inches.  No.  94. 

Vase  richly  and  profusely  decorated  in  brilliant  enamel 

colors  of  the  K'^ayig-hsi  period.  The  body  is  decorated  in  panels, 
displayed  upon  a ground  of  lotus  scrolls,  with  the  slender  forms  of 
two  dragons  winding  through,  relieved  by  a background  of  coral- 
red.  Two  of  the  panels  contain  mountain  scenes:  one  shows  four 
old  men  playing  go,  with  the  board  placed  upon  a rock;  tlie  other, 
a man  on  horseback,  with  an  attendant  carrying  a lyre,  on  his  way 
to  visit  a friend  who  is  awaiting  him  at  the  door  of  his  mountain 
retreat;  a third  panel  has  a tiger  standing  in  the  foreground; 
another  a clump  of  chrysanthemums  growing  from  rocks.  The 
remaining  two  contain  pictures  of  the  Po  Ku,  or  “Hundred  An- 
tiques.” The  neck  is  covered  with  a svastika  pattern  brocade, 
interru})ted  by  two  panels  of  water  scenes — an  old  man  fishing 
with  a rod  in  one,  a man  poling  a boat  in  the  other.  The  shoulder 
is  encircled  by  a broad  band  of  floral  brocade,  with  medallions  con- 
taining the  apparatus  of  the  four  liberal  arts — the  case  of  books  of 
the  scholar,  the  bundle  of  scroll  pictures  of  the  artist,  the  folding 


838  DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


board  and  boxes  for  vvliite  and  black  men  of  the  ^d-player,  and  the 
l^a-e  in  its  brocaded  case  of  the  musician.  A chain  of  rectangular 
fret,  penciled  in  overglaze  blue  round  the  rim  of  the  mouth,  and 
another,  black  upon  a green  ground,  round  the  foot,  complete  the 
decoration.  No  mark  attached.  Height,  16 inches.  No.  95. 

Vase  (Haa  JP'^ing)^  of  the  K'^ang-hsi  period,  decorated  in  red 
and  pale  green,  with  touches  of  gold.  The  neck  and  foot  are 
encircled  by  successive  ornamental  bands  of  fret  brocade,  diaper, 
and  gadroon  of  varied  design;  the  shoulder  has  a broad  band  of 
brocade  interrupted  by  medallions  containing  chrysanthemum- 
blossoms.  The  body  of  the  vase  is  decorated  with  four  panels 
separated  by  a ground  of  clirysanthemum  scrolls  richly  worked  in 
red  and  gold.  The  panels,  which  are  illustrated  in  succession  in 
Figs.  97,  98,  and  99,  are  filled  with  the  apparatus  of  the  liberal  arts 
and  the  materials  of  the  scholar,  which  have  been  described  in 
Chapter  IV.  Height,  15  inches.  Nos.  96-99. 

Ornamental  Vase  (Sua  PHng),  of  imperial  porcelain  of  the 
reign  of  ChHen-lung,  rich^y  decorated  in  enamel  colors,  with  gild- 
ing, with  no  underglaze  blue.  It  has  two  handles  on  the  neck,  of 
open  scroll  design,  fashioned  as  dragons,  on  which  hang  suspended 
gilded  movable  rings;  and  rims  of  gold  define  the  lip  and  the  foot, 
as  well  as  the  top  of  the  neck  and  of  tlie  body.  The  fret  borders, 
above  and  below,  are  penciled  in  light  blue  upon  a pale  vermilion 
ground.  The  vase  is  decorated  in  panels  filled  with  flowers  and 
butterflies  and  various  emblematic  designs,  the  spaces  between  the 
panels  being  decorated  with  conventional  floral  sprays,  relieved  by 
a plain  yellow  enameled  ground.  The  flowers  represented  in  the 
four  large  panels  on  the  body  of  the  vase  are  emblematic  of  the 
four  seasons.  In  the  first  panel  (spring)  which  is  illustrated 
in  the  picture  we  see  the  Magnolia  yulan  and  Pmonia  moutan, 
growing  from  rocks,  and  a pair  of  butterflies  flying  in  the 
air.  The  next  panel  (summer)  contains  hydrangea  shrubs, 
with  pinks  (dianthus)  and  flags  (iris).  The  next  (autumn)  an 
oak  with  acorns  and  russet-tinted  leaves,  overshadowing  chrys- 
anthemums of  varied  tint.  The  last  (winter)  displays  a leafless 
piunus-tree  in  full  blossom  (me^  hua)^  and  the  monthly  rose  {yueh 
chi)^  which  flowers  in  China  the  whole  year  round. 

Tl)e  seal,  penciled  underneath  in  blue  on  a white  panel  reserved 
in  the  pale-green  ground,  is  Ta  ChHng  Clt’ien  lung  nien  chih, 
“ Made  in  the  reign  of  Ch’ien-lung  of  the  Great  Ch’iiig  [dynasty].” 
Height,  inches.  No.  100. 


DESCKIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTEATIONS. 


839 


Large  Circular  Dish  {^Ta  Kuo  P^an)^  of  the  finest  imperial  por- 
celain of  the  reign  of  Yung-cheng,  artistically  decorated  in  enamel 
colors,  on  a white  ground,  a companion  piece  to  the  dish  which  has 
been  illustrated  in  colors  in  Plate  XLVIII,  and  inscribed  with  the 
same  mark  underneath.  The  floral  decoration  consists  of  sprays 
of  peony  {Pmoma  moutan)^  magnolia  {Magnolia  yulan),  and 
“ hait’ang  ” {Pyrus  spectahilis),  which  throw  off  branches  to 
decorate  the  under  border  as  they  spring  from  tlie  foot  and  then 
spread  over  the  rims  to  decorate  tlie  interior  of  tlie  disk.  Tlie 
pyrus-blossoms  are  pink,  the  large  peonies  nearly  white  just  tipped 
with  pink,  and  the  magnolia-flowers  snow-white,  being  filled  in 
with  an  opaque  enamel  of  a different  tone  in  the  wliite  of  the 
translucent  ground.  Diameter,  19f  inches.  No.  101. 

Snuff-Bottle  {Pi-yen-hu),  inscribed  with  the  character  shou, 
‘‘  longevity.”  No.  102. 

Circular  Dish  {P'^an  Tzii),  of  saucer-shaped  form  and  eggshell 
texture,  decorated  witli  scrolls  of  Arabic  writing  (for  a translation 
of  which  see  page  72,  Illustrated  Edition)  penciled  in  black  and 
filled  in  with  gold.  The  outer  rim  is  encircled  by  a light  band  of 
floral  scrolls  composed  of  alternate  sprays  of  peony  and  chrysanthe- 
mum, relieved  by  a gilded  ground.  Diameter,  8 inches.  No.  103. 

Wine-Flask  {Chiu  P^ing)^  of  Tz’u-cbou  ware,  fashioned  in  the 
shape  of  a small  pilgrim  bottle,  with  two  loop-handles  for  suspen- 
sion, and  a mouth  drawn  in  to  a fine  point.  It  is  painted  on  one 
side  with  a spray  of  flowers  in  darker  and  lighter  shades  of  brown. 
Height,  6|-  inches. 

Gourd  SHAPED  Bottle  {Hu-lu  PHng),  of  Tz’u-chou  ware,  dec- 
orated in  two  shades  of  brown,  with  the  character/^q  “happiness,” 
on  the  upper  segment,  and  a spray  of  prunus-blossorn,  as  the  floral 
emblem  of  longevity,  on  the  lower  segment.  Height,  7J-  inches. 

Twin  Genii  of  Peace  and  Harmony  {Ho  Ho  Erh  Hsien)^  the 
merry  genii  of  the  Taoist  cult,  molded  together  in  white  Tz’u-chou 
ware,  and  painted  in  brown  of  two  shades.  They  are  intended  to 
hold  an  incense-stick  before  a Taoist  shrine,  the  joss-stick  being 
inserted  in  the  tube  which  is  seen  projecting  from  the  shoulder  of 
one  of  the  figures.  Height,  6 inches.  No.  104. 

Large  Rice  Bowl  {Fan  Wan),  of  the  K\mg-hsi  period,  with  a 
fretwork  design  involving  svastika  s3mibol  carved  in  relief  out- 
side and  enameled  white,  the  recesses  being  inlaid  with  a grass- 


840 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


green  monochrome.  The  fretwork  is  interrupted  by  four  circular 
medallions,  which  are  decorated,  in  delicate  enamel  colors  and 
gilding,  with  small  pictures  of  flowers  and  insects.  A band  of 
spiral  fret  is  penciled  in  red  round  the  rim  of  the  foot,  and  the 
upper  border  is  gilded.  The  mark  is  a lotus-flower  modeled  under- 
neath in  slight  white  relief.  Diameter,  inches.  No.  105. 

Small  Water-Bowl  [Shui  Kang),  modeled  after  the  form,  and 
decorated  in  the  style,  of  the  large  garden  fish-bowls  of  the  Ming 
dynasty.  The  sides  are  ornamented  with  four  foliated  medallions, 
filled  alternately  with  flowers  and  rocks,  and  with  fruit  and  birds, 
painted  in  brilliant  colors,  the  intervals  being  brocaded  in  blue, 
with  a diapered  ground  inclosing  small  single  blossoms  painted  in 
enamel  colors,  and  the  rims  encircled  by  gadroon  and  foliated  bor- 
ders in  colored  enamels.  The  seal,  penciled  in  blue  under  the 
glaze,  within  a double  circle,  is  Ta  Ming  Wan  li  nien  chih, 
‘‘Made  in  the  reign  of  Wan-li  of  the  Great  Ming  [dynasty].”  The 
silver  cover,  of  pierced  floral  design,  is  Japanese.  Height,  with 
mounts,  54  inches.  No.  106. 

Fish-Bowl  [Yu  Kang),  oi  rounded  shape,  with  the  lower  part 
vertically  fluted  outside  and  enameled  with  a monochrome  glaze  of 
pale-green  celadon  tint,  while  the  shoulder  is  decorated  with  a pair 
of  three-clawed  dragons  of  archaic  type  enveloped  in  clouds,  under 
a pure  translucidly  white  glaze.  The  scrolled  clouds  are  worked 
round  in  relief  in  the  paste,  so  that  the  forms  of  the  dragons  are 
partially  hidden;  the  parts  that  appear  being  painted  in  greenish 
celadon  touched  with  maroon,  and  having  brownish-red  flames 
issuing  from  their  bodies.  The  technique  is  probably  that  of  the 
Yung-cheng  period;  the  bottom  is  unglazed,  and  there  is  no  mark. 
Diameter,  10  inches.  No.  107. 

Vase  (PHng),  of  imperial  porcelain  of  the  ChHen-lung  period, 
richly  decorated  in  enamel  colors  of  the  faniille  rouge,  with  gilding. 
Of  regular  ovoid  form,  it  has  two  solid  handles  fashioned  in  the 
shape  of  elephants’  heads  projecting  from  the  gracefully  receding 
neck.  The  neck  and  foot  are  covered  with  floral  scrolls  painted  in 
delicate  coloi's  relieved  by  a ground  of  crimson  [rouge  Por)  etched 
all  over  with  spiral  foliations.  The  swelling  body,  defined  by  two 
bands  of  conventional  scrolls  worked  in  relief,  is  enameled  with  a 
pale  monochrome  glaze  thickly  strewn  with  tiny  rings  of  darker 
tint,  looking  like  minute  bubbles,  of  souffle  color,  and  overlaid  with 
a vertical  rain  of  crimson  flecks,  sprinkled  on  evidently  from  the 


DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


841 


point  of  a brush.  This  is  one  of  the  so-called  Chun  Yu^  or  “ Chiin 
glazes”  of  the  period,  artificial  facsimiles  of  the  celebrated  Cliiin- 
€hou  glazes  of  the  Sung  d^niasty,  although  these  were  really 
mottled  productions  of  the  grand  feu,  and  not  fired  in  the  muffle 
stove  like  this  vase.  The  foot  is  enameled  pale  green  underneath, 
with  a panel  reserved  in  the  middle  for  the  seal,  which  is  penciled 
in  underglaze  blue,  Ta  CKing  ClCien  lung  nien  chih,  “ Made  in  the 
reign  of  Ch’ien-lung  of  the  Great  Ch’ing  [d^niasty].”  Height,  15 
inches.  No.  108. 

Vase  with  Flaring  Mouth  [Ling-chih  PHng),  modeled  in 
the  form  of  the  sacred  fimgus  PoJyporus  lucidus,  swelling  into  a 
large  head  at  the  top,  and  having  the  stem  covered  with  a number 
of  branchlets,  bearing  smaller  fungus  blades,  all  roughly  worked 
in  relief  in  the  paste.  The  whole  is  enameled  with  a crackled  glaze 
of  grayish  tint,  overlaid  with  irregular  s])lashes  of  two  kinds,  a 
dull  purplish  blue  and  a variegated  flamhe  glaze  of  mottled  olive- 
brown  and  crimson  tints.  The  ground  color  is  seen  in  the  inter- 
vals of  the  splashes,  and  it  also  covers  the  foot,  which  is  not 
marked.  Height,  13  inches.  No.  109. 

Double  Gourd-shaped  Vase  {Hu-lu  PHng),  enameled  with  a 
finel}^  crackled  turquoise  glaze  of  gi-ajdsh  tone  over  a floral  decora- 
tion worked  in  the  paste  underneath,,  in  the  style  of  the  Ming 
d3'nasty  or  early  lYang-hsi  period.  The  lower  section  is  worked 
with  a broad  band  of  freelj^  designed  scrolls  of  the  pol3^porus 
fungus  mingled  with  blades  of  grass  traversed  b3^  a dragon  of 
archaic  type.  The  upper  section  is  decorated  with  a band  of  pe- 
OTi3’^  scrolls,  from  the  upper  border  of  which  springs  a line  of 
spiral  clouds  encircling  the  base  of  the  neck.  The  base  is  coated 
with  a truite  enamel  of  ivory-white  tint.  The  mounts  are  of  old 
bronze  work  etched  with  similar  floral  designs.  Height,  8 inches. 

No.  110. 

Cylindrical  Vase  [Hua  Pung),  with  the  rim  of  the  mouth 
marked  with  four  slight  indentations,  and  the  sides  molded  with 
two  ])rorninent  handles  fashioned  as  lions’  heads  with  oval  rings  sus- 
pended from  their  mouths.  It  is  enameled  inside  and  out,  as  well 
as  under  the  foot,  with  a celadon  glaze  of  bluish  tint,  which  is  known 
as  Ju  Yu,  being  the  traditional  shade  of  the  ancient  .Ju-chou  wares 
of  the  SuJig  d3mast3\  The  glaze  is  traversed  irregularl3^  by 
crackled  lines,  which  ai’e  colorless  in  some  parts,  as  under  the  foot. 


842  DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATION'S. 


and  become  reddish  brown  in  otliers.  The  rim  of  the  foot  i& 
plastered  brown,  simulating  the  natural  color  of  pdte  of  the  old 
Sung  dynasty  ware,  which  was  a ferruginous  faience.  Height,  15 
inches.  No.  HE 

Vase  [P^hig),  of  the  CWien-lung  period,  decorated  in  blue  and 
white  with  archaic  dragons  of  conventional  design,  carrying  sprays 
of  flowers  in  their  mouths,  which  spread  over  the  surface  to  cover 
it  with  formal  scrolls,  enveloping  the  large  longevity  {sliou)  char- 
acters, which  are  penciled  on  the  body  of  the  vase.  A chain  of  con- 
tinuous rectangular  fret  runs  round  the  shoulder,  and  borders  of 
scrolls  and  foliations  surround  the  rims.  The  broad  everted  lip  i& 
painted  with  a circlet  of  four  pairs  of  small  dragons.  Height,  13 

inches.  No.  112. 

Vase  [P^ing),  with  a two-horned,  four-clawed  dragon  modeled 
upon  it  in  full  relief,  bestriding  the  shoulder  and  enveloping  the 
neck  within  the  scaly,  snakelike  coils.  The  dragon  is  coated  with 
a purplish-brown  mottled  glaze,  the  eyes  and  other  small  details 
being  touched  with  dark  brown.  The  rest  of  the  vase  is  enameled 
with  a grayish,  white  ground,  mottled  with  cloudlike  splashes  of 
olive-brown  passing  into  bluish  variegated  tint  as  they  fade  into 
the  surrounding  ground.  The  foot  is  coated  underneath  with  a 
similar  glaze  mottled  with  brown.  Height,  19  inches.  No.  113. 

Cylindrical  Vase  (T^ung  PHng),  of  K^ang-lisi  blue  and  white, 
artistically  decorated  with  sprays  of  lotus  and  peony  and  with 
foliated  borders,  of  similar  design  to  the  pair  of  jars  described 
under  Fig.  178,  and  mounted  in  the  same  style  to  form  2,  garniture 
de  cheminee  with  them.  The  mark  under  the  foot  is  a double  ring. 
The  elaborate  European  mounts  make  it  appear  as  a slender-necked 
vase  with  ring  handles.  Height,  without  mounts,  12  inches. 

No.  HE 

Gourd-shaped  Vase  [Kua  PH^ig),  of  regular  oval  shape,, 
modeled  in  the  form  of  an  ordinary  melon  {kud)^  with  eight 
vertical  grooves,  and  coated  with  a turquoise  enamel  of  finely 
crackled  texture  and  mottled  greenish  tone,  the  typical  “ peacock- 
green  ” {Kung-chuo  lu)  of  the  Chinese.  Elaborately  mounted 
with  a pedestal  and  cover  of  European  work  of  the  last  century. 
The  piece  is  to  be  attributed  from  its  technique  to  the  early  part 
of  the  seventeenth  century.  Height,  15  inches.  No.  115. 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


843 


Vase  [PHrig),  of  tall  archaic  form,  with  tlie  bulging  part  of  the 
body  encircled  by  two  prominent  ribs,  a horizontally  ridged  neck, 
and  a swelling  moutli,  the  rim  of  which  is  held  in  the  jaws  of  two 
horned  crested  dragons,  with  their  necks  curving  upward  and 
downward  to  form  tlie  flowing  handles,  which  are  ornamented 
with  a row  of  studs  in  their  outer  surface.  Below  the  point  of 
attachment  of  each  handle  an  oval  foliated  boss  projects  from  the 
surface,  engraved  with  cloud  scrolls,  and  a ring  of  similar  knobs  is 
embossed  round  the  shoulder  of  the  vase.  The  enamel  is  a crackled 
glaze  of  clair-de-lune  ( Yueh-pai)  tint,  deepening  to  azure  blue  in 
tlie  thicker  parts.  The  crackled  lines  are  reddish  brown.  The 
foot  is  coated  underneath  witli  the  same  crackled  glaze,  and 
inscribed  with  a seal,  penciled  in  underglaze  blue,  Ta  Ch'ing  Yung 
cheng  nien  chih,  “Made  in  the  reign  of  Yung-cheng  of  the  Great 
Ch’ing  [dynasty].”  Height,  21  inches.  No.  116. 

Bottle-shaped  Vase  {PHug),  with  the  neck  curving  over  to 
end  in  a duck’s  head;  an  ancient  bronze  design.  There  is  a cir- 
cularly rimmed  aperture  in  the  convexity  of  the  neck  at  the  top. 
It  is  invested  with  a celadon  glaze  of  typical  sea-green  tint. 
Height,  74  inches.  No.  117. 

Vase  [PHng),  of  form  somewhat  similar  to  that  of  the  vase 
shown  in  Fig.  163,  with  a mouth  swelling  into  a broad  recurved 
lip  of  indented  outline  worked  with  conventional  scrolls,  enameled 
with  a brilliant  transmutation  {yao-pien)  glaze  of  the  ChHen-lung 
period.  A ground  of  grayish  crackled  texture  is  invested  with  a 
Ym\\flambe  coating,  passing  into  deep  crimson  mottled  tints  flecked 
with  spots  of  light  purplish  blue.  The  foot  is  enameled  under- 
neath with  a pale  purplish  glaze,  not  crackled,  and  there  is  no 
mark  inscribed.  Height,  lOj  inches.  No.  118. 

“ Double  Fish  ” Dish  [Shuang  Yu  P^an),  a typical  specimen  of 
ancient  Lung-ch’iian  Yao  of  the  Sung  dynasty  (960-1279),  having 
a pair  of  fish  worked  in  the  paste,  so  as  to  project  inside  in  sti’ong 
relief  as  if  swimming  around.  The  little  dish  has  a plain  horizon- 
tal rim,  and  the  convexity  of  the  border,  underneath,  is  vertically 
ribbed.  It  is  invested  with  a crackled  celadon  glaze  of  greenish- 
brown  tones  approaching  olive-green,  shot  and  flecked  with  a 
brighter  grass-green,  which  the  Chinese  liken  to  the  tint  of  onion 
sprouts.  The  rim  of  the  foot,  which  is  unglazed,  shows  the  reddish- 
buff  color  of  the  fabric.  Diameter,  5|-  inches.  No.  119. 


844 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS, 


Saucer-shaped  Dish  [P'’an),  of  old  Lung-ch’tian  celadon  of  the 
Ming  dynasty  (1368-1643).  It  has  a foliated  rim,  and  the  sides 
are  fluted  in  the  interior  so  as  to  be  ribbed  underneath.  A spra}^  of 
peony  is  etched  inside  under  the  glaze.  The  glaze  is  a typical  cela- 
don of  sea-green  tint,  varying  in  depth  of  tone  according  to  its  thick- 
ness. The  under  surface  of  the  dish  has  been  photographed  to  show 
the  irregular  ring  in  the  bottom,  which  distinguishes  the  class,  when 
the  paste,  left  bare,  is  of  the  usual  reddish-bufl  color.  Diameter^ 
11^  inches.  No.  120. 

Crackled  Cup  (ATo  Yao  Pei),  modeled  after  an  ancient  design,, 
simulating  a lotus-leaf  with  convoluted  everted  rim,  to  which  a 
lizardlike  dragon  is  clinging,  forming  a handle  for  the  cup.  It  is 
coated  inside  and  out  with  a gray,  stone-colored  enamel,  crackled 
by  a network  of  deeper  dark  lines  connected  by  superficial  colorless 
lines.  The  foot-rim  is  stained  brown,  the  traditional  shade  of  the 
old  Ko  Yao  of  the  dynasty.  Height,  4 inches.  No.  121. 

Small  Censer  {Hsiang  Lu),  of  primitive  Ko  Yao  of  the  Sung 
dynasty.  Of  globular  form,  with  three  small  mamrnillated  feet, 
it  is  coated^  with  a speckled  glaze  of  grayish  tint,  crackled  through- 
out with  a close  network  of  brown  lines.  The  feet  show  at  their 
points  a fabric  of  dark  iron-gray  color,  and  are  encircled  at  their 
bases  with  brown  lines  of  stain.  It  has  been  mounted  in  China 
upon  an  elaborately  carved  stand,  and  has  a rosewood  cover  with 
a fungus-shaped  knob  of  white  jade.  Height,  2 inches.  No.  122. 

Water  Receptacle  {Shui  CP  eng),  of  ancient  Sung  dynasty 
crackle,  coated  inside  and  outside,  as  well  as  under  the  foot,  with 
a thick  unctuous  translucent  glaze  of  dark  brownish-gray  tone^ 
traversed  by  a reticulation  of  dark  lines.  The  mouth  is  tinged  a 
coppeiy  red;  the  foot-rim  shows  a darkish  iron-gray  fabric. 
Height,  IJinch;  diameter,  3 inches.  No.  123. 

Miniature  Vase  {Hsiao  PHng),  of  primitive  Ko  Yao  of  the 
Sung  dynasty.  It  is  molded  with  two  mask  handles  in  relief,, 
and  invested  with  a rich  glaze  of  light  gray  tint,  crackled  by  a 
reticulation  of  dark  lines,  and  is  coated  underneath  with  the  same 
crackled  glaze.  The  foot-rim  shows  a pale  iron-gray  paste. 
Height,  3 inches.  No.  124. 

Water-Pot  {Shui  CPeng),  of  ancient  Chtin  Yao  of  the  Sung^ 
dynasty  (960-1279).  Of  solid  dense  structure,  it  has  an  archaio 


DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTKATIONS. 


845 


dragon  roughly  modeled  in  bold  relief  on  one  side  so  as  to  lift  its 
head  above  the  rim.  The  rich  crackled  glaze  is  of  the  pale-blue 
shade  known  as  clair  de  lune  (yueh  pai).  It  is  stained  at  one 
point  with  a characteristic  patch  of  deep  crimson,  shaded  with  a 
purple  border,  which  is  seen  on  the  left  side  of  the  illustration. 
The  mark,  deeply  cut  in  the  paste  under  the  foot,  is  the  numeral 
san  (3).  The  foot-rim  shows  a fabric  of  reddish-gray  stoneware. 
Height,  2T  inches.  No.  125, 

Shallow  Bowl  (Hua  Pen),  modeled  after  the  form  of  one  of 
the  ancient  Chun-chou  bowls  of  the  Sung  dynasty,  which  were 
used  for  the  cultivation  of  narcissus  bulbs,  and  enameled  to  repro- 
duce the  “ pear-blossom  red  ” {hai-Vang  hung)  of  the  period.  It 
is  circular  in  form,  with  a rounded  lip  of  sixfold  foliated  outline 
and  vertically  ridged  sides,  and  is  mounted  upon  three  scrolled 
feet.  The  glaze  is  a mottled  red  of  the  grand  feu,  from 

copper,  exhibiting  a pink  ground  flecked  with  darker  purplish 
spots,  and  it  becomes  changed  to  apple-green  on  the  ridges  and 
more  prominent  parts.  The  bottom,  coated  with  a grayish  enamel, 
has  six  spur-marks  round  the  rim,  and  the  numeral  san  (3)  on  one 
side,  cut  in  the  paste,  and  it  is  stamped  in  the  middle  with  the 
seal  Ta  ChHng  Yung  cheng  nien  chih,  “ Made  in  the  reign  of 
Yung-cheng  of  the  Great  Ch’ing  [dynasty].”  Diameter,  11  inches. 

No.  126. 

Club-shaped  Vase  (Pang-chih  PHng),  one  of  a pair  of  tall 
vases  of  early  K'^ang-hsi  date,  enameled  with  a crackled  turquoise 
glaze  of  pure  tone  and  uniformly  bluish  tint,  over  an  artistic 
decoration  previously  molded  and  etched  in  the  paste.  This  con- 
sists of  scrolled  sprays  of  peonies  extending  over  the  lower  two- 
thirds  of  the  body,  succeeded  by  a band  containing  ogre-like 
Vao-tHeh  heads,  displayed  upon  a spiral  background;  the  shoulder 
is  encircled  by  a chain  of  rectangular  fret,  and  the  neck  by  rings 
of  formal  scrolls.  The  foot  is  coated  underneath  with  the  same 
truite  turquoise  enamel.  The  highly  decorative  mounts  are  of 
European  workmanship  of  Louis  XV  date.  Height,  27  inches. 

No.  127. 

Wine-Ewer  {Chiu  JIu),  \w\ih.  a flowing  c}dindrical  handle,  an 
upright  curving  spout,  and  a bell-shaped  cover  surmounted  by  a 
knob.  An  early  K'ang-hsi  piece,  it  is  decorated  in  panels  of 
foliated  outline,  filled  with  formal  trees,  painted  in  deep  blue,  with 


846 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


cross-hatched  strokes  in  a style  not  common  in  Chinese  art.  The 
intervals  are  filled  in  with  floral  scrolls  and  scattered  blossoms,  and 
the  rims  are  defined  by  chains  of  fret  of  varied  pattern.  The 
metal  mounting  is  of  Oriental  workmanship.  Height,  I3|^  inches. 

No.  128. 

Broad-mouthed  Yase  {Hua  Tswi)^  modeled  in  tlie  form  of  an 
ancient  sacrificial  wine-vessel,  with  a horizontally  grooved  body 
and  four  vertically  projecting  broken  ribs;  the  two  handles  being 
fasliioned  in  full  openwork  relief  as  alligatorlike  dragons.  It  is 
invested  with  a crackled  glaze  of  transmutation  type  variegated 
with  vertical  splashes  of  grayish  purple  and  olive-green,  in  the 
same  way  as  the  square  vase  of  similar  type  illustrated  in  Plate 
XXIII.  In  tlie  bottom,  which  is  only  partially  glazed,  a coarse 
reddish  paste  is  exposed.  Height,  12 1-  inches.  , No.  129. 

Yase  [PHng),  modeled  in  one  of  the  graceful  forms  character- 
istic of  the  Yung-eheng  period,  and  charmingly  decorated  on  a 
pellucid  white  ground  in  the  delicate  enamel  colors  of  the  time. 
A magnolia-tree  spreads  round  the  vase  to  cover  it  with  sprays  of 
snow-white  blossoms  and  buds;  a gayly  plumaged  bird  is  clinging 
to  one  of  the  branches,  and  bright  butterflies  are  flying  round. 
The  intervals  are  filled  in  with  tree-peonies,  branches  of  Hibiscus 
rosa  sinensis  and  of  pink-blossomed  Pyriis  japonica.  The  swelling 
rim  of  the  foot  is  scattered  with  peach-blossoms  and  small  sprays 
of  chrysanthemum.  There  is  no  mark  under  the  foot.  Height,  16J- 
inches.  No.  130. 

Yase  (PHug),  with  three  lions  projected  in  full  openwork  relief 
upon  the  shoulder,  represented  in  pursuit  of  brocaded  balls  tied 
with  fillets,  which  are  executed  in  similar  salient  relief.  The 
lions  are  of  the  usual  grotesque  form,  with  gilded  bodies,  touched 
with  yellow,  green,  and  purple  enamels,  outlined  in  dark  brown. 
The  ground  of  the  vase  is  covered  with  close  spiral  curves  pen- 
ciled in  dull  brownish  red,  and  it  has  no  claims  to  either  beauty  or 
antiquity.  Height,  inches.  No.  131. 

Wide-mouthed  Yase  [Hua  Tsim),  enameled  inside  and  outside 
with  a crackled  glaze  of  grayish-white  tint  mottled  with  pale- 
reddish  spots,  traversed  by  a well-marked,  deep  network  of  dark 
lines.  The  bases  of  the  neck  and  of  the  body  are  defined  by  rings 
uncovered  by  enamel  and  colored  iron-gray,  succeeded  on  the  neck 


DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTEATIOT^S. 


847 


by  another  prominent  ring  round  the  top  of  tlie  shoulder.  The 
shoulder  is  studded  with  four  handles  executed  in  relief  in  “ slip  ” 
as  butterflies  with  suspended  rings.  The  neck  is  surrounded  by  a 
band  of  the  same  iron-gray  color,  composed  of  a chain  of  inter- 
rupted rectangular  fret  between  two  formal  scrolls,  and  the 
upright  rim  of  the  mouth  is  encircled  by  a single  ring  of  conven- 
tional scrolls  of  the  same  pattern.  The  foot,  colored  iron-gray,  is 
dotted  at  regular  intervals  with  small  buttons  of  gray  enamel,  as 
if  to  cover  spur-marks.  Height,  11  inches.  No.  132. 

Large  Heavy  Vase,  of  the  Sung  dynasty;  exceedingly  dense 
bod}^  and  deep  indented  glaze  of  livid  red,  purple,  and  gray. 
Height,  with  mount,  14^  inches.  No.  133. 

Small  Archaic  Vase,  with  coarsely  crackled  ivory-white  glaze, 
crudely  decorated  in  blue.  ' No.  134. 

Snuff-Bottles,  (1)  decorated  in  blue  and  white;  (2)  of  white 
paste,  modeled  in  high  relief,  and  surmounted  by  the  so-called  dog 
Fo;  (3)  of  Fen-ting  white  paste,  with  a perforated  and  reticulated 
design.  No.  135. 

Gourd-shaped  Vase  {Hu-lu  PH7ig),  modeled  in  the  shape  of  a 
large  double  gourd,  with  a branch  of  tlie  same  plant  worked  in 
salient  undercut  relief,  spreading  down  fi'om  the  top  to  cover  the 
upper  half  of  the  vase  with  a reticulation  of  trailing  vines  bearing 
small  gourds,  leaves,  and  tendrils.  The  intervals  of  the  leafy  net- 
work are  occupied  by  five  flying  bats — emblems  of  the  five  happi- 
nesses, the  gourd  itself  being  the  emblem  of  long  life,  as  the  Taoist 
receptacle  of  the  elixir  vitce.  The  vase  is  covered  with  a sovffle 
monochrome  glaze  of  pale  azure-blue  tint  {fien-chHng),  while  the 
bats  and  small  gourds  are  touched  with  a mottled  red  derived 
from  copper,  which  runs  down  to  stain  the  surface  of  the  vase  in 
several  spots.  Height,  lY  inches.  No.  136. 

Threefold-Gourd  Vase  [San  Hu-lu  P'*ing),  of  composite  form 
and  three-lobed  section,  simulating  three  gourds  tied  together  at 
the  waists,  so  that  the  three  bodies  have  coalesced  into  one,  while 
the  necks  remain  distinct.  The  band  with  which  they  are  girdled 
is  worked  in  relief,  and  the  ends  tied  together  in  a bow  so  as  to 
hang  down  on  one  side.  It  is  enameled  with  a transmutation 
( Yao-pieix)  glaze  of  grayish  crackled  texture,  darkening  to  mottled 


848 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


crimson,  and  becoming  purplisli  toward  tlie  edges,  leaving  the  rim 
colorless,  as  well  as  the  prominent  parts  of  the  ends  of  the  ribbons. 
Tlie  foot  is  coated  with  the  same  grayish-white  crackle.  Height, 
131-  inches.  No.  137. 

Cup  {Pei),  of  GhHen-lung  date,  pierced  with  a broad  band  of  open- 
work carving  composed  of  interlacing  circles  extending  round  the 
sides,  interrupted  b}^  five  solid  medallions,  on  which  are  posed  in 
salient  undercut  relief  the  figures  of  the  star-god  of  longevity 
{Shou  Using)  and  of  the  eight  immortals  {Pa  Hsien),  grouped  in 
pairs,  holding  their  various  attributes,  with  backgrounds  of  clouds. 
The  figures  are  molded  in  brown  and  touclied  with  colored 

enamels  of  dull  tone,  including  white.  A scroll  of  chrysanthemums 
is  lightly  worked  round  the  foot  in  an  opaque  white  of  different  tone 
from  the  lustrous  white  glaze  underneath,  and  with  which  the  rest 
of  the  cup  is  enahieled.  The  foot  is  in  white  biscuit  unglazed. 
The  lining  of  the  cup  is  of  beaten  silver,  gilded.  Diameter,  3^ 
inches.  No.  138. 

Teapot  ( Ch'^a  Hu),  one  of  a pair,  artistically  modeled  in  the 
form  of  a fully  expanded  lotus-blossom,  the  sides  being  molded 
with  rings  of  petals,  and  the  rim  studded  with  the  seeds  that 
naturally  project  from  the  cuplike  fruit  in  the  middle.  The  handle 
is  the  bowed  bod}^  of  a dragon  {cKih-lung)  which  is  clinging  to 
the  bowl  by  its  jaws  and  four  feet  as  well  as  by  its  bifid  tail.  The 
spout  is  the  hollowed  body  of  an  alligator  rising  with  gaping  mouth 
to  form  the  lips.  The  bottom,  which  is  unglazed,  is  carved  to 
represent  a lotus-leaf,  and  a second  veined  peltate  leaf  with  its  stalk 
attached  forms  the  lid.  It  is  enameled  with  a truite  turquoise 
glaze  of  softly  mottled  tones,  deepening  into  purple  where  it 
thickens,  round  the  rim  of  the  cover,  for  example.  Height,  4 
inches.  No.  139. 

Vase  {PHng),  of  three-lobed  outline,  with  indented  mouth,  and  a 
vertically  grooved  body  of  solid  form,  molded  with  the  figures  of 
three  lions  projecting  in  salient  relief  from  the  sides.  It  is  enameled 
with  a transmutation  {yao-pien)  glaze  of  the  ChHen-lung  period,  of 
a grayish  pale-colored  crackled  ground,  splashed  with  olive-brown 
and  crimson  patches  of  variegated  mottled  tints.  The  mouth,  in- 
side, and  the  foot  are  coated  with  a light  purple,  the  latter  only 
partially,  so  as  to  expose  a yellowish  in  the  intervals.  Height, 
inches.  No.  140. 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


849 


Yuan  Dynasty  Bowl  ( Yuan  W'an')^  composed  of  a coarse 

reddish-gray  stoneware  coated  witli  a ci'ackled  glaze  of  pale  purple 
tint,  mottled  with  darker  spots,  and  becoming  brown  at  the  edges. 
On  the  under  side  of  the  bowl  the  glaze  has  run  down  in  a thick 
unctuous  mass,  so  as  to  cover  only  part  of  the  surface,  stopping  in 
an  irregularly  curved  line,  and  leaving  about  a third  of  the  side, 
as  well  as  the  foot,  uncovered.  Diameter,  6^  inches.  No.  141. 

Jar  (ICuan),  of  ovoid  form  and  archaic  aspect,  composed  of  a 
rough  dark  iron-gray  stoneware,  coated  with  a thick  deeply  crackled 
glaze  of  light  stone-gray  celadon  tint.  The  upper  rim  is  stained 
brown.  It  resembles  the  ancient  jars  so  highly  prized  by  the 
natives  of  Borneo  and  other  islands  of  the  Eastern  Archipelago, 
and  is  probably  a production  of  the  Kuangtung  potteries  i^Kuang 
Yao),  of  the  Sung  or  Yuan  dynasty.  Height,  5 inches.  No.  142. 

Miniature  Tripod  Censer  (Hsiao  Ting  Lu),  with  two  loop 
handles,  invested  inside  and  out  with  a gray  crackled  glaze  of  the 
same  character  as  that  described  under  No.  121.  Height,  2 inches. 

No.  143. 

Broad-necked  Vase  (Hua  Tsun)^  with  mask  handles  fashioned 
in  relief  as  lions’  heads  holding  rings,  enameled  with  a superficially 
and  minutely  crackled  glaze  of  mottled  tones,  passing  from  pale 
translucid  celadon  to  crimson  and  ruby  tints.  The  glaze  has  “run,” 
so  that  the  lower  part  of  the  vase  i^  densely  coated  and  dark- 
colored  while  the  upper  rim  and  the  prominent  handles  remain 
almost  colorless.  In  the  interior  it  has  collected  \w  flamVe  drops  of 
brightly  mottled  purple.  The  foot  lias  been  ground  on  the  wheel 
to  remove  the  superfluous  enamel.  The  base  is  coated  yellowish 
gray  with  a crackled  network  of  brown  lines.  Height,  13  inches. 

No.  144. 

Vase  (Hua  PHug)^  of  a ritual  form  modeled  after  that  of  the 
Buddhist  ddgaha  illustrated  in  Fig.  349,  decorated  in  brilliant 
enamel  colors  of  earl}^  H'’ang-hsi  date,  greens  predominating,  with 
a pure  vermilion  red,  an  orange  yellow,  a brownish  purjile,  and 
touches  of  black,  without  gold  or  underglaze  blue.  The  neck  is 
enveloped  in  the  coils  of  a four-clawed  di’agon  pursuing  an  effulgent 
jewel  among  green  clouds  and  red  lightning-flames;  its  base  is 
encircled  by  a diapered  band  inclosing  medallions  of  lotus-flowers. 


850 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


and  the  upper  rim  by  rings  of  svastika  pattern  diaper  and  of 
chrysanthemum  brocade.  The  body  of  the  vase  has  ornamental 
fret  borders,  a graceful  chain  of  conventional  lotus  sprays  below, 
and  four  shou,  longevity,”  characters  emblazoned  on  the  shoulder 
above,  between  the  four  circular  panels  with  foliated  rims,  which 
form  the  main  decoration.  One  of  these  panels  contains  fish 
tossed  in  the  waves,  with  a large  one  rising  from  the  water, 
exhaling  red  flames,  as  if  about  to  be  metamorphosed  into  a 
dragon.  The  opposite  panel  has  an  eagle  of  majestic  aspect 
perched  upon  a rock  on  the  seashore.  The  other  two  panels  dis- 
play Taoist  scenes.  In  one,  two  old  men,  seated  on  a rocky  shore, 
are  looking  at  a temple  rising  in  the  waves  and  a stork  flying  across 
carrying  a tally  of  fate  in  its  beak.  In  the  other,  one  of  the  genii 
is  bestriding  the  branch  of  a tree,  which  is  taking  the  form  of  a 
dragon’s  head  in  front,  his  pilgrim’s  gourd  and  rolled  scroll  slung 
on  a branch  behind,  as  he  crosses  the  sea  in  this  strange  craft. 
Height,  18J  inches.  No.  145. 

Beaker-shaped  Vase  [Hua  ICu)^  of  graceful  form  and  finished 
technique,  modeled  in  the  lines  of  an  ancient  bronze  sacrificial 
vessel,  and  coated  all  over,  inside  the  mouth  as  well  as  outside  and 
under  the  foot,  with  a bright  yellow  glaze  of  uniform  orange  tone, 
the  tj^pical  “imperial  yellow”  monochrome  of  the  C hHen-lwig 
period.  Height,  8-|-  inches.  No.  146. 

Vase  {PHng),  of  finished  technique,  dating  from  the  ITung- 
cheng  period,  enameled  with  a plain  white  glaze  of  pure  translucent 
tone.  A dragon  of  archaic  type  is  projected  in  bold,  undercut 
relief  upon  the  shoulder  of  the  vase,  and  colored  with  a bright-blue 
overglaze  enamel  of  mottled  tint  derived  from  cobalt.  Height,  8|- 
inches.  No.  147. 

WusTE-PoT  {^C hill  Hu),  of  rustic  form,  decorated  sur  biscuit  in 
the  three  colors  of  the  demi-grand  feu — viz.,  turquoise-blue,  auber- 
gine-purple, and  touches  of  pale  green — all  of  finely  crackled 
texture.  It  is  roughly  fashioned  to  simulate  jointed  bamboo,  with 
branches  of  pine  attached  as  handle  and  spout,  from  which  sprays 
of  foliage  spread  out  to  decorate  the  surface  in  relief.  A sprig  of 
bamboo  surmounts  the  false  cover,  which  is  immovable,  the  wine 
being  poured  in  through  a hole  in  the  bottom  of  the  wine-pot, 
which  is  coated  all  round  with  the  turquoise  glaze.  Height,  5 
inches.  No.  148. 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


851 


Globular  Bowl  (Shui  Cli^eng)^  one  of  a pair,  of  lavender 
crackle,  traversed  by  a network  of  brown  lines.  It  is  mounted 
upon  a tall  tripod  stand  of  European  work.  Diameter,  4 inches. 

No.  149. 

Vase  (P'^ing),  of  the  K^ang-hsi  period,  of  graceful  form  and 
fine  technique,  artistically  decorated  with  conventional  floral  desigiis, 
painted  in  red  and  gold  with  touches  of  pale  green.  The  body  is 
studded  with  five  large  blossoms  of  the  idealized  flowers  known  as 
pao  hslang  hua,  “ flowers  of  paradise,”  connected  by  delicate  wavy 
foliations.  A gadroon  border  with  beaded  foliations  surrounds  the 
base,  the  shoulder  is  encircled  by  a band  of  brocaded  pattern,  and 
the  rim  of  the  mouth  by  a similar  band,  running  round  under  the 
lip,  which  shows  signs  of  gilding.  A series  of  scrolled  palmations 
springs  up  from  the  base  of  the  neck,  and  it  is  ornamented  above 
with  strings  of  beads  hung  with  tassels  suspended  from  a ring  of 
scroll  fret.  Height,  17  inches.  No.  150. 

Water-Pot  {Shui  CP  eng),  for  the  writer’s  table,  molded  in 
the  shape  of  a white  univalve  shell,  and  lightly  tinted  with  pink 
and  yellow  enamels  at  the  edges;  the  three  feet  are  tiny  shells, 
and  a lizardlike  dragon  [cPih-lung)  is  coiled  upon  the  top  of  the 
shell,  executed  in  full  undercut  relief.  Height,  2 inches.  No.  151. 

Vase  (PHng),  one  of  a pair  of  tall  bottle-shaped  vases,  with  a 
monochrome  ground  of  pale-green  celadon  tint,  decorated  in  ‘‘  slip  ” 
with  flowers  and  birds  in  relief.  The  floral  decoration  is  composed 
of  blossoming  prunus-trees,  bamboos,  chrysanthemums,  and  lotus- 
plants,  naturalistically  modeled,  so  that  most  of  the  flowers  stand 
out  in  white  relief,  but  some  of  the  leaves  and  other  details,  and  the 
birds  which  are  perched  upon  the  branches,  are  penciled  in  under- 
glaze cobalt-blue.  The  pedestal,  flowing  open  handles,  and  other 
mounts  are  in  European  bronze  work  of  ornate  style.  Height,  with 
mounts,  2 feet  6 inches.  No.  152. 

Tea-Jar  [CPa  Kuan),  a typical  specimen  both  in  sDde  and 
coloring  of  blue  and  white  porcelain  of  the  Ming  dynasty.  It  is 
painted  in  brilliant  blue,  with  the  eight  Taoist  immortals  {Pa  Hsien) 
crossing  the  sea  in  procession,  holding  up  in  their  hands  their 
peculiar  attributes.  The  scrolled  waves  lift  up  crested  tops  in  the 
intervals,  and  the  clouds  dip  down  in  formal  scrolls  from  above  to 
form  a kind  of  canopy  for  each  figure.  The  borders  are  decorated 


852 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIOIIS. 


with  encircling  bands  of  conventional  scrolls.  The  mark,  penciled 
under  the  foot  in  blue,  inclosed  within  a double  ring,  is  Ta  Ming 
Wan-li  nien  chih^  “Made  in  the  reign  of  Wan-li  (1573-1619)  of 
the  Great  Ming  [dynasty].”  Height,  6 inches.  'No.  153. 

Vase  (PHng),  bottle-shaped,  with  a projecting  rim  at  tlie  top, 
and  a globular  body,  from  the  upper  part  of  which  proceeds  a short, 
solid  mouthpiece.  It  is  decorated  with  floral  sprays  of  peony, 
lotus,  jasmine,  and  aster,  enameled  in  bright  colors,  surrounded  by 
scrolls  of  green  leaves,  and  relieved  by  an  intensely  black  ground. 
A band  of  white,  lightly  penciled  in  red  with  a triangular  fret, 
separates  the  neck  from  the  body.  The  upper  rim  is  mounted  with 
metal,  and  the  mouthpiece  is  fitted  with  a nozzle  of  Oriental  work- 
manship. It  was  evidentl^'^  decorated  in  China  for  the  Moham- 
medan market,  and  has  been  subsequently  mounted,  perhaps  in 
Persia,  as  part  of  a narghili.  Height,  10 J inches.  No.  154. 

Double-Fish  Vase  [Shuang  Yil  PHng).,  one  of  a pair,  with 
details  molded  in  slight  relief  under  a celadon  monochrome  glaze  of 
typical  sea-green  tint.  Mounted  in  ormolu  of  European  work. 
Height,  6 inches.  No.  155. 

Tall  Club-shaped  Vase  (Jh  Pang-chih  P'^ing)^  elaborately 
decorated  in  enamel  colors  with  a few  touches  of  gilding  in  the 
style  of  the  K’^ang-hsi  “ famille  verte.”  The  body  is  decorated 
witli  a battle  scene.  The  heroine  of  the  fight  is  on  horseback  in 
front,  clad  in  mailed  costume,  brandishing  a sword  in  one  hand,  a 
spear  in  the  other,  and  having  a small  babe  wrapped  in  her  girdle, 
out  of  whose  head  proceeds  a thin  red  line  which  unfolds  above 
into  clouds  displaying  the  gilded  form  of  a dragon.  An  umbrella- 
shaped tent  with  imperial  insignia  in  front  is  pitched  on  the  hill- 
side, in  the  direction  in  which  the  commander-in-chief  is  riding, 
surrounded  by  his  staff  cai'rying  flags  and  banners.  The  neck  of 
the  vase  is  decorated  with  a picture  of  the  “ five  ancients”  [wiilao), 
the  divinities  of  the  five  planets,  examining  a scroll  with  the  yin- 
yang  dual  symbol  inscribed  upon  it,  the  surroundings  being  of  Taoist 
character,  with  pines  and  storks,  spotted  deer,  and  rocks  covered 
with  sacred  fungus.  The  shoulder  slope  is  filled  with  a broad 
band  of  lotus  scrolls  traversed  b}^  dragons,  interrupted  by  medal- 
lions containing  lions  sporting  with  brocaded  balls.  A brocaded 
band  of  plum-blossom  succeeds,  and  encircling  rings  of  triangular 
fret  and  of  gadroon  pattern  complete  the  decoration.  Height,  30| 
inches.  No.  156. 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


853 


Vase  {PHng),  bottle-shaped,  with  a swelling  globular  body  and 
two  projecting  rings  on  the  neck,  dating  from  the  IC’ang-hsi 
period.  It  is  enameled  with  a dark-brown  coffee-colored  mono- 
chrome ground,  interrupted  by  four  circular  medallions  painted  in 
dark  underglaze  blue  with  flowers,  and  by  a ring  round  the  slioulder 
with  alternate  lozenges  and  circles  displa3md  upon  the  white  ground. 
The  mark  under  the  foot  is  a palm-leaf  penciled  in  blue.  It  is 
mounted  with  a chased  bronze  cover  of  Persian  work.  Height, 
with  cover,  8|^  inches.  No.  157. 

Threefold  Gourd  Vase  [San  IIu-lii  PHng),  with  a vertically 
grooved  body  simulating  three  coalescent  gourds  with  the  necks 
distinct,  so  as  to  form  three  orifices  for  the  vase.  It  is  one  of  a 
pair  enameled  with  a finely  crackled  turquoise  glaze  of  unusually 
deep  tones,  becoming  almost  black  in  the  depths  of  the  grooves  and 
near  the  foot,  which  is  unglazed  at  the  base.  They  have  been 
mounted  in  Europe  with  three-footed  stands,  tasseled  cords  tied 
round  the  waists,  and  covers  inlaid  with  three  disks  of  crackled 
turquoise  porcelain,  hung  round  with  festoons  and  tassels  and  sur- 
mounted by  circular  garlands  of  flowers.  Height,  without  mounts, 
8 inches.  * No.  158. 

Celadon  Vase  (Lung-cKuan  PHng),  of  the  Ming  period,  of 
whitish  paste  coated  with  a rich  unctuous-looking  glaze  of  pale 
greenish  tone.  The  decoration,  which  is  worked  in  relief  in  the 
paste  under  the  glaze,  is  in  three  horizontal  bands  defined  by 
prominent  rings.  The  lower  band  is  vertically  ribbed.  The 
middle  band  has  waving  scrolls  of  chiysanthemums  under  a ring 
of  diamond  pattern  fret.  The  upper  band  contains  interlacing 
spraj^s  of  the  mountain  peony.  A spot  of  iridescent  pui  ple  black 
is  to  be  noticed  on  the  shoulder,  shaded  with  red  clouds,  starting 
from  a slight  pit  in  the  glaze,  and  indicating  the  presence  of  iron 
in  the  materials.  The  base  is  enameled  underneath  with  the  same 
celadon  glaze.  Height,  17  inches.  No.  159. 

Tripod  Censer  [Ting  Xw),  with  short  cylindrical  feet,  and  two 
spreading  loop-handles  of  rope  pattern,  coated  with  a Lang  Yao 
glaze  of  the  ILhing-hsi  period.  The  glaze,  of  the  usual  crackled 
texture,  displays  the  characteristic  sang-de-bceuf  co\ovu\g  in  sti’eaky 
mottled  tones,  passing  in  some  parts  of  the  surface  into  pale  apple- 
green,  while  the  rims  and  more  prominent  parts  are  nearly  white. 
The  stand  and  cover  are  of  rosewood,  carved  in  China  in  a string- 


854 


DESCKIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


net  pattern,  and  mounted  with  a steatite  knob.  Height,  4^  inches; 
breadth,  5 inches.  No.  160. 

Vase  {PHng).,  bottle-shaped,  one  of  a pair,  with  wide-spreading 
necks,  enameled  with  a monochrome  coral-red  glaze,  penciled  over 
with  two  floral  scrolls  in  gold  of  arabesque-like  design  on  the  bodies 
and  with  liglit  floral  borders  round  the  edges.  They  have  been 
mounted  in  Persia  with  copper  rims  and  covers,  minutely  chased 
all  over  with  figures,  hunting-scenes,  ornamental  bands,  and  panels 
containing  birds  and  flowers.  Height,  7^  inches.  No.  I6I. 

Quadrangular  Vase  (Fang  PHng),  of  oblong  section,  with 
rounded  indented  corners,  molded  with  two  handles  fashioned  as 
lions’  heads  suspending  rings.  There  is  a floral  decoration  on  the 
front  and  back,  incised  in  the  paste,  and  inlaid  with  green  and 
white  enamels,  the  surrounding  ground  being  a purplish  brown  of 
brilliant  iridescent  tints.  The  decoration  consists  of  flowers  grow- 
ing from  rocks,  a blossoming  prunus  with  a twig  of  bamboo,  on  one 
side,  chrysanthemums  and  grass,  with  a pair  of  butterflies  fl}dng,  on 
the  other.  The  mark,  incised  in  the  paste  under  the  glaze  in 
archaic  script,  is  Cheng-te  nien  chih — i.  e.,  “ Made  in  the  period 
Cheng-te  (1506-21),”  It  seems  really,  however,  to  be  a reproduc- 
tion of  the  time  of  CPien-hmg.  Height,  7|  inches.  No.  162. 

Vase  (P'^ing)^  of  depressed  ovoid  form,  with  a short  narrow  neck 
widening  into  a flaring  mouth  with  coarsely  serrated  rim.  A five- 
clawed  imperial  dragon  envelops  the  vase  within  its  coils  as  it  pur- 
sues the  magic  jewel,  which  is  represented  on  one  side  as  a disk 
emitting  branching  rays  of  effulgence,  the  intervals  being  filled  in 
with  the  scrolled  clouds  in  which  the  dragon  is  disporting.  The 
details  are  modeled  in  relief  in  the  paste,  and  finished  with  the 
graving-tool.  The  investing  glaze  is  a minutely  crackled  turquoise- 
blue  of  the  CPien-lung  period,  clouded  with  characteristic  mottling 
of  greenish  tone,  and  becoming  darker  where  it  thickens.  Round 
the  foot,  where  it  has  “ run  ” into  a thick  mass,  it  becomes  deep 
crimson,  affording  a striking  example  of  the  manifold  transforma- 
tions of  the  protean  copper  silicates  under  varied  degrees  of  oxida- 
tion. Height,  10|^  inches.  No.  163. 

Cylindrical  Vase  (Ilua  T’’ung)^  of  the  Wan-li  period,  deco- 
rated upon  a white  ground  with  enamel  colors — red,  green,  yellow 
of  brownish  tone,  and  manganese-purple — without  underglaze  blue. 
The  rim  of  the  mouth  is  colored  light  brown;  the  shoulder  and  base 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


855 


of  the  vase  are  encircled  by  bands  of  spiral  fret  penciled  in  red. 
The  body  is  decorated  with  trees  growing  from  behind  an  open 
rockery,  lit  up  by  the  yellow-brown  disk  of  the  sun,  and  filled  in 
with  a background  of  red  trellis- work.  A peach-tree  is  conspicuous 
with  scarlet  blossoms,  and  a clump  of  bamboo,  with  graceful  green 
foliage;  orchids  and  other  flowers  are  blossoming  at  the  foot,  and  a 
pair  of  birds  is  flying  across  above.  The  neck  is  covered  with 
a diaper  of  foliated  pattern,  brocaded  with  branches  of  fruit  and 
sprays  of  flowers.  The  base  is  unglazed,  with  the  exception  of  a 
spot  of  white  in  the  center.  Height,  15  inches.  No.  164. 

Figure  of  a Cat  {Mao  Hsiang),  naturally  modeled  in  a grayish 
paste  of  light  porous  fabric,  and  enameled  with  a crackled  gray 
glaze  splashed  with  transmutation  colors  of  bronzelike  tones  passing 
into  olive-brown,  to  imitate  tortoise-shell.  Height,  inches. 

No.  165. 

Small  Wine-Pot  {Chiu  Hu),  of  rustic  form,  molded  in  the 
shape  of  a lotus  capsule  witli  striated  sides  and  the  seeds  projecting 
all  round  at  the  top,  and  mounted  upon  three  spiral  feet;  the  flow- 
ing handle  is  a rouglily  tuberculated  stalk,  and  the  curved  spout 
another,  while  a small  folded  leaf  projects  on  either  side  as  a decora- 
tion. The  enamel  colors,  applied  sur  biscuit,  are  green  and  yellow. 
Height,  3 inches.  No.  166. 

Cylindrical  Vase  {Hua  T'u7ig),  decorated  in  colors  of  the 
Wan-U  period,  with  floral  arabesques,  painted  partly  in  underglaze 
blue,  partly  in  emerald-green  and  vermilion  enamels.  The  ground- 
work is  a bold  design  of  leaf  scrolls  studded  with  large  blossoms 
like  those  of  the  wild  rose,  executed  in  blue,  which  is  brocaded  with 
small  green  leaves  and  filled  in  with  a diaper  pattern  penciled  in 
red.  The  light  bands  of  scroll  which  encircle  the  rims  are  outlined 
in  red  upon  a white  ground.  The  bottom  is  unglazed,  only  marked 
by  concentric  lines  of  the  wheel.  The  vase  is  mounted  with  a 
collar  and  lid  of  copper,  which  is  elaborately  chased  with  bands 
containing  figures  of  men,  four-footed  animals,  and  birds,  and  with 
floral  and  foliated  designs  of  Persian  work.  Height,  13|  inches. 

No.  167. 

Cylindrical  Ewer  {Hung  Hu),  modeled  in  the  form  of  a 
jointed  tube  of  bamboo  with  a tiaralike  projection  at  the  top.  The 
handle  is  a one-horned  dragon  with  bowed  back  and  bifid  curling 
tail,  and  it  is  colored  red  with  gilded  details;  the  spout  springs 


856 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


from  a lion’s  head,  and  the  cover  is  surmounted  by  the  figure  of  a 
unicorn.  The  surface  is  covered  with  sprays  of  flowers  and  butter- 
flies of  naturalistic  design  painted  in  enamels  of  the  ChHen-lung 
period.  The  flowers  include  separate  sprays  of  the  tree-peony,  rose, 
hydrangea,  lotus,  peach-blossom,  magnolia,  chrysanthemum,  lily, 
hibiscus,  convolvulus,  aster,  orchid,  and  nandina  berries.  Height, 
14|  inches.  No.  168. 

Club-shaped  Vase  {Pmig-cJdh  PHyig),  of  the  K'^ajig-hsi  period, 
decorated  in  blue  and  white  with  panels  of  varied  form,  inclosed 
in  a souffle,  ground  of  brilliant  powder-blue.  There  are  six  pan- 
els on  the  body,  of  which  the  two  below — square,  with  indented 
corners — are  painted  with  landscapes;  the  two  fan-shaped  panels 
above  contain  peonies  and  chrysanthemums  growing  from  rocks, 
and  the  other  two — -of  rounded  foliated  outline — are  filled  with 
vases  of  flowers  and  peacock’s  feathers;  censers,  and  the  parapher- 
nalia of  the  scholar.  There  are  two  panels  in  the  neck,  shaped  like 
leaves  of  the  Ficus  religiosa,  one  of  whicli  has  a kingfisher  inside 
perched  upon  a peony-branch;  the  other,  incense-burning  appa- 
ratus and  a folding  fan.  The  mark  under  the  foot  is  a double  ring 
penciled  in  blue.  Height,  18  inches.  No.  169. 

Vase  [JPua  PHyig)^  of  the  ChHen-luyig  period,  fashioned  on  an 
archaic  bronze  model,  with  decorations  executed  in  relief  and 
engraved  in  the  paste,  invested  with  a finely  crackled  turquoise 
glaze,  which  varies  in  tone  according  to  the  depth,  so  as  to  enhance 
the  eifect  of  the  decoration  underneath.  This  decoration  consists 
of  a broad  band  of  peony  scrolls  round  the  body  and  a ring  of 
upright  palmations  on  the  neck,  completed  by  encircling  bands  of 
ornamental  scroll  and  fret  designs  of  varied  pattern.  The  foot, 
only  partially  glazed,  shows  a grayish-buff  pate  in  the  intervals. 
Height,  13^  inches.  No.  llO. 

Vase  (Pdng),  of  the  IFang-hsi  period,  very  brilliantly  deco- 
rated in  enamel  colors,  with  rich  borders  of  scroll  and  fret,  floral 
brocade  and  conventional  foliations.  The  two  large  panels  on  the 
body  contain  a grotesque  lion  sporting  with  a brocaded  ball  tied 
with  waving  fillets,  and  a unicorn  [ctiH-lin)  of  orthodox  traditional 
form  with  flames  proceeding  from  its  body;  the  panels  are 
separated  bj^  vertical  bands  containing  lozenge-shaped  symbols  of 
success  (fayig-sheng).  The  vase,  slightly  cut  down,  has  been  fitted 
with  European  bronze  mounts.  Height,  8|  inches.  No.  171. 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


857 


Vase  [P'mg)^  of  tlie  Feii  Ting,  or  “soft  paste”  class,  painted 
in  soft-toned  blue  in  characteristic  style  with  line  and  clearly 
defined  strokes,  under  a soft-looking  ivory-white  glaze  of  crackled 
texture  and  undulatory  surface.  It  is  decorated  with  nine  gro- 
tesque lions:  five  grouped  on  the  body  of  tlie  vase,  and  four  on  the 
neck,  supported  on  banks  of  scrolled  clouds  and  enveloped  in  flames, 
disporting  with  brocaded  balls  tied  with  waving  fillets.  The 
receding  slope  of  the  shoulder  is  encircled  by  a band  of  cloud 
scrolls,  traversed  by  five  flying  bats,  symbols  of  the  five  happi- 
nesses, and  the  foot  has  plum  blossoms,  the  floral  emblem  of  long 
life,  scattered  over  a reticulated  ground  of  mottled  blue.  The  foot 
is  crackled  underneath;  no  mark.  Height,  8f  inches.  No.  172. 

Grotesque  Unicorn  Monster  i^Tu  Ghueh  Shou),  molded  in 
porcelain  of  the  Ming  period,  witli  a lionlike  body,  having  a horn, 
shaped  like  the  horn  of  a rhinoceros,  curving  up  from  the  middle  of 
the  forehead.  The  body,  etched  with  a graving-tool,  is  coated  with 
a snow-white  crackled  glaze;  the  ears,  beard,  and  flowing  tail  are 
overlaid  with  bright  blue;  the  mane  and  spiral  coils  of  hair  are 
touched  with  dark  green.  The  interior,  which  is  hollow,  is  par- 
tially lined  with  crackled  glaze,  showing  a grayish  paste  in  the 
intervals.  Length,  6 inches.  No.  173. 

Small  Vase  (Hua  PHng^,  of  turquoise  crackle  of  the  Ming 
dynasty.  It  is  molded  of  archaic  design,  with  a ribbed  bod}^  verti- 
call}"  grooved  and  a mouth  witb  an  eightfold  foliated  rim. 
Round  the  body  and  neck  of  the  vase  are  coiled  the  forms  of  two 
three-clawed  lizardlike  dragons,  modeled  in  complete  undercut 
relief,  in  pursuit  of  the  jew^el-ball,  which  is  attached  in  front  mid- 
way between  the  heads  of  the  monsters.  The  truite  glaze  changes 
from  its  pure  turquoise  tint  to  olive-gray  in  the  thinner  parts,  and 
deepens  into  purple  where  it  collects  in  thick  drops.  The  foot  is 
unglazed,  showing  a yellowish-gray  Height,  5|  inches. 

No.  174. 

Beaker-shaped  Vase  {Hua  Ku),  of  crackled  celadon,  dating 
from  early  in  the  Ming  if  not  older.  The  flaring  mouth 

has  a rim  alternatel}^  projected  and  indented  as  if  formed  of  eight 
foliations,  and  the  vase  is  marked  with  slight  vertical  ilbs  starting 
from  the  points  of  the  foliations.  The  prominent  band  around  the 
middle  of  the  vase  is  etched  with  triangular  lines  and  clouds  show- 
ing indistinctly  under  the  thick  glaze.  The  glaze,  which  spreads 


858 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


over  half  of  the  interior  of  the  vase,  and  also  covers  the  base,  is  a 
celadon  of  green  tint  and  lustrous  aspect,  crackled  with  a network 
of  dark-brown  lines,  although  inside  and  under  the  foot  the  reticu- 
lated lines  are  colorless.  The  foot-rim  shows  a pate  of  reddish- 
yellow  color.  Height,  II  inches.  No.  175. 

Pilgrim  Bottle  {Pei-hu  PHng),  of  the  rounded  form  and  oval 
section  known  also  as  Pao-yueh  PHng,  from  its  resemblance  to  that 
of  tlie  full  moon.  Decorated  in  blue  and  maroon  under  the  white 
glaze,  with  five-clawed  imperial  dragons  rising  from  the  sea  into 
the  clouds  in  pursuit  of  the  wish-granting  jewel,  which  is  depicted 
in  the  middle  of  the  vase  as  an  effulgent  disk.  There  is  a seal 
under  the  foot,  penciled  in  the  same  underglaze  cobalt-blue,  with 
the  inscription  Ta  ChHng  CPien-lung  nien  chih,  “ Made  in  the 
reign  of  Ch’ien-lung  (1736-95)  of  the  Great  Ch’ing  [dynasty].” 
Height,  12|  inches.  No.  176. 

Vase  [PHng),  of  the  coarser  Ting-chou  ware  of  the  Mmg  period 
known  as  Pu  Ting.  The  decorative  designs  are  either  molded  in 
relief  or  etched  at  the  point  in  the  grayish- white  paste,  which  is 
coated  with  an  ivory-white  crackled  glaze,  become  greenish  in  tone 
where  it  thickens.  The  neck  swells  above  into  a bulbous  enlarge- 
ment, which  is  grooved  like  a bulb  of  garlic.  A dragon  of  archaic 
design  is  coiled  round  in  salient  relief,  pursuing  a jewel  among 
clouds.  The  bulging  body  is  engraved  with  floral  scrolls,  a band 
of  gadroon  pattern  runs  round  below  and  a band  of  spiral  fret 
above,  succeeded  by  a chain  of  rectangular  fret  etched  round  the 
shoulder.  The  foot  is  coated  with  the  same  soft-looking  crackled 
glaze.  The  foot-rim  shows  a hard  fabric,  which  can  not  be 
scratched  by  a steel  point.  Height,  13^  inches.  No.  177. 

Jar  (Puan),  one  of  a pair,  with  bell-shaped  covers,  richly 
decorated  in  blue  and  white  of  the  JPang-hsi  period,  and  mounted 
in  European  work  of  the  eighteenth  century  in  the  same  style  as 
the  vase  in  Fig.  114.  It  is  decorated  with  clumps  of  lotus  inter- 
mingled with  reeds,  alternating  with  hanging  branches  of  peonies 
and  sprays  of  asters.  Foliations  of  brocaded  design  spread  upward 
and  downward  from  the  borders,  which  are  encircled  also  with 
floral  bands.  The  cover  is  painted  with  sprays  of  peony  at  the  top, 
succeeded  by  a conventional  floral  border.  The  mark  under  the 
foot  is  a diamond-shaped  symbol  [fang-sheng),  tied  with  a fillet, 
inclosed  in  a double  ring.  Height,  17  inches.  No.  178. 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


859 


Five  Snuff-Bottles,  of  the  reigns  of  Ynng-cheng  and  ChHen- 
lung.  No.  179. 

Small  Vase  [Hsiao  PHng)^  of  white  Fen  Ting  porcelain,  fash- 
ioned after  an  antique  model,  with  a flaring  bell-shaped  mouth. 
The  rims  are  lightly  etched  with  scroll  borders,  and  the  vase  is 
encircled  with  three  foliated  bands  worked  in  slight  relief  in  tlie 
paste.  The  glaze,  of  characteristically  soft  ivory-white  tone,  is  not 
orackled,  but  has  the  undulatory  pitted  texture  known  as  chu-p’i 
wen^OY  “orange-peel  marking.”  Height,  5^  inches.  No.  180. 

Vase  [PHng),  of  bulbous  form,  with  vertical  grooves,  so  as  to 
be  of  six-lobed  section,  invested  with  a mottXedi  flambe  glaze  of  dark 
brownish-crimson  tint,  flecked  with  lighter  spots  at  the  edges.  The 
interior  is  coated  with  a grayish,  superficially  crackled  glaze,  which 
also  appears  on  the  lip  and  more  prominent  points  of  the  surface. 
The  foot  is  enameled  with  a greenish,  imcrackled  glaze,  and  has  no 
mark  inscribed.  Height,  13  inches.  No.  181. 

Beaker-shaped  Vase  [Hua  Hu),  of  the  K^ang-hsi  period, 
painted  in  colors — greens  of  diverse  tone,  brownish-yellow,  ver- 
milion, and  shaded  purples,  relieved  by  a black  enameled  ground. 
It  is  decorated  in  two  divisions.  The  lower  half  is  covered  with 
blossoming  prunus-trees  with  white  flowers  and  buds,  and  a bird 
perched  on  one  of  the  branches,  filled  in  with  colored  sprays  of 
Rsters  and  grass  and  bunches  of  peaches  and  persimmons.  The 
upper  half  has  peach-trees  with  red  and  purplish  flowers  and  peony 
shrubs  with  large  shaded  vermilion  blossoms,  mingled  with  the 
prunus,  a Reeves’  pheasant  in  the  foreground  on  a rock,  and  other 
birds  fl3dng  among  the  trees.  The  foot  is  enameled  white,  with  no 
mark  attached.  Height,  18  inches.  No.  182. 

Large  Vase  [Ta  PHng),  of  the  CPien-lung  period,  enameled 
witli  a monochrome  glaze  of  greenish  celadon  tint,  deepening  in 
tone  as  it  thickens  in  the  recesses  of  the  decoration,  which  is 
worked  in  relief  in  the  paste  underneath.  This  consists  of  a pair 
of  five-clawed  imperial  dragons,  one  just  emerging  from  the 
scrolled  waves,  which  surround  the  base  of  the  vase,  the  other 
enveloping  the  bod}^  and  neck  within  its  scah^  coils.  Flames  issue 
from  the  bodies  of  the  monsters,  the  intervals  are  filled  in  with 
scrolled  masses  of  clouds,  and  the  jewel  which  they  are  pursuing  is 
represented  on  one  side  as  a disk  emitting  threefold  branching  ra\'S 
of  effulgence.  The  base,  unglazed,  shows  a comparative!}^  coarse, 
yellowish  paste.  Height,  21^  indies.  No.  183. 


860 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Jae  (Kuan),  painted  in  blue  and  white,  of  the  K'^ang-hsi  period^ 
with  a band  of  Amazons  riding  down  a mountain  valley  toward  a 
military  encampment,  the  tents  of  which  are  seen  over  the  hills  in 
the  distance.  They  have  long  pheasant-feathers  stuck  in  their  fur 
caps,  and  are  carrying  flags  and  banners,  with  spears  slung  on  their 
backs;  one  has  a drawn  sword  in  each  hand.  The  mark  under  the 
foot  is  a palm-leaf  encircled  by  a wide  double  ring.  Height,  9 
inches.  No.  184. 

Goued-shaped  Vase  (Hu-lu  PHng),  one  of  a pair,  intricately 
fashioned  with  carved  openwork  casings  and  movable  appendages,, 
and  richly  decorated  in  delicate  enamel  colors  and  gilding  of  the 
CKien-lung  period.  Through  the  open  trellis  bands,  inclosing^ 
foliated  panels  with  svastika  symbols,  glimpses  are  caught  of  a 
solid  cylindrical  core  painted  with  bats  flying  among  clouds.  The 
waists  are  belted  with  movable  rings,  with  two  projecting  scrolled 
handles,  by  which  the  rings  can  be  made  to  revolve.  The  foot  is 
enameled  red  underneath,  with  the  seal,  penciled  in  gold,  inscribed 
Ta  ChHng  CK' ien-lung  nien  chih,  ‘‘  Made  in  the  reign  of  Ch’ien- 
lung  of  the  Great  Ch’ing  [dynasty].”  Height,  16|^  inches. 

No.  185. 

Small  Teapot  ( Ch^a  Hu),  carved  in  openwork  designs,  and 
richly  decorated  in  enamel  colors  and  gilding  of  Yung-cheng  or 
early  ChHen-lung  date.  The  globular  body,  which  represents  a 
brocaded  ball,  is  studded  with  four  floral  bosses  with  gilded, 
pierced  centers,  and  has  the  intervals  filled  in  with  brocaded  designs 
relieved  by  an  enameled  black  ground.  Two  grotesque  lions, 
colored  pink  (rose  Hor),  are  crouching  upon  the  ball,  of  which  one 
forms  the  handle,  while  the  other  has  a tube  projecting  from  its 
back  as  the  spout.  The  cover  is  crowned  by  a floral  knob  set  in  the 
middle  of  a gilded  openwork  boss,  encircled  by  the  same  delicate 
floral  scrolls  as  decorate  the  rim  of  the  teapot.  Height,  4^  inches. 

No.  186,. 

Vase  (P"’ing),  of  Kang  hsi  blue  and  white.  The  long,  grace- 
ful neck  is  decorated  with  floral  scrolls,  conventional  bands  of 
ornament,  and  palmated  foliations.  The  body  displays  a pair  of 
hexagonal  vases  with  arrows  inside,  as  well  as  in  the  tubular 
handles,  which  are  mounted  on  tripod  tables,  alternating  with  twO’ 
pairs  of  lamps,  each  pair  being  suspended  side  by  side  with  cords 
hung  with  tassels.  The  mark  under  the  foot  is  a flower  sprig. 
Height,  10|^  inches.  No.  187. 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


861 


Water  Receptacle  {T'^ai-po  Tsuin),  so  called  because  it  is 
modeled  in  the  shape  of  the  wine-jar  (tsun)  of  the  famous  poet  Li 
T’ai-po,  enameled  outside  with  a mottled  “ peach-bloom  ” glaze  of 
reddish  tone,  variegated  on  one  side  with  a cloud  of  apple-green. 
There  is  an  etched  decoration  in  the  paste  under  the  glaze  in  the 
form  of  three  medallions  of  archaic  dragon  scrolls.  The  mark, 
written  underneath  in  blue  in  large  characters,  is  Ta  ChHng 
K'^ mig-hsi  nien  chiJi,  “ Made  in  the  reign  of  K’ang-hsi  of  the 
Great  Ch’ing  [dynasty].”  Diameter,  5^  inches.  Bronze  mount 
and  stand.  No.  188. 

Vase  {Una  I'sun),  of  the  ChHen-lung  period,  modeled  in  the 
form  of  a bronze  sacrificial  wine-vessel,  with  the  handles  fashioned 
as  elephants’  heads,  and  tjie  sides  worked  in  relief  and  etched  under 
the  finely  crackled  turquoise  glaze,  which  is  of  the  usual  mottled 
tone.  ^ The  body  is  encircled  by  a broad  band  filled  with  lizardlike 
dragons  holding  scrolls  of  sacred  fungus  {ling-chih)  in  their 
mouths,  the  neck  with  a ring  of  conventional  palmations,  and  the 
foot  by  a continuous  chain  in  double  outline  of  rectangular  fret. 
The  foot,  partially  glazed,  shows  a white  pate  of  fine  texture. 
Height,  9 inches.  No.  189. 

Goitrd-shaped  Vase  {lla-lii  PHng\  of  pale-colored  Pang  Yao 
of  the  lYang-hsi  period.  The  glaze,  which  is  slightly  crackled  in 
parts,  is  of  liver  tint,  thickly  flecked  with  light  spots,  and  it  is  of 
minutely  pitted  texture.  The  vase  is  enameled  so  as  to  leave  a 
well-defined  white  rim  round  the  ^mouth  and  at  the  base;  the  foot 
is  coated  with  a pure  white  glaze  underneath,  with  no  mark  in- 
scribed. Height,  16  inches.  No.  190. 

Vase  {PHng),  of  grayish  crackle,, executed  in  the  style  of  the 
ancient  Ko  Yao.  The  glaze,  which  runs  in  thick  unctuous  masses, 
is  a gra}^  celadon,  traversed  by  a network  of  reddish-brown  lines 
connected  by  more  superficial  colorless  lines.  It  is  stained  brown, 
as  if  accidentally,  under  the  handles  and  ornamental  rings.  The 
two  handles  are  fashioned  in  the  form  of  lions’  heads,  surrounded 
by  fringes  of  curled  mane,  and  are  perforated  for  rings.  They  are 
colored  iron-gray,  like  the  three  encircling  bands  of  fret  which  are 
worked  round  the  vase.  The  interior  of  the  vase  is  created  with 
the  same  gray  ci'ackle;  the  foot,  unglazed,  is  stained  a reddish 
brown.  Height,  15  inches.  No.  191. 

Vase  {PHug),  of  later  Ch'ien-lung  date,  enameled  with  a finely 
crackled  yellow  monochrome  ground  of  clouded  tone.  The  dec- 


862 


DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


oration,  which  is  molded  in  relief  in  the  paste  and  finished  by 
engraving,  consists  of  a group  of  three  lions  sporting  with  a 
brocaded  ball  tied  with  waving  fillets,  and  a single  bat  flying 
across  the  neck  of  the  vase  above;  the  enamel  colors  used  comprise 
a bright  green  and  purple,  with  a sparing  addition  of  white.  The 
base  is  coated  with  the  same  truite  yellow  enamel,  with  no  mark 
inscribed.  The  fabric  is  peculiarly  thin  and  light.  Height,  12 
inches.  No.  192. 

Statuette  (Hsiang),  of  a mandarin  of  high  rank,  richly  enameled 
in  brilliant  colors  of  the  period,  with  smiling  features  of 

Chinese  type,  and  flowing  mustaches,  painted  black  in  openwork 
relief.  The  official  robes  with  wide  hanging  sleeve  are  brocaded 
with  four-clawed  dragons  on  a pale-purple  ground,  and  display  the 
square  insignia  of  the  highest  rank  embroidered  with  storks  behind 
as  well  as  in  front.  The  girdle  is  set  in  ancient  style,  with  oblong 
and  circular  plaques,  which  are  executed  in  relief  and  colored  “ oM 
gold,”  of  tint  different  from  the  ordinary  yellow  derived  from 
antimony,  which  is  used  on  the  brocade  designs.  The  hat  and  the 
baton  of  rank,  once  held  in  the  hands,  are  botli  lost.  Height, 
inches.  No.  193. 

Delicate  and  Graceful  Vase  (PHng),  of  the  best  K'^ang-hsi 
period;  pate  sur pate  modeling  of  ch'i-lin  amid  surges  in  fine  white 
beneath  a beautiful  translucent  glaze,  set  off  with  chH-lin  in  a 
strong  peach-bloom  tint.  Height,  with  mounts,  9 inches. 

No.  194. 

Baluster  Yase  (Mei  PHng),  finely  decorated  in  bright  enamel 
colors  of  the  best  K'^ang-hsi  period,  with  two  prominent  handles 
pierced  for  rings  fashioned  in  the  form  of  grotesque  lions’  heads, 
and  reserved  in  pure  white  ‘‘  biscuit.”  It  is  decorated  in  horizontal 
bands  separated  by  chains  of  rectangular  and  spiral  fret  penciled 
on  purple  grounds.  The  broad  band  round  the  middle  has  a pair 
of  archaic  dragons  {cPik-lung)  in  the  midst  of  graceful  scrolls  of 
lotus,  relieved  by  an  enameled  black  ground.  A band  of  peony 
scrolls  spreads  round  the  foot  displayed  upon  the  same  black 
ground,  and  sprays  of  peony  wind  round  the  shoulder  of  the  vase 
with  a bright-green  background  etched  with  a spiral  pattern.  A 
ring  of  palmations  encircles  the  neck,  filled  in  with  black.  The 
foot  is  enameled  white  underneath,  with  no  mark  inscribed. 
Height,  11^  inches.  No.  195. 


DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


863 


Lang  Yao  Vase  (Layig  Yao  PHng).  A small  bottle-shaped 
vase  with  bulging  body,  displaying  the  same  rich  sang-de-hoeuf 
coloring  as  the  large  vase  which  is  illustrated  in  Plate  LIX.  The 
foot  is  coated  underneath  with  a crackled  apple-green  glaze  mottled 
with  tints  of  olive.  Height,  9 inches.  No.  196. 

Vase  {Hua  PHng),  decorated  in  brilliant  enamel  colors  of  the 
IC^ang-hsi  period.  Formal  rings  of  conventional  palm-leaves 
spread  upward  and  downward  to  ornament  the  neck  and  foot  with 
scrolled  foliations,  of  which  four  on  the  neck  display  the  dual  ym- 
yang  symbol  with  black  and  gilded  red  segments.  The  body  of 
the  vase  is  covered  above  with  lambrequins  of  floral  brocade, 
exhibiting,  in  regular  rotation,  sprays  of  the  emblematic  flowers  of 
the  four  seasons — the  peony  of  spring,  the  lotus  of  summer,  the 
chrysanthemum  of  autumn,  and  the  primus  of  winter — grouped 
with  other  flowers.  The  rest  of  the  surface  underneath  is  dec- 
orated with  butterflies  and  with  scattered  sprays  of  peony  and 
plum-blossom.  The  foot,  enameled  white,  has  no  mark.  Height, 
16f  inches.  No.  197. 

Box  FOR  Seal  Vermilion  ( Yin  Se  Ho)^  of  circular  shape,  com- 
posed of  two  equal  parts,  of  which  one  is  the  cover.  It  is  coated 
with  a typical  “ peach-bloom  ” glaze,  having  a light  pinkish-red 
ground  mottled  with  clouds  of  darker  red,  and  passing  into  apple- 
green  toward  the  middle.  The  mark,  written  in  blue  in  orthodox 
style,  is  Ta  ChHng  IP'ang-  hsi  nien  chih,  “Made  in  the  reign  of 
K’ang-hsi  of  the  Great  Ch’ing  [dynasty].”  Diameter,  2f  inches. 

No.  198. 

Group  of  Snuff-Bottles,  of  the  K'^ang-hsi  period.  No.  199. 

Vase,  of  the  JYang-hsi  period;  imperial  yellow  glaze.  Height, 
IIL  inches.  No.  200. 

Small  Pilgrim  Bottle  [Pei  Hu  PHng),  of  the  lYang-hsi 
period,  invested  with  a copper-red  glaze  of  the  “peach-bloom” 
type  and  coloring.  It  has  two  open  flowing  handles  of  wavy  out- 
line, and  a dragon  of  archaic  form  [chHh-lung)  is  worked  in  bold 
relief  in  a medallionlike  coil  upon  the  shoulder  both  in  front  and 
behind.  The  rims  are  lightly  mounted  in  metal.  There  is  no 
mark  under  the  foot.  Height,  8 inches.  No.  201. 

Vase  [Ilua  PHng),  of  the  “peach-bloom”  class  with  foliated 
base,  the  neck  of  which  has  been  cut,  but  mounted  with  gold  and 


864 


DESCKIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTEATIONS. 


silver  in  Japan  in  the  lines  of  the  original  form.  This  is  a com- 
panion piece  to  the  vase  which  was  illustrated  in  Plate  LIT,  and  the 
description  will  be  found  accompanying  that  plate.  No.  202. 

Double-Fish  Vase  (Shvmig  Yu  PHng),  modeled  in  the  form 
of  a pair  of  fish  rising  from  waves,  with  their  bodies  blending  into 
one,  and  their  gaping  mouths  coalescing  to  make  a single  oval  rim. 
They"  are  enameled  in  soft  coral-reds  of  graduated  tone,  over  details 
etched  in  the  paste;  the  waves  at  the  foot  are  colored  blue  and 
green,  and  the  eyes  of  tlie  fish  are  touched  with  points  of  black 
enamel.  Height,  7^  indies.  No.  203. 

Vase  (Hua  PHng),  of  flattened  ovoid  form,  with  an  oval  mouth 
of  four-lobed  outline,  the  indentations  of  which  are  continued 
down  the  vase  as  far  as  the  rim  of  the  foot.  It  is  coated  with  a 
lustrous  glaze  of  crackled  texture,  which  is  of  a pale-green  celadon 
tone,  thickly  flecked  with  clouds  of  dull  cherry-red;  become  more 
intense  in  the  grooved  parts,  where  the  glaze  is  deepest.  The 
inside  of  the  mouth  and  the  base  of  the  vase  are  lined  with  a gray- 
green  enamel  of  similar  shade,  flecked  with  red,  but  not  crackled. 
It  is  a specimen  of  crackled  apple-green  [pHng-kuo  chHng)  of  the 
K^ang-hsi  period.  Height,  7f  inches.  No.  204. 

Lang  Yao  Vase  ( of  form  similar  to  the  one  illustrated 

in  Plate  LIX,  showing  the  way  in  which  the  color  is  apt  to  “run,’^ 
so  as  to  be  partially  obliterated  in  the  furnace.  The  upper  half  of 
the  vase  is  a pale  gray-green  crackle  with  brown  reticulations,  only 
slightly  tinged  with  pink,  while  the  lower  half  displays  all  the 
rich  san g - de-b oeuf  towefi  of  color,  shot  with  a dark  speckled  mottling. 
The  two  parts  are  separated  by  an  irregularly  undulating  line^ 
evidently  of  fortuitous  origin.  The  base  is  coated  with  a typical 
apple-green  crackled  glaze  slightly  clouded  over  with  olive  tints. 
Height,  18  inches.  No.  205. 

Vase  [PHng),  of  tlie  K'^ang-hsi  period,  of  graceful  form,  coated 
with  the  mottled  cobalt  glaze  known  as  ‘‘  powder-blue  ” or  ‘‘  maza- 
rin-blue,”  and  decorated  over  the  blue  glaze  of  the  grand  feu  with 
sprays  of  large-blossomed  chrysanthemum  and  bamboo  painted  in 
gold  and  fixed  in  the  muffle.  An  inscription  in  ten  characters^ 
penciled  in  gold  on  the  back  of  the  vase,  now  half  obliterated,  is  a 
stanza  taken  from  an  ode  on  the  chrysanthemum.  Height,  10 
inches.  No.  206. 


DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


865 


Vase  {PHng),  of  the  K^ang-hsi  period,  of  rare  type  and  magnifi- 
cent coloring,  having  the  decoration  executed  in  cobalt-blue  and 
copper-red  of  the  grand  feu ^ enhanced  by  a sang-de-hoeuf 
ground  of  the  type  of  the  Lang  Yao  monochrome  vases  of  the 
time.  The  crackled  ground  exhibits  the  usual  brilliantly  mottled 
tones,  passing  from  paler  ruby  shades  into  the  deepest  crimson. 
There  is  a floral  decoration  worked  in  relief  in  the  paste,  the 
shoulder  is  defined  by  a prominent  ring,  and  the  neck,  which  has, 
by  the  way,  been  cut  at  the  top,  is  horizontally  ribbed.  On  the 
front  of  the  vase  a lotus  plant  is  modeled,  growing  naturally  in 
water  represented  by  crested  waves;  the  large  folded  leaves,  lifted 
upon  rough  tuberculated  stalks,  are  painted  in  blue;  the  flowers 
and  buds  are  shaded  in  wavy  lines  of  red  within  blue  outlines;  a 
couple  of  swallows  painted  in  blue  complete  the  scene,  one  flying, 
the  other  perched  upon  a leaf-stalk.  The  foot  is  enameled  white, 
with  a tinge  of  green.  No  mark.  Height,  inches.  No.  207. 

Club-shaped  Vase  [Pa7ig-chih  PHng),  painted  in  brilliant  col- 
ors with  gilding  of  the  K'‘ang~hsi  period.  The  panels  of  diverse 
form  which  decorate  the  vase  are  of  powder-blue  souffle  ground, 
outlined  and  painted  in  gold.  The  panels  on  the  neck  display  a 
mountain  landscape  and  sprays  of  plum-blossom.  The  larger 
panels  on  the  body  contain  a picture  of  a temple  in  the  sea  repre- 
senting the  Taoist  paradise,  with  a stork  flying  near,  bringing  a 
“ rod  of  Fate”  in  its  beak;  a mountain  scene  with  fishing-boats; 
a pair  of  fighting-cocks;  and  a pine  scene  with  a couple  of  deer; 
the  smaller  panels  show  a flock  of  geese,  an  aquatic  monster,  and 
four  sprays  of  flowers.  The  intervening  ground  is  painted  with 
chrysanthemum  scrolls  traversed  by  dragons  {ehHh-lung)\  the 
neck,  with  butterflies  and  flowers  on  a pale-green  background 
dotted  with  black,  with  phoenixes  in  clouds  coiled  in  medallions, 
and  storks  penetrating  the  floral  ground.  The  shoulder  has  a ring 
of  floral  brocade,  interrupted  by  four  foliated  medallions,  with 
pictures  of  fish  and  fishermen,  flowers,  and  apparatus  for  chess  and 
incense.  Height,  18  inches.  No.  208. 

Small  Vase  (Tlua  P'^ing),  with  a one-horned  three-clawed 
dragon  modeled  upon  it  in  full  undercut  relief,  coiling  round  the 
shoulder  at  the  base  of  the  long  cylindrical  neck.  The  ground  of 
the  vase  is  a “ peach-bloom  ” glaze  of  nearly  uniform  deep  tint, 
except  the  slightly  prominent  rim,  which  is  defined  by  a clear  line 
of  white.  The  dragon  is  enameled  a bright  apple-green  of  uniform 


866 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


shade,  contrasting  vividly  as  a complementary  color  with  the  red 
background.  The  mark,  penciled  beneath  the  foot  in  underglaze 
blue,  is  Ta  ChHng  K'‘ang  hsi  nien  chih,  Made  in  the  reign  of 
K’ang-hsi  of  the  Great  Ch’ing  [dynasty].”  Height,  9 inches. 

No.  209. 

Wine-Cup  (Chiu  Pei),  a little  bowl-shaped  cup  of  eggshell 
texture,  with  a gently  expanded  rim,  which  is  defined  by  a line  of 
white.  The  rest  of  the  surface,  both  inside  and  outside,  is  invested 
with  a mottled  glaze  of  the  characteristic  “peach-bloom”  type, 
flecked  with  spots  of  darker,  duller  red,  and  variegated  with  clouds 
of  apple-green  tint,  the  latter  being  more  marked  near  the  base. 
The  mark,  penciled  under  the  foot  in  cobalt-blue,  encircled  by  a 
single  ring,  is  Ta  Ming  Hsuan-te  nien  chih — i.  e.,  “ Made  in  the 
reign  of  Hsuan-te  (1426-35)  of  the  Great  Ming  [dynasty],”  but 
the  technique  and  peculiar  style  of  coloring  indicate  rather  the 
IC’ang-hsi  period  (1662-1722).  Height,  If  inch;  diameter,  2f 
inches.  No.  210. 

Baluster  SHAPED  Vase  (Mei  PHng),  of  the  IC*ang-hsi  period, 
enameled  with  a brilliant  crackled  glaze  of  emerald-green  passing 
into  olive  at  the  edges,  invested  with  a thick  overglaze  of  peach- 
bloom  red,  irregularly  mottling  the  green  substratum  with  clouds 
of  crushed-strawberry  color.  A lightly  etched  decoration  in  the 
paste  underneath  the  glaze  of  a border  of  sea-waves  round  the 
foot  of  the  vase,  and  two  dragons  mounting  among  clouds  up 
the  sides,  is  barely  visible  through  the  dense  and  variegated  over- 
lying  mantle.  The  middle  of  the  foot,  bounded  by  a broad  rim  of 

biscuit,”  is  marked  with  concentric  lines  of  grayish -white  crackle. 
Height,  6f  inches.  No.  211. 

Triple  Gourd-shaped  Vase  (ITu-lu  PHng),  of  the  K''ang-hsi 
period,  a companion  piece  to  the  tall  vase  which  is  illustrated  in 
Plate  LXI.  The  middle  section  is  enameled  in  colors  upon  a white 
ground  with  butterflies  in  the  midst  of  spraj^s  of  flowers  and  leaves, 
defined  above  and  below  by  rings  of  spiral  and  rectangular  fret 
penciled  in  coral-red.  The  upper  and  lower  sections  are  enameled 
with  a black  iridescent  ground  of  “ raven’s-wing  ” hue,  over 
designs  executed  in  relief  in  the  paste  underneath ; these  designs 
represent  on  the  upper  part  three  lioulike  monsters  surrounded  by 
flames  of  fire,  on  the  lower  part  three  lions  of  the  ordinary  gro- 
tesque type  sporting  with  embroidered  balls  encircled  by  waving 


DESCKIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTEATIONS.  867 


fillets.  Traces  of  gilding  can  be  detected  on  this  vase.  Height^ 
28  inches.  No.  212. 

Set  of  Five  Pieces  ( Wu  S/ie),  arranged  as  a Garniture  de 
Cheminee,  composed  of  three  ovoid  jars  with  covers,  and  two 
cylindrical  beakers.  The  pieces  are  enameled  witli  a monochrome 
ground  of  colfee-brown  shade,  leaving  white  reserves  of  varied 
form,  scroll  pictures,  leaf-shaped  panels,  flowers,  lambrequins  and 
bands  of  floral  brocade,  and  the  like,  which  are  decorated  in  briglit 
enamel  colors  with  gilding.  The  larger  panels  are  filled  with  hill 
landscapes,  with  temples  and  pagodas;  the  flowers  that  fill  the 
brocaded  bands  and  stud  the  intervals  include  peonies,  asters,  and 
blossoms  of  the  peach  and  plum.  Height,  lOj  and  11  inches. 

No.  213. 

Vase  {Hua  P’^ing),  of  the  K^ang-hsi  period,  with  the  body 
enameled  with  a tzil-chin  glaze  of  light  yellowish-brown  tint,  and 
the  neck  decorated  in  blue  and  white  with  a band  of  diaper  inclosing 
three  medallions  of  flowers,  succeeded  by  a ring  of  svastika  pattern 
fret,  and  upright  sprays  of  pinks.  The  mark,  underneath  the  foot, 
is  a double  ring  penciled  in  blue.  Height,  8 inches.  No.  214. 

Vase  (Hua  P’’ing)^  of  the  K'^ang-lisi  period,  of  complex  form 
and  mixed  decoration.  The  globular  body  has  the  low^er  half 
enameled  with  a tzH^chin  [orhruni)  glaze  of  cafe-au-lait  qo\oy,  which 
is  succeeded  by  a ring  of  grayish-white  crackle,  and  this  by  a band 
of  floral  sprays  painted  in  blue.  The  upper  part,  which  is  shaped 
like  a “beaker,”  poised  upon  the  globe,  is  decorated  in  blue  and 
white  with  pinks  (dianthus)  growing  from  rocks  and  with  sprays 
of  daisies.  No  mark.  Height,  V inches.  No.  215. 

Bottle-shaped  Vase  (Hua  P'’ing),  of  the  K^ang-hsi  period, 
enameled  with  a brown  tztt-chin  glaze  of  chocolate-color,  and 
decorated  over  the  glaze,  in  white  slip,  with  two  formal  baskets  of 
flowers  on  the  body,  and  a conventional  scroll  round  the  upper  rim, 
hung  with  beaded  pendants.  The  foot  is  enameled  white  under- 
neath. Height,  10}  inches.  No.  216. 

WiNE-PoT  (Chiu  IIu),  molded  in  the  shape  of  a peach,  with  a 
hole  in  the  bottom  for  the  introduction  of  the  wine.  The  handle 
and  curved  spout  are  fashioned  as  small  branches,  which  send  otf 
leafy  twigs  to  decorate  the  surface  on  which  they  are  worked  in 
relief  in  the  paste.  The  paste,  which  is  gray  in  color,  is  invested 
with  aubergine-purple  and  turquoise  glazes  of  the  demi-grand  feu^ 


868 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


mingling  as  they  meet  in  brilliant  intermediate  tints.  Height, 
inches.  No.  217. 

Miniature  Flower- Vase  (^Hua  of  purest  white  porcelain 

of  the  IC*ang-hsi  period,  charming  in  design  and  perfect  in  tech- 
nique. It  is  molded  in  the  shape  of  a flowering  twig  of  the 
Magnolia  yulan,  lifting  up  a blossom,  as  white  as  the  finest  jade 
from  whicli  the  flower  takes  its  name,  to  form  the  vase,  and  but- 
tressed by  two  buds,  which  rise  from  the  same  twig  as  it  winds 
round  in  openwork  relief  to  form  the  support.  The  sepals  of  the 
flowers  are  delicately  etched  under  the  white  glaze,  which  is  rich 
and  translucid.  Height,  5 inches.  No.  218. 

Water  Receptacle  [Shui  Cli’en.g)^  of  eggsliell.  Fen  Ting, 
porcelain,  with  uncrackled  white  glaze  of  soft  tone.  It  has  two 
handles  molded  in  open  relief  upon  the  sides  of  the  bowl  in  the 
shape  of  a pair  of  archaic  dragons  [cJi* ih-lung) . Height,  2J  inches., 

No.  219., 

Vase  {P’’mg),  of  Fao  porcelain,  bottle-shaped,  with  de-' 

pressed  bulging  body  and  long  cylindrical  neck.  It  is  coated' 
with  a deep  ivory-white  glaze  crackled  throughout  with  brown' 
lines,  overspread  with  light  clouds  of  bulf  tint  partially  investing 
the  brown  reticulation.  The  rim  of  the  mouth  is  defined  by  a line 
of  white.  Height,  8 inches.  No.  220. 

Vase  [PH^ig),  of  Ting-Yao  porcelain  of  tall,  graceful  form, 
tapering  gradually  downward  from  the  rounded  shoulder.  The' 
rich  glaze  is  minutely  crackled  throughout  with  brown  lines  of' 
varying  depth  and  color,  invested  with  mottled  buff  tints  clouding 
the  surface.  Height,  8f  inches.  No.  221. 

Vase  {PHng),  of  delicate  Fen-Ting  fabric  of  the  IFang-hsi 
period,  invested  with  a soft-looking  undulatory  glaze  of  ivory- 
white  tone,  traversed  by  a few  sparse  lines  of  crackling.  The 
molded  decoration  consists  of  a four-clawed  dragon  in  relief,  pur- 
suing a disk  with  dotted,  “jeweled”  surface  and  spiral  center, 
enveloped  in  flaming  rays.  Height,  8|-  inches.  No.  222.' 

Miniature  Vase  for  Divining-Rods  {Shih-ts‘’ao  PHng),  of 
oblong  quadrangular  form  and  square  section,  with  ribbed  corners, 
and  ridged  sides  studded  with  four  central  bosses  which  are  carved 
in  openwork  as  branches  of  peaches.  The  paste,  of  Fen-Ting 
texture,  is  invested  with  a soft-looking  crackled  glaze  of  ivory- 
white  tone.  Height,  4 inches.  No.  223. 


DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


869 


Baluster  Vase  i^Mei  PHng),  of  the  Fen-Ting  or  “ soft  paste” 
class,  dating  from  the  reign  of  IFang-hsi.  Of  remarkably  light 
weight,  owing  to  the  porous  texture  of  the  material,  which  is,  in 
reality,  veiy  hard,  it  is  invested  with  an  undulatory  glaze,  pitted 
like  the  peel  of  an  orange,  with  uncrackled  surface,  under  which 
the  decoration  is  penciled  in  pure  soft-toned  blue.  The  strokes  of 
the  brush  are  neatly  defined  in  the  way  that  is  characteristic  of 
this  material,  which  dilfers  from  ordinary  porcelain  as  vellum  does 
from  paper.  The  chaste  decoration  consists  of  three  formal  upright 
sprays  of  lotus,  each  composed  of  a single  peltate  leaf,  an  expanded 
blossom  and  a bud,  with  simple  rings  of  rectangular  fret  round  the 
shoulder  and  foot.  Height,  13  inches.  No.  224. 

Small  Vase  {PHng),  of  graceful  form  and  finished  technique, 
decorated  on  each  side  with  a five-clawed  imperial  dragon  enveloped 
in  flames,  painted  in  maroon,  the  underglaze  red  of  the  grayid  feu^ 
which  is  derived  from  copper.  The  mark,  penciled  underneath,  in 
underglaze  cobalt-blue  of  brilliant  tint,  is  Ta  CPing  IFang-hsi 
nien  chih,  “ Made  in  the  reign  of  K’ang-hsi  of  the  Great  Ch’ing 
[dynasty].”  Height,  8-|  inches.  No.  225. 

Vase  i^PHng),  of  tall  ovoid  form,  witli  the  decoration  molded  in 
relief  and  painted  in  colors  of  the  grand  feu,  blue,  maroon,  and 
celadon.  Four-clawed,  two-horned  dragons  are  depicted  on  the 
obverse  and  reverse  sides  of  tlie  vase,  rising  from  the  waves  of  the- 
sea,  with  brown  bodies  and  blue  manes,  the  jewels  which  they  are 
pursuing  in  the  air  are  shaded  in  brown,  emitting  spirally  effulgent 
rays;  and  flames  proceeding  from  the  limbs  of  the  monsters  fill  in 
the  interstices.  The  rocks  that  rise  out  of  the  blue  crested  waves 
are  painted  in  celadon.  The  mark,  penciled  underneath  in  blue, 
within  a double  ring,  is  Ta  CPing  K'’ang-hsi  nien  chili,  “ Made 
in  the  reign  of  K’ang-hsi  of  the  Great  Ch’ing  [dynasty].” 
Height,  I'ZJ  inches.  No.  226. 

Vase  [P’’ing),  decorated  in  underglaze  blue,  maroon,  and  cel- 
adon, all  colors  of  the  grand,  feu,  with  a combat  between  the 
tiger,  king  of  land  animals,  and  the  dragon,  prince  of  the  powers 
of  the  air.  The  tiger  is  standing  in  the  foreground  of  a rocky 
landscape,  with  large  pines  rising  in  the  background  having  their 
knotted  trunks  painted  in  brown  and  the  foliage  in  blue;  the  rocks 
are  tinted  celadon,  and  the  clumps  of  Poljq^orus  fungus  growing  on 
the  rocks  are  outlined  in  maroon,  pierced  through  by  blue  blades  of 
grass.  The  four-clawed  dragon,  of  fierce  aspect,  is  half  hidden  in 


870  DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTEATIONS. 


scrolled  clouds,  which  roll  round  the  vase,  worked  on  in  white 
‘‘  slip  ” in  slight  relief.  The  mark,  penciled  in  blue  within  a double 
ring,  is  Ta  CJi’ing  K'^ang-hsi  7iien  chih,  “ Made  in  the  reign  of 
K’ang-hsi  of  the  Great  Ch’ing  [dynast}^].”  Height,  16f  inches. 

No.  227. 

Club-shaped  Vase  {P'^ang-chih  PHng),  of  the  K'^ang-hsi  pe- 
riod, artistically  decorated  in  brilliant  enamels,  with  a touch  or 
two  of  gold,  without  any  underglaze  blue.  It  is  painted  in  panels 
of  diverse  form,  the  intervals  being  filled  in  with  butterflies  and 
floral  sprays  of  lotus,  peony,  chrysanthemum,  begonia,  pink,  and 
aster.  The  panels  contain  symbols  of  rank  and  honor  with  the 
apparatus  of  the  liberal  arts  and  other  antiques  (juo  hu)\  grotesque 
monsters  on  rocks,  with  eagles  flying  in  the  air;  storks  on  a pine, 
with  peaches  floating  in  the  water  beneath;  phoenixes  under  a 
dryandra-tree,  peacocks  with  peonies,  and  warblers  in  a blossoming 
prunus-tree.  The  shoulder  of  the  vase  is  encircled  by  a band  of 
diaper  with  butterflies  in  medallions,  and  the  neck  has  quatrefoil 
panels  containing  flowers  and  butterflies,  separated  by  a spiral 
diaper  traversed  by  lizardlike  dragons  [cPih-lung)  of  archaic 
design.  Height,  17 J inches.  No.  228. 

Vase  [PHng)^  painted  in  underglaze  red  of  maroon  tint  derived 
from  copper,  covered  with  a white  glaze  of  harmonious  translucent 
tone.  The  decoration  consists  of  five  horizontal  bands  of  scrolled 
sea- waves,  containing  dragons  and  other  grotesque  monsters,  and 
four  bands  of  diaper  of  lozenge  fret  pattern.  A fifth  band  of  fret 
winds  round  the  prominent  lip  of  the  vase,  succeeded  by  two  rings 
of  formal  foliations.  A double  white  ring  round  the  body  breaks 
the  monotony  of  the  decoration  and  defines  the  shape.  The  mark, 
written  under  the  foot  in  underglaze  cobalt-blue,  is  Ta  ChHng 
K^ang-hsi  nien  chih,  ‘‘Made  in  the  reign  of  K’ang-hsi  (1662-1722) 
of  the  Great  Ch’ing  [dynasty].”  Height,  lOf  inches.  No.  229. 

Eggshell  Plate  {To-fai  P\in),  enameled  on  the  back  round 
the  border  witli  a crimson  {rogue  d"’or)  ground,  and  decorated  in 
front  in  brilliant  enamel  colors  of  the  /amille  rose,  with  gilding. 
The  field  is  filled  with  a picture  of  the  Dragon  Festival  annually 
celebrated  on  the  fifth  day  of  the  fifth  moon,  with  a dragon-boat 
being  towed  in  procession,  painted  over  the  white  glaze  in  sepia. 
This  is  framed  by  encircling  bands  of  floral  brocade,  and  the 
border  of  the  plate  is  filled  in  with  diapers  of  varied  pattern 
inclosing  panels  of  scroll  ornament  and  formal  flowers,  all  richly 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


871 


painted  in  delicate  enamels,  among  which  pink  {rose  pre- 
dominates. Diameter,  8 inches.  No.  230. 

Covered-Bowl  [Kai  Wan)^  of  the  K'‘ang-hsi  period,  with  lions’ 
heads  as  handles,  an  archaic  dragon  surmounting  the  cover,  and 
Taoist  figures  molded  in  relief  in  the  midst  of  scrolled  clouds 
round  the  sides.  It  is  an  example  of  the  class  of  8an  Ts*ai  or 
“three  colors,”  being  enameled  sur  biscuit  in  yellow,  green,  and 
purple  of  grayish  tone.  The  foot  is  unglazed.  Diameter,  4 inches. 

No.  231. 

Cylindrical  Vase  ( T^ung  PHng)^  of  the  K^ang-hsi  period,  dec- 
orated in  blue  and  white  in  the  same  style  as  the  vase  of  similar 
sliape  illustrated  in  Figs.  268  and  35,  wliich  are  enameled  in  colors. 
The  decoration  consists  of  horizontal  bands,  with  alternate  grounds 
of  white  and  mottled  blue.  The  central  band  contains  archaic 
dragons  (chbih-lung)^  with  branches  of  sacred  fungus;  the  other 
bands  floral  scrolls  with  felicitous  symbols  and  brocaded  panels, 
and  the  neck  is  encircled  by  stiff  upright  palm-leaves  of  formal 
design.  Height,  II  inches.  No.  232. 

Censer  {Hsiang  Iai),  of  circular  shape,  bulging  below,  coated 
with  a finely  crackled  glaze  of  ivoiy-white  tone  invested  with 
cloudy  tints  of  buff.  Carv^  rosewood  stand  and  cover  of  Chinese 
work.  Height,  4 inches;  diameter,  8 inches.  No.  233. 

Vase-shaped  Ewer  (Hu  PHng),  with  a flowing  handle  fash- 
ioned in  the  outline  of  a dragon,  a tall  overlapping  cover,  and  no 
spout  nor  projecting  lip.  It  is  decorated  in  blue  of  the  K’’ang- 
hsi  period  with  foliated  panels  of  floral  brocade,  connected  by 
straps  and  links,  and  separated  by  diapered  grounds,  and  the  rims 
are  encircled  by  light  bands  of  triangular  fret.  The  base  is 
unglazed.  Height,  II  inches.  No.  234, 

Plate  (P'^an-tzij),  of  ChHen-lung  porcelain,  coated  with  a 
celadon  glaze  of  pale  greenish  tone,  enameled  over  the  glaze  in 
opaque  white  derived  from  arsenic.  In  the  field  is  a little  garden 
scene  witli  peonies,  cockscombs,  asters,  and  millet,  and  a cock 
crowing  on  a rockery,  a favorite  decoration  of  the  time.  The 
border  is  filled  with  a scroll  of  conventional  flowers  executed  in  the 
same  white  enamel.  The  rim  is  encircled  by  a formal  border  pen- 
ciled in  overglaze  blue,  and  is  colored  iron-brown  at  the  edge,  with 
traces  of  gilding;  on  the  inner  slope  of  the  border  is  a band  of 
chrysanthemum  scrolls  painted  in  the  same  cobalt-blue.  Diameter, 
8|  inches.  No.  235. 


872 


DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Small  Censer  {Hsiang  Lu),  mounted  upon  four  mammillated 
feet,  having  an  overlapping  cover  pierced  in  openwork  with  a 
trellis  framework  inclosing  two  svastika  symbols.  Coated  with 
a thick  stone-gray  glaze  of  Ho  Yao  type  crackled  with  brown 
lines.  An  ancient  piece,  with  the  interior  of  the  cover  deeply 
stained  with  incense-smoke.  Height,  3 inches.  No.  236. 

Cylindrical  Vases  a set  of  three,  of  the  K'‘ang-hsi 

period,  with  diapered  borders  and  rim  bands  of  fret  penciled  in 
underglaze  blue,  inclosing  panels  of  varied  form,  painted  with 
flowers  in  brilliant  enamel  colors  with  gilding.  The  central  vase 
has  two  large  oblong  panels  on  the  body:  the  first  containing  a 
lotus  growing  with  reeds  having  one  large  leaf  of  pale  green 
splatched  with  black  of  purple  iridescent  tint  and  a smaller  leaf 
tipped  with  overglaze  blue;  the  other  containing  a spray  of 
peony;  the  neck  is  decorated  with  a spray  of  poppies  and  a begonia 
witli  a grasshopper  feeding  on  its  leaves.  The  two  side  vases 
have  small  medallions  inclosed  in  the  diapered  borders,  displaying 
dragons  and  peonies  at  the  top;  fish,  shells,  censers,  lions,  and  lilies 
down  the  sides;  palm-leaves  and  musical  stones  bound  with  fillets 
at  the  bottom;  the  large  panels  are  painted  on  one  side  with 
blossoming  branches  of  primus  mingled  with  twigs  of  bamboo,  on 
the  other  side  with  hanging  branches  of  Hibiscus  rosa  sinensis\ 
the  necks  are  decorated  with  two  small  sprays  of  peony.  The 
mounts  are  in  European  work  of  the  eighteenth  century.  No 
marks  underneath.  Height,  without  mounts,  11  inches.  No.  23V. 

Vase  (jP’m^),  one  of  a pair  of  small  bottle-shaped  vases, 
enameled  with  a finely  crackled  turquoise  glaze  of  the  Hang-hsi 
period.  They  are  elaborately  mounted  in  gilded  European  bronze- 
work,  with  foliated  covers  surmounted  by  strawberries  as  knobs, 
garlands  of  flowers  hanging  in  festoons  round  the  rims  and  foliated 
pedestals.  Height,  with  mounts,  inches.  No.  238. 

‘ Tall  Beaker  of  Hang-hsi  porcelain,  decorated  in  the  charac- 
teristic enamels  of  the  period,  showing  a court  interior,  with  a 
dancing-girl,  accompanied  by  an  orchestra,  performing  before  the 
imperial  circle.  Height,  30  inches.  No.  239. 

Jar  {Hua7i),  of  tall  ovoid  form,  with  a rounded  cover,  artistic 
cally  decorated  in  polychrome  enamels  [wu  ts^ai)  of  the  finest 
Hang  hsi  period.  Lines  of  underglaze  cobalt-blue  define  the 
rims,  but  the  decoration  is  entirely  executed  in  brilliant  enamels; 


DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS.  873 


among  which  overglaze  cobalt-blue  is  conspicuous.  The  jar  dis- 
plays two  duplicate  pictures  of  family  life,  groups  of  ladies  with 
slender,  graceful  figures,  and  children  in  courtyards  filled  with 
flowers  and  with  various  emblems  of  rank  and  culture.  The  cover 
is  painted  with  vases,  incense  apparatus,  propitious  symbols,  and 
paraphernalia  of  the  liberal  arts.  Bands  of  floral  sprays,  with  rings 
of  formal  diaper  and  foliated  pattern,  complete  the  decoration. 
The  mark  underneath  is  a double  ring,  penciled  in  underglaze 
blue.  Height,  15  inches.  No.  240. 

Vase  {PHng)  with  a pedestal  {tso)^  of  decorated  porcelain  of  the 
famille  verte^  dating  from  the  reign  of  K'*ang-hsi.  Of  similar 
style  to  those  illustrated  in  Figs.  11  and  30,  it  is  fluted  and  painted 
with  the  same  floral  designs  in  green,  j^ellow,  and  manganese  purple, 
with  touches  of  black.  Height,  with  stand,  8|  inches.  No.  241. 

Club-shaped  Vase  [Pang-chih  PHng),  of  the  K"^ang-hsi  pe- 
riod, covered  with  a souffl4  coral-red  ground,  interrupted  by 
reserved  medallions  of  varied  form  outlined  in  gold,  and  decorated 
in  delicate  enamel  color.  On  the  body  are  four  panels,  two  of 
quatrefoil  shape,  two  in  the  form  of  leaves  of  the  sacred  fig  {Ficus 
religiosa),  which  are  filled  with  flowers  and  butterflies;  and  on  the 
neck  three  circular  panels  with  butterflies.  Round  the  shoulder  is 
a band  of  diaper,  enameled  in  green,  inclosing  medallions  contain- 
ing insects.  Height,  11  inches.  No.  242. 

Cup  with  Cover  {Kai  IVan),  of  crackled  Fen-Ting  ware, 
painted  under  the  glaze  in  soft  shades  of  cobalt-blue.  The  texture 
of  the  material  is  light  and  delicate;  the  glaze,  of  soft  aspect  and 
ivory-white  tone,  is  traversed  with  a reticulation  of  brown  lines. 
The  decoration,  consisting  of  pomegranates,  spreads  over  the  rims 
of  both  cup  and  cover  into  the  interior.  The  under  surface  of  the 
foot  and  the  top  of  the  cover  rise  in  the  middle  into  small  pointed 
cones,  in  the  traditional  fashion  of  the  teacups  of  the  reign  of 
HsiXan-tt.  (1426-35),  after  which  this  one  is  modeled.  No.  243. 

Club-shaped  Vase  {Pang-chih  PHng),  of  the  IFang-hsi  pe- 
riod, displaying  the  sacred  figures  of  the  Taoist  Triad  painted 
in  colors,  Avith  a rich  gold-brocaded  background  of  Mazarin  blue. 
The  gilded  designs  are  scrolls  of  chrysanthemum,  rings  of  spiral, 
and  rectangular  fret,  of  gadroon  pattern,  and  of  diaper  with  floral 
medallions,  and  the  neck  is  studded  with  four  large  circular  shou 
(longevity)  characters.  Reserves  having  been  left  in  the  powder- 


874  DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


blue  ground  for  the  figures,  they  were  first  sketched  in  underglaze 
blue,  and  subsequently  filled  in  with  enamel  colors-  of  the  muffle 
stove,  bright  green,  coral-red,  dark  purple,  and  black.  Height,^ 
17  inches.  No.  244. 

Vase  with  a yellow-brown  ground  of  the  tziX-chin  class, 

inclosing  a number  of  panels  raised  in  slight  relief  and  painted  in 
blue  with  various  symbols.  A large  shou  (longevity)  character  is 
emblazoned  on  the  front  and  back,  interrupted  by  an  oblong  panel 
containing  a fish,  erect  in  the  midst  of  waves,  exhaling  a slim 
dragon.  The  smaller  panels  on  the  neck  contain  peaches  with  the 
character  shou  inscribed  upon  them;  and  in  the  intervals  on  the 
body  are  small  oblong  panels  displaying  another  form  of  the  same 
ubiquitous  character  below,  and  round  panels  with  Buddhist  em- 
blems, the  wheel  of  the  law  bound  with  a fillet  and  a pair  of  fish 
above.  Height,  9 inches.  No.  245. 

Small  Vase  {Hsiao  PHng),  of  white  porcelain  of  the  Fen- Ting 
type,  of  light  loose  material,  invested  with  soft-looking,  sparsely 
crackled  glaze  of  somewhat  grayish  tone.  Of  hexagonal  outline 
and  section,  with  a spreading  foot,  the  bulging  shoulder  is  overlaid 
with  two  brandling  twigs  of  prunus-blossom  {mei  hua),  modeled  in 
full  relief  with  openwork.  Height,  6f  inches.  No.  246. 

“ Hawthorn  ” Bottle  (Mei-hua  Hing),  a large,  conspicuous 
vase  of  the  K'^ang-hsi  period,  with  a rounded  body  gradually  taper- 
ing in  to  a tall,  slender  neck,  decorated  with  blossoming  sprays  of 
prunus  {mei  hua)^  displayed  in  white  reserve  upon  a brilliant  back- 
ground of  pulsating  mottled  blue,  penciled  with  a reticulation  of 
darker  lines.  The  leafless  branches  spring  from  the  base  and  wind 
round  in  every  direction  so  as  to  cover  the  whole  surface  of  the 
vase  with  a close  floral  investment  of  white  flowers  and  buds,  with 
the  exception  of  a narrow  band  under  the  prominent  white  lip^ 
which  is  lightly  penciled  in  blue  with  a triangular  fret.  The  foot 
is  coated  white  underneath,  with  no  mark.  Height,  17  inches. 

No.  247. 

Rice-Bowl  {FanWan)  and  Teacup  (Ch’a  Wan),  of  Kang-hsi 
blue  and  white  porcelain  with  pierced  openwork  designs.  The 
bowl  has  an  outer  casing  of  hexagonal  trellis  connecting  four  circular 
openwork  medallions  of  floral  designs.  Through  the  trellis-work 
are  seen  four  couples  of  Chinamen  with  fans,  and  ladies  holding 
flowers,  painted  in  blue.  The  interior  is  decorated  with  two  boys 
playing  in  a garden,  within  a medallion,  and  a border  of  svastika 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


875 


pattern  diaper  interrupted  by  four  panels  containing  peaches. 
The  mark,  in  a double  ring,  is  Ta  Ming  GNeng-hua  nlen  chihy 
Made  in  the  reign  of  Ch’cng-hua  of  the  Great  Ming  [dynasty].” 
Diameter,  inches.  The  cup  is  pierced  with  a band  composed  of 
interlacing  circles  interrupted  by  six  solid  medallions  painted  in 
blue  with  landscapes.  To  be  used,  it  must  have  a thin  lining  of 
silver  or  other  metal.  The  bottom  is  left  en  biscuit.  Diameter,  41- 
inches.  No.  248. 

Two  Saucer-shaped  Dishes  {P'*an-tziX)\  (a)  of  semi-eggshell 
texture,  enameled  inside  in  brilliant  colors  with  a floral  decoration 
composed  of  a flowering-bulb  of  narcissus,  a spray  of  roses,  and 
two  branching  stems  of  Polyporus  lucidus,  the  variegated  fungus 
of  Taoist  sacred  lore.  The  mark  written  underneath,  within  a 
double  ring,  in  cobalt-blue,  in  the  style  affected  by  the  private 
potters  of  the  period,  is  Ta  ChHng  Yung-cheng  nien  chihy  “ Made 
in  the  reign  of  Yung-cheng  of  the  Great  Ch’ing  [dynasty].” 
Diameter,  inches.  (^)  Of  decorated  ChHen-lung  porcelain, 
designed  after  a well-known  imperial  pattern  of  the  preceding  reign 
of  Yung-cheng.  Branches  of  peaches  spring  from  the  circular  rim 
which  surrounds  the  foot  and  pass  over  the  edge  of  the  dish  to 
ornament  the  interior  with  large  fruit  and  pink  flowers  growing  on 
the  same  twigs.  This  is  the  symbolical  fruit  of  life,  and  is 
accompanied  by  the  emblems  of  all  kinds  of  happiness  in  the  shape 
of  five  bats,  which  are  painted  in  shades  of  red,  three  in  the  field 
of  the  saucer,  two  upon  its  outer  border.  There  is  a seal  under- 
neath, inscribed  in  underglaze  blue,  Ta  ChHng  ChHen-lung  nien 
<ihih — i.  e.,  “ Made  in  the  reign  of  Ch’ien-lung  of  the  Great  Ch’ing 
[dynasty].”  Diameter,  8^  inches.  No.  249. 

Small  Baluster  Vase  {Hsiao  Mei  PHng)^  of  the  Yung-cheng 
period,  invested  with  a monochrome  ground  of  ruby  red  tint 
{chi  hung),  derived  from  copper.  This  souffle  glaze,  strewn  with 
little  points,  covers  the  whole  surface  with  the  exception  of  an 
irregular  panel  on  one  side,  where  it  gradually  fades  into  a nearly 
white  ground.  The  panel  is  painted  with  a picture  of  the  Taoist 
immortal  Tung  Fang  So,  speeding  over  the  clouds,  carrying  the 
branch  of  peaches,  which  he  has  stolen  from  the  tree  of  life  in  the 
paradise  of  the  divinity  Hsi  Wang  Mu,  thrown  across  his  shoulders. 
It  is  etched  in  sepia  with  touches  of  gold  and  a few  points  of  light 
overglaze  blue  and  crimson  rouge  d'^or.  The  foot  of  the  vase  is 
enameled  with  an  ornamental  scroll,  partly  obliterated,  penciled  in 
black  and  gold.  Height,  8 inches.  No.  250. 


876  DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTEATIONS. 


Vase  {PHng),  of  oval,  melon-shaped  form  and  six-lobed  outline, 
coated  with  a white  glaze  minutely  crackled  with  a fine  reticulation 
of  dark  lines,  giving  a general  gray  elfect.  The  technique  points 
to  the  Yung-cheng  period  (l'723-35),  but  there  is  no  mark  inscribed. 
Height,  8J  inches.  No.  251. 

Vase  i^Hua  PHng),  of  white  porcelain  of  the  Ymig  chmg  period, 
with  a dragon  coiled  in  undercut  relief  round  the  neck  enameled 
crimson  (rouge  Por).  A few  single  peach-blossoms  are  painted  in 
delicate  colors  on  the  rippled  white  surface  of  the  vase,  of  which 
two,  upon  the  shoulder,  are  seen  in  the  illustration,  two  others  are 
near  the  foot  on  the  opposite  side.  The  mark,  which  was  inscribed 
underneath,  has  been  ground  away  on  the  lathe.  Height, 
inches.  No.  252. 

Baluster  Vase  (Mei  artistically  decorated  upon  a 

translucent  white  ground  of  perfect  tone,  in  brilliant  enamel  colors, 
with  fruit  and  flowers.  Branches,  springing  from  the  base  on  one 
side,  spread  upward  in  all  directions  over  the  vase,  covering  it 
with  large  pomegranates  and  peaches  and  bunches  of  yellow 
dragon’s-eye  fruit  (Nephelimn  longan^  mingled  with  sprays  of 
scarlet  pomegranate-flowers  and  pink  peach-blossom.  The  mark, 
written  underneath  in  underglaze  blue  within  a double  ring,  is 
Ta  CKing  Yung-cheng  nien  chih,  “ Made  in  the  reign  of  Yung- 
cheng  (1723-35)  of  the  Great  Ch’ing  [dynasty].”  Height,  13;^ 
inches.  No.  253. 

Small  Tea-Jar  ( CPa  Kuan),  with  lotus  plants  worked  in  relief 
round  the  base  and  round  the  top  of  the  cover,  painted  in  enamel 
colors  with  gilding.  It  is  decorated  with  a picture  of  a two-storied 
temple,  with  gilded  roof  hung  with  gold  bells,  standing  in  the  midst 
of  sea- waves;  swallows  are  flying  in  the  air.  The  ornamental 
border  above  is  composed  of  panels  of  gilded  diaper  alternating 
with  wave  scrolls  penciled  in  black.  Height,  5 inches.  No.  254. 

Small  Tea- Jar  ( CP  a Kuan),  with  an  openwork  scroll  round  the 
foot,  decorated  in  enamel  colors  with  gilding.  Sprays  of  the  tree- 
peony  are  painted  on  a white  ground  within  two  lotus-leaf-shaped 

*The  name  Mei  P'ing  means  “ Plum  Vase,”  this  peculiar  form  being  con- 
sidered to  be  most  appropriate  for  the  display  of  branches  of  blossoming  prunus 
{mei  hua)  at  the  New-Year’s  festival.  The  imperial  porcelain  of  the  period,  of 
which  this  piece  is  a striking  example,  represents,  according  to  Chinese  con- 
noisseurs, in  the  perfection  of  its  technique  and  in  the  artistic  style  of  its 
decoration,  the  highest  achievement  of  their  ceramic  art. 


DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS.  877 


panels  of  convoluted  outline,  surrounded  by  a field  of  floral  brocade, 
composed  of  blue-leaved  bamboo  and  overglaze  white  plum-blossom 
on  a spiral  black  ground.  This  specimen  and  that  shown  in  Fig. 
254  are  examples  of  the  “ India  china  ” class,  being  parts  of  tea 
sets  painted  for  exportation  to  Europe  in  the  first  half  of  the 
eighteenth  century.  Height,  5 inches.  No.  255. 

Vase  of  white  Fen-Ting  porcelain,  molded  with  a whorl 

of  conventional  palm-leaves  round  the  shoulder,  connected  by  eight 
ridges  with  foliations  encircling  the  bulbous  mouth.  It  is  covered 
with  a soft-looking,  sparsely  crackled  glaze  of  slightly  grayish  tone. 
Height,  inches.  No.  256. 

Vase  [P'^ing)^  of  tall  slender  form,  decorated,  in  enamel  colors 
of  the  Yung-cheng  period,  with  a picture  of  the  Taoist  goddess 
Hsi  Wang  Mu  crossing  the  sea  upon  a gigantic  lotus-petal,  holding 
a branch  of  the  sacred  fungus  of  long  life,  accompanied  b}^  an 
attendant  carrying  a peach,  with  a basket  full  of  flowers  and  Bud- 
dha’s-hand  citrons,  on  the  frail  craft  beside  her.  In  the  back- 
ground is  a temple  standing  in  the  sea,  with  a peach-tree  laden 
with  fruit  close  by;  a stork  is  perched  upon  the  roof,  and  its  mate 
is  flying  across,  carrying  scrolls  in  its  beak.  The  clouds,  of  roseate 
hue,  are  illumined  by  the  vermilion  disk  of  the  sun.  Height,  18^ 
inches.  ' No.  257. 

Small  Vase  (Hsiao  P'^ing),  covered  over  two  thirds  of  its  sur- 
face with  a pale  celadon  glaze  of  clouded  hue,  and  on  the  otlier 
third  with  an  irregular  cloud  of  brilliantly  mottled  red.  Of  the 
deepest  sang-de-hoeuf  shade  in  the  middle,  the  cloud  becomes  of 
pinkish  tint  toward  the  edges,  and  then  gradually  fades  away  into 
the  celadon  ground.  It  is  evidently  due  to  copper  silicate  soaking 
through  the  investing  glaze  under  the  solving  influence  of  the  fur- 
nace. The  glaze  is  flecked  throughout  with  a multitude  of  tiny 
bubbles,  giving  a charming  effect,  and  suggesting  the  souffle  appli- 
cation of  the  two  colors.  Height,  4 inches.  No.  258. 

Vase  (PHng),  of  the  Kang-lisi  period,  with  a coral-red  souffld 
ground  of  charming  color.  A four-clawed  dragon  in  pursuit  of  a 
jewel  encircled  by  flaming  rays  of  effulgence  is  modeled  in  slight 
relief  on  the  surface  of  the  vase  etched  with  the  graving-tool, 
glazed  and  reserved  in  brilliant  white.  The  rest  of  the  gi’ound  is 
imbued  with  coral-red,  shot  with  minute  mottled  flecks,  and  shad- 
ing off  gradually  into  paler  tints  as  it  approaches  the  white  relief 


878  DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


modeling.  A broad  rim  round  the  foot  underneath  is  left  in  white 
“ biscuit,”  the  middle  is  sunken  and  enameled  white  of  greenish 
tone.  Height,  8|-  inches.  No.  259. 

Vase  {JPHng^  of  the  Kang-hsi  period,  a magnificent  specimen  of 
the  brilliant  souffle  glaze  known  as  “ powder-blue,”  the  clear  blue 
ground  being  flecked  all  over  with  darker  spots.  The  rims  are 
clearly  defined  by  two  lines  of  white.  The  foot  is  invested  under- 
neath with  a rough  brownish-black  coating,  so  as  to  leave  an  ovoid 
patch  of  the  brilliantly  white  glaze  in  the  middle,  and  another 
patcli  at  the  edge.  Height,  17f  inches.  No.  260. 

Vase  [Hua  PHrig)^  of  graceful  form,  decorated,  in  green  and 
purple  with  touches  of  white,  with  peonies,  chrysanthemums,  and 
daisies,  growing  from  rocks,  and  with  butterflies  flying  in  the 
intervals  of  the  floral  decoration.  This  is  relieved  by  a minutely 
crackled  ground  of  pure  yellow  color.  The  details  of  the  designs 
are  delicately  etched  in  the  paste  with  a graving-tool.  The  foot 
is  coated  underneath  with  the  same  truite  yellow  glaze  with  no 
mark  attached.  Height,  10  inches.  No.  261. 

Teapot  ( Ch^a  Hu),  of  “ armorial  china  ” decorated  with  gilded 
arabesque  borders  outlined  in  red,  and  with  gilded  floral  sprays  on 
the  spout  and  handle,  while  three  sprays  of  flowers  are  painted  on 
the  cover  in  enamel  colors.  There  is  an  identical  armorial  design 
on  the  front  and  back  painted  in  enamels  with  gold  of  early  CPien- 
lung  date.  It  consists  of  a fanciful  coat-of-arms  mingled  with 
branches  of  flowers  and  having  a bouquet  in  a vase  standing  upon 
a pedestal  on  one  side.  In  the  middle  are  two  shields,  accolles, 
with  a gilded  dual  coronet  above,  beneath  which  is  a red  bearded 
face  emerging  between  wings,  and  as  supporters  are  two  yellow 
eagles  touched  with  red.  Height,  with  cover,  5^  inches.  No.  262. 

Double  Vase  [Shuang  PHng),  formed,  as  it  were,  of  two  vases 
coalescing,  the  line  of  junction  being  indicated  by  a vertical 
groove.  The  shape  resembles  that  of  the  (JhHen-lung  vase  of  the 
famille  rose  illustrated  in  Plate  LXXVI,  and,  like  that,  it  is 
intended  to  have  a cover.  It  is  a typical  example  of  the  Ku  Yueh 
Hs" an  class,  decorated  in  bright,  delicate  enamel  colors,  rouge  d'or 
predominating,  with  Chinese  copies  of  European  pictures  of  minia- 
ture-like finish,  and  tiny  landscapes  of  European  scenery,  inserted 
in  framed  panels,  surrounded  by  floral  scrolls  and  ornamental  bor- 


DESCKIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS.  879 


ders  of  purely  Chinese  style,  executed  in  the  same  translucid  colors. 
It  once  had  a seal  of  four  characters  penciled  underneath  in  black 
enamel,  but  the  bottom  of  the  vase  has  been  broken,  and  only  parts 
of  the  last  two  characters,  nien  chili,  remain.  The  first  two  were, 
probably,  GhHen-lung,  indicating  the  date,  1736-95.  Height,  5|^ 
inches.  No.  263. 

Vase  [Hua  PH7ig),  of  European  style,  molded  with  a pedestal 
overlaid  with  branches  of  fruit  in  solid  relief,  and  with  a delicate 
interlacement  of  wild-roses  and  other  flowers  filling  in  the  hollows 
of  the  flowing  bandlike  handles.  The  faces  of  the  vase  are 
decorated  in  gold  with  scrolls  of  sea^waves  below,  and  phoenixes 
with  expanded  wings  and  spreading  tails  above,  and  on  the  outer 
surface  of  the  handles  are  centiped-like  dragons  with  winged 
insect  heads  of  very  un-Chinese  aspect.  The  gilded  decoration  is 
completed  by  a few  light  floral  scrolls,  and  the  edges  of  the 
handles,  as  well  as  the  square  rim  of  the  mouth,  are  heavily  gilded. 
Height,  11  j inches.  No.  264. 

Small  Vase  {Hsiao  PHng),  of  white  uncrackled  Fen-Ting 
porcelain,  with  a globular  body,  spreading  foot,  and  swelling  lip, 
and  wide  loop  handles  springing  from  the  mouths  of  dragons.  The 
body  is  delicately  etched  at  the  point  in  the  paste,  under  the  soft- 
looking  ivory-white  glaze,  with  the  figures  of  two  imperial  five- 
clawed  dragons  disporting  in  clouds.  Height,  6|  inches.  No,  265. 

Water  Receptacle  {Shui  Chi  eng),  in  the  shape  of  a small 
globular  bowl-like  vase  of  perfect  technique,  with  a small  cir- 
cularly rimmed  mouth,  which  is  mounted  with  a silver  ring.  It  is 
soberly  decorated  with  two  small  sprays  of  peony  rising  from  the 
base,  penciled  in  underglaze  red  of  maroon  tint,  the  leaves  of 
which,  outlined  and  veined  in  the  same  red,  are  touched  with 
bright-green  enamel.  The  mark  written  underneath  in  blue,  in  the 
style  of  the  “ peach-bloom  ” vases,  is  Ta  Chling  K’’ang-hsi  nien 
chill,  “ Made  in  the  reign  of  K’ang-hsi  of  the  Great  C’hing  [dy- 
nasty].” Height,  3^  inches.  No.  266. 

Vase  {PHng),  of  charming  design  and  finished  technique, 
enameled  with  a pellucid  white  glaze  over  a relief  decoration  deli- 
cately molded  and  etched  in  the  paste  underneath.  Of  quatrefoil 
section,  the  body  of  the  vase  is  covered,  in  four  large  panels,  with 
symmetrically  arranged  scrolls  of  idealistic  flowers  and  bats;  orna- 


880 


DESCEIPTITE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTEATIOHS. 


mental  scrolls  of  conventional  design  encircle  the  upper  and  lower 
borders  of  tlie  body  and  the  rim  of  the  mouth,  continuous  chains  of 
rectangular  fret  run  down  the  shoulder  and  foot,  and  a hand  of 
palmations  extends  midway  up  the  neck.  There  is  a seal  etched  in 
the  paste  under  the  foot  inscribed  Ta  ChHng  CKien-lung  nien 
chih,  “ Made  in  the  reign  of  Ch’ien-lung  of  the  Great  Ch’ing 
[dynasty].”  Height,  10  inches.  No.  267. 

Cylindrical  Vase  {T’’ung  PHng),  of  the  K^ang-hsi  period, 
richly  decorated  in  brilliant  enamel  colors,  one  of  a pair  mounted 
in  European  work  to  form  a set  with  the  three  vases  of  the  same 
shape  and  size  illustrated  in  Fig.  237.  The  body  is  decorated  in 
four  bands;  the  first  and  third  contain  formal  flower  scrolls  dis- 
played upon  a bright  pale-green  ground;  the  second  has  a pair  of 
dragons  in  the  midst  of  flames  pursuing  jewels  with  a coral-red 
background;  the  fourth  is  plain  red,  relieved  by  a linked  chain  of 
green  winding  round  below.  A band  of  hexagonal  diaper  at  the 
foot,  of  flowers  on  a yellow  ground  round  the  shoulder,  and  a ring 
of  palmations  in  green  filled  in  with  red  on  the  neck,  complete  the 
decoration.  The  mark  underneath  is  a double  ring  in  underglaze 
blue.  Height,  11  inches.  No.  268. 

Snuff-Bottle,  decorated  in  blue  and  white,  with  peach-bloom 
dragon;  mark,  ChHen-lung.  No.  269. 

Vase  [PHng),  of  hexagonal  section  with  two  tubular  handles, 
enameled  with  transmutation  (yao-pien)  colors  of  early  CPien-lung 
date.  The  groundwork,  a crackled  glaze,  is  invested  with  irregular 
splashes  of  green  passing  into  olive-brown  and  mingled  with  pur- 
plish grays.  Height,  inches.  No.  270. 

Vase  {PHng),  of  graceful  form  and  very  fine  technique,  dating 
from  the  ChHen-lung  period,  vertically  grooved,  with  a bulbous 
body,  and  a long  neck  swelling  into  a bulb  above  under  the  circular 
lip.  A dragon  of  archaic  type  is  executed  upon  the  shoulder  of 
the  vase  in  full  undercut  relief,  with  its  long  bifid  tail  coiling 
upward  to  encircle  the  neck.  The  dragon  is  enameled  green,  while 
the  surface  of  the  vase  is  coated  with  a monochrome-yellow 
enamel  of  soft  tone,  which  also  lines  the  foot.  Height,  9 inches. 

No.  271. 

Bean-shaped  Snuff-Bottle,  with  archaic  h^i-lin  in  blue  and 
green  on  yellow  ground;  K'^ang-hsi  period.  No.  272. 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


881 


Vase  [Hua  PHng),  of  the  Ku  Yueh  Hsuan  class,  molded  of 
the  characteristically  short,  very  white,  vitreous-looking  paste,  and 
crisply  decorated  in  bright  enamel  colors  of  peculiar  delicacy  and 
finish.  A pair  of  quails  stand  out  prominently  in  the  foreground, 
backed  by  an  autumnal  scene  of  trees  with  crimson-tinted  leaves, 
marguerite  daisies,  and  a rockery  with  roses.  A pink  scroll  border 
worked  in  relief,  succeeded  by  a blue  fret,  encircles  the  shoulder, 
and  a gilded  line  defines  the  swelling  lip.  The  couplet  of  verse 
which  has  suggested  the  motive  for  the  little  picture  is  inscribed 
on  the  reverse  side  of  the  vase.  Height,  7 inches.  No.  273. 

Wine-Cup  ( Chiu  Pei),  molded  in  the  form  of  an  ancient  bronze 
libation-cup,  and  colored  with  enamels  to  imitate  the  surface  of 
patinated  bronze.  The  genre  is  known  as  hu  thing  ts^ai — i.  e., 
‘‘  archaic  bronze  coloring.”  The  ground  shade  is  olive-brown 
flecked  with  tea-green,  which  is  penciled  with  gilded  scrolls  and 
encircling  bands  of  fret,  while  the  hollow  parts  of  the  designs, 
which  are  artificially  roughened  or  pitted,  are  partially  filled  in 
with  a grayish-blue  enamel  of  mottled  tint  passing  into  green. 
The  seal  underneath,  outlined  in  gold,  is  CPien-lung  nien  chih, 
‘‘  Made  in  the  reign  of  Ch’ien-lung.”  Length,  5 inches.  No.  274. 

Small  Vase  [Hsiao  PHng),  of  eggshell  thinness  and  purest 
white  color.  It  is  encircled  near  the  neck  and  foot  by  faint  rings 
in  the  paste.  There  is  no  mark  attached,  but  it  must  be  a produc- 
tion of  Ching-te-chen,  dating  from  the  Yung-cheng , or,  perhaps, 
the  early  GKien-lung  period.  Height,  6 inches.  No.  275. 

Small  Vase  [Hsiao  Phng),  a typical  example  of  “ soft  porce- 
lain,” so  called,  dating  from  the  reign  of  K'‘ang-hsi.  Light  in 
weight,  the  body  being  of  loose  texture,  it  is  invested  with  a white 
glaze  of  somewhat  grayish  tone  and  slightly  undulatory  surface, 
crackled  [Pai-p^ien)  throughout.  It  is  decorated  under  the  glaze 
with  a monstrous  lionlike  quadruped  standing  at  the  foot  of  a 
spreading  pine,  with  a hat  flying  overhead,  painted  in  blues  of  sub- 
dued tones;  the  flames  which  proceed  from  the  shoulders  and  hips 
of  the  monster  being  tinged  red,  and  its  eyes  lightly  touched  with 
rings  of  the  same  underglaze  color,  derived  from  copper.  Height, 
7 inches.  No.  276. 

Water  Receptacle  [Shui  CP  eng),  of  ovoid  form  rounding  into 
a small  circular  mouth,  above  which  is  coiled  in  salient  relief 


882 


DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


a dragon  (chih-lung)  of  archaic  type.  The  bowl  is  etched  at  the 
point  with  scrolls  of  lotus  and  peony  under  the  white  translucent 
glaze;  the  dragon  is  enameled  reddish  brown  touched  with  gold. 
The  seal,  etched  beneath  the  glaze  in  the  paste  underneath,  is 
Ta  ChHng  GhHen-lung  nien  chih — i.  e.,  “ Made  in  the  reign  of 
Ch’ien-lung  of  the  Great  Ch’ing  [dynasty].”  Height,  4i  inches. 

No.  277. 

Small  Beaker  [Hsiao  Tsun)^  modeled  after  an  ancient  bronze 
form  and  design,  with  an  archaic  band  of  scroll  round  the  middle, 
and  vertical  dentated  ridges  down  the  corners  and  sides.  The 
handle  is  formed  of  a large  lizardlike  dragon  [chHh4ung)  in 
undercut  relief,  with  four  smaller  ones  wriggling  over  its  body, 
and  four  others  are  crawling  over  the  neck  of  the  vase,  which  is 
enameled  white,  while  the  dragons  are  all  painted  in  soft  colors  of 
the  ChHen-lung  period.  Height,  4^  inches.  No.  278. 

Double  Gourd-shaped  Vase  [Hu-lu  PHng),  decorated  in  poly- 
chrome enamel  colors,  shades  of  pink  predominating,  of  the  ChHen- 
lung  period.  The  decoration  is  that  commonly  known  by  the 
name  of  Po  Hua,  or  “ The  Hundred  Flowers,”  the  ground  being 
completely  covered  with  a dense  mass  of  floral  spra}^s,  presenting 
a huge  bouquet,  as  it  were,  culled  from  the  Chinese  flora,  naturally 
and  artistically  rendered.  The  neck,  slightly  cut,  is  mounted  with 
a metal  collar,  round  the  foot  is  a band  of  formal  foliations,  painted 
in  shaded  blue  and  green,  relieved  by  a pink  ground,  between 
heavily  gilded  rims.  The  base,  enameled  like  the  inside  of  the 
mouth,  pale  green,  has  a red  seal  in  a white  reserve  panel,  inscribed 
in  bold,  well-written  style,  Ta  ChHng  ChHen-lung  nien  chihy 
“ Made  in  the  reign  of  Ch’ien-lung  of  the  Great  Ch’ing  [dy- 
nasty].” Height,  21  inches.  No.  279. 

Flower-Pot  [Hua  P'*en)y  of  ChHen-lung  porcelain,  molded  of 
rounded  octagonal  form,  with  a projecting  lip,  a perforated  bottom, 
and  four  scrolled  feet,  and  decorated  outside  with  flowers  and 
butterflies  arranged  in  eight  panels.  The  front  panel  in  the  illus- 
tration contains  a picture  of  the  three  symbolical  plants  of  long 
life — the  pine,  bamboo,  and  prunus;  the  panel  on  the  left  of  this, 
flowering  bulbs  of  narcissus  and  roses;  the  panel  on  the  right, 
orchids  with  sprays  of  a red-foliaged  plant  and  butterflies;  the 
other  five  panels  exhibit,  in  succession,  the  pomegranate  and 
chrysanthemum,  the  Begonia  discolor^  the  Hibiscus  rosa  sinensis. 


DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTEATIONS. 


883 


the  Dielytra  spectabilis,  and  the  azure-tipped  marguerite  daisy,  the 
yellow  jasmine,  and  scarlet  fungus  {Polyporus  lucidus).  Height, 

inches.  No.  280. 

Snuff-Bottle,  with  brilliant  decoration  on  a deep-red  ground; 
mark,  C Pien-lung.  No.  281. 

Eggshell  Vase  [To  fai  PHng),  of  the  ChHen-lung  period, 
decorated  in  soft  enamel  colors  for  gilding.  It  is  overlaid  with 
a close-set  floral  decoration  consisting  of  chrysanthemums  and  hai- 
fang  flowers  and  daisies,  attached  in  salient  relief,  and  painted  in 
red,  green,  and  gold.  Two  oval  panels  are  reserved  in  intervals  of 
the  floral  relief-work,  and  painted  in  delicate  colors  with  scenes 
of  domestic  life,  a party  of  ladies  drinking  wine  out  of  tiny  gilded 
cups,  and  a group  in  a garden  looking  at  fighting-cocks.  Light 
floral  scrolls  penciled  in  gold  round  the  upper  and  lower  rims  com- 
plete the  decoration.  Height,  8f  inches.  No.  282. 

Vase  {Hua  PHng),  of  three-lobed  outline,  covered  with  an  olive- 

green  monochrome  glaze  thickly  flecked  with  tiny  spots  of  lighter 
green,  the  typical  souffle  glaze  known  as  “ tea-dust”  {ch’a-yeh  mo), 
LTpon  this  as  a background  stands  out  a white  branch  of  pome- 
granate, modeled  in  full  undercut  relief,  with  the  fruit  bursting 
open  to  show  the  seeds  inside,  and  flowers  and  leaves  naturalistically 
rendered.  When  this,  as  it  winds  round,  leaves  a small  interval  in 
the  shoulder  of  the  vase,  a branch  stem  of  the  Polyporus  lucidus  is 
worked  in,  also  enameled  white.  The  foot  is  stamped  underneath 
with  the  seal  Ta  ChHng  CPien-lung  nien  chilly  “ Made  in  the 
reign  of  Ch’ien-lung  of  the  Great  Ch’ing  [dynasty].”  Height, 
8 inches.  No.  283. 

Articulated  Vase  (Chieh  PHng — chieh  meaning  joined  or 
spliced),  cut  horizontally  into  two  parts  in  a waved  four-lobed  line 
of  foliated  outline.  Of  old  bronze  form  and  design,  the  details  are 
worked  in  relief  in  the  paste,  representing  vaguely  four  monstrous 
ogre  {t^ao-fieh)  faces,  so  much  conventionalized  as  to  form  a broad 
band  of  ornamental  scroll-work.  The  celadon  glaze  which  covers 
the  vase  varies  from  pea-green  to  lighter  shades,  according  to 
its  depth,  so  as  to  enhance  the  effect  of  the  molded  designs.  The 
seal  underneath,  penciled  in  blue  under  the  same  celadon  glaze, 
is  Ta  CPing  C Pien-lung  nien  chih — i.  e.,  “ Made  in  the  reign  of 
Ch’ien-lung  of  the  Great  Ch’ing  [dynast}^].”  Height,  6 inches. 

No.  284. 


884 


DESCKIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


t 


Lace-work  Vase  (T^ou-hua  PHng^^  of  palest  celadon  porcelain 
of  the  reign  of  C h' ien-lung . The  sides  are  pierced  with  a floral 
design  representing  conventional  peonies  in  the  midst  of  leafy 
scrolls,  which  is  filled  in  with  glaze  so  as  to  form  a delicate  “rice- 
grain  ” transparency,  giving  the  effect  of  lacework.  The  vase, 
of  almost  eggshell  thinness,  is  covered  with  a glaze  of  pale  sea- 
green  tone,  while  the  borders,  molded  with  bands  of  conventional 
ornament  in  slight  relief,  are  picked  out  in  white.  Height,  7 
inches.  No.  285. 

Snuff-Bottle;  twin  gourds,  with  decoration  in  brilliant  enam- 
els on  yellow  ground;  mark,  C hHen-lung.  No.  286. 

Eggshell  Vase  [To-fai  P'hig)^  richly  decorated,  in  soft  enamel 
colors  and  gilding  of  the  ChHen-lung  period,  with  illustrations  of 
the  different  processes  of  sericulture.  The  pictures  show  in  suc- 
cession the  hatching  of  the  eggs,  the  feeding  of  the  silkworms 
in  the  different  stages  of  their  growth,  as  they  are  kept  in  open 
baskets  on  curtained  bamboo  shelves,  the  winding  of  the  silk 
from  the  chrysalids,  and  the  weaving  of  the  spun  thread  in 
hand-looms  of  complicated  structure.  Women  and  children  carry 
on  all  the  branches  of  work,  boys  are  bringing  in  baskets  of 
mulberry-leaves  slung  on  their  shoulders  from  the  trees  outside, 
and  one  is  seated  at  the  loom  helping  the  women.  The  decoration 
of  the  vase  is  completed  by  light  sprays  of  red  and  pink  roses 
underneath  the  gilded  rim.  Height,  10|^  inches.  No.  287. 

Six  Snuff-Bottles  {Pi  Yen  ITu),  of  various  designs,  chiefly 
of  the  Yung-cheng  and  C hHen-lung  periods:  1.  Decorated  in 

enamel  colors  of  the  Yung-cheng  period  (288).  2.  A royal  blue 

double  gourd  (289).  3.  Blue  and  white  flower  design  on  a brown 

crackled  ground  (290).  4.  Perforated  design  in  reticulated  work 

upon  a ground  of  broken  sticks;  dark-green  glaze  (291).  5.  Intri- 

cate designs  in  high  relief  of  lions  chasing  wheels  and  fire  emblems; 
ChHen-lung  period  (292).  6.  A double  bottle  with  a coral-red 

decoration,  of  the  ChHen-lung  period.  Nos.  288-293. 

Rice-Bowl  {Fan  TFhn),  decorated  in  colors  with  the  symbolical 
plants  of  long  life,  the  pine  and  sacred  fungus,  the  bamboo  and 
prunus.  The  painted  decoration  is  identical  inside  and  outside, 
and  it  has  the  foliage  and  flowers  pierced  through  in  parts  and 
filled  in  with  glaze  in  “ rice-grain  ” fashion,  so  as  to  appear  as 


DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


885 


a partial  transparency.  Tiie  seal,  penciled  underneath  the  under- 
glaze blue,  is  Ta  ChHng  Chia-chHng  nien  chih,  “ Made  in  the  reign 
of  Chia-ch’ing  (1Y96-1S20)  of  the  Great  Ch’ing  [dynasty].” 

No.  294. 

Melon-shaped  Snuff-Bottle,  with  decoration  of  vines  in  blue 
and  white;  mark,  Yung~chtng.  No.  295. 

Snuff-Bottle;  celadon  on  modeled  decoration;  ChHen-lung 
period.  No.  296. 

Vase  [PHng)^  representing  a modern  attempt  at  reproduction 
of  the  celebrated  Lang  Yao  sang-de-hoeuf  of  the  reign  of  K'^ang- 
hsi.  The  crackled  glaze  exhibits  brilliant  tones  of  coloring,  but 
it  is  somewhat  thin  in  aspect,  especially  toward  the  top  of  the 
vase;  at  the  bottom  it  has  ‘‘  run  ” and  congealed,  and  a bare  mark 
can  be  detected  on  one  side  where  a thick  drop  has  had  to  be 
removed  on  the  lathe.  No.  297. 

Flower- Vase  {Hua  PHiig),  of  ovoid  form,  semi-eggshell  tex- 

ture, and  partially  crackled  undulatory  glaze,  decorated  in  delicate 
enamel  colors  with  gilding  of  the  ChHen-lung  period.  Tlie  two 
panels  have  the  foliated  rims  modeled  in  relief  in  the  paste,  and 
the  sprays  of  blossoming  primus,  painted  in  red  and  gold,  as 
well  as  the  white  swallows,  are  also  worked  in  relief,  so  as  to 
project  from  the  intervening  ground,  which  is  filled  in  with  dotted 
circles  sketched  in  blue.  Tlie  panels  are  painted  with  pictures 
of  domestic  life  in  the  style  of  the  so-called  “ Indian  china”  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  wliich  was  mostly  painted  in  the  workshops  of 
Canton  for  the  European  market.  Height,  11|-  inches.  No.  298. 

Vase  (PHng)^  a typical  specimen  of  the  soft-looking  porcelain 
of  the  reign  of  K'^ajig-hsi^  painted  in  blue  under  a crackled  glaze 
of  ivory-white  tone,  commonly  known  as  chHng-hua  Fen  Ting — 
i.  e.,  “Fen-Ting  porcelain  painted  in  blue.”  The  rim  of  the 
foot  shows  a paste  of  loose  texture,  but  very  hard,  the  bottom 
being  covered  with  the  same  crackled  glaze  as  the  vase,  which 
is  very  light  in  weight  wlien  compared  Avith  ordinary  porcelain. 
The  decoration,  penciled  in  soft  sliades  of  blue,  is  a rocky  landscape 
with  a pair  of  grotesque  lions  sporting  under  the  shade  of  a gnarled 
pine,  through  the  branches  of  which  the  full  moon  is  visible. 
Shrubs  of  primus  and  bamboo  are  growing  from  the  rocks,  com- 


886 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


pleting  the  vegetable  trio  of  longevity,  and  a couple  of  bats  are 
flying  together  in  the  background  as  symbols  of  happiness. 
Height,  15^  inches.  No.  299. 

Two  Snuff-Bottles  of  the  GhDien-lung  period:  I.  Blue  and 
white.  2.  Modeled  in  high  relief  and  decorated  in  brilliant  colors. 

Nos.  300,  301. 

Censer  (Hsiang  Lu)  of  ivory-white  Fuchien  porcelain.  It  is 
modeled  as  a round  basket  with  pierced  openwork  sides  worked 
into  sprays  of  peony,  and  has  a band  of  bamboo  as  handles  attached 
by  floral  studs.  Under  the  bottom,  which  is  unglazed,  is  a stamped 
seal  in  the  form  of  a Chinese  “ cash  ” inclosing  the  sacred  svastika 
symbol.  Height,  with  pedestal,  5^  inches.  No.  302. 

Lion  (Shih-tzi^),  of  white  Fuchien  porcelain  (Chien  tz'iX),  seated 
upon  an  oblong  pedestal,  with  the  right  forefoot  placed  upon  a ball 
with  a cord  attached  to  it,  the  other  end  of  which  the  lion  holds  in 
his  mouth.  From  the  back  of  the  stand  a tube  rises  on  the  right 
to  hold  the  stick  of  incense.  There  should  always  be  a pair  of 
these  lions  before  the  shrine,  and  the  companion  would  have  a cub 

in  place  of  the  brocaded  ball.  Height,  5 inches.  No.  303. 

Lustration  Ewer  ( Cliing  Shui  Hu),  of  complicated  form, 
intended  for  Buddhist  ritual  use.  It  is  richly  decorated  in  colors 
of  the  K'^ang-hsi  period,  with  diapers  inclosing  floral  medallions 
and  bands  of  conventional  ornament,  relieved  by  a tzil-chin  gvoundi 
of  “old  gold”  tint.  The  monstrous  head  of  a dragon  projects 
from  one  side  of  the  globular  receptacle,  modeled  with  for- 
midable rows  of  teeth  and  black  mustaches  curling  upward,  from 
which  emerges  the  long  curved  spout,  reminding  one  of  the  celestial 
dragons  that  officiated  at  the  miraculous  baptism  of  the  infant 
Buddha.  Height,  8 inches.  No.  304. 

Snuff-Bottle;  gray  crackle  of  the  K'‘a7%g-hsi  period;  mark, 
Ch’eng-hua  nien  chih.  No.  305. 

Hanging  Basket  (Hiia  Lan),  with  two  hooks  springing  from 
the  rim  for  the  attachment  of  chains  by  which  it  is  suspended  to  a 
crossbar,  richly  decorated  in  enamel  colors  of  the  K'^ang-hsi  period. 
The  sides  are  pierced  in  openwork  and  painted  in  yellow,  green, 
and  black  to  simulate  wicker.  Through  the  interstices  of  tiie  open 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS.  887 


casing  the  decoration  of  the  cylinder,  which  fits  inside,  appears;  it 
is  crisply  painted  in  red  witli  a scrolled  ground  of  lotus-flowers  and 
a border  of  spiral  fret.  Height,  9 inches.  No.  306. 

Basket  (Sua  Lan^  of  K'^ang-hsi  porcelain  decorated  in  enamel 
colors.  The  bowl,  of  depressed  globular  form,  has  an  arched  handle, 
strengthened  by  side  pieces,  springing  from  tlie  shoulder,  and  a 
round  cover  surmounted  by  a lion  as  handle.  The  sides  of  the  bowl 
are  pierced  in  six  panels  of  hexagonal  trellis  interrupted  by  chrysan- 
themum-flowers which  are  painted  alternately  red  and  pale  purple, 
and  the  cover  is  pierced  with  a similar  trellis-work.  The  handle  is 
painted  in  black  lines  on  a yellow  ground  to  imitate  basket-work. 
Foot  glazed  white  underneath.  Height,  5 inches.  No.  307. 

Pierced  Globe  for  Scented  Flowers  {Hsiang  GA’m),  of  light 
biscuit  porcelain  of  the  K'^ang-hsi  period,  carved  with  trellis  me- 
dallions inclosing  floral  designs  of  the  peony  and  lotus  inlaid  with 
colors,  including  a brilliant  green  in  combination  with  the  usual 
enamels  of  the  old  famille  rose.  It  has  a tiny  round  cover  on  the 
top  for  the  introduction  of  flowers,  which  are  placed  as  a sacred 
offering  before  the  domestic  shrine.  Diameter,  4 inches. 

No.  308. 

Rose-Water  Sprinkler  {Hsiang  Shui  PHng),  owo;  of  a pair,  of 
the  reign  of  H^ang-hsi,  with  powder-blue  grounds,  interrupted  by 
three  reserved  medallions,  quatrefoil,  pomegranate  and  fan-shaped, 
which  are  filled  with  wild-flowers  growing  from  rocks,  penciled  in 
shaded  underglaze  blue  with  white  grounds.  Tipped  with  metal 
mounts.  Height,  7|^  inches.  No.  309. 

Miniature  Vase  {Hsiao  PHng),  of  Fuchien  porcelain,  with  a 
bulbous  mouth,  and  a dragon  in  salient  relief,  winding  round  the 
neck  of  the  vase  and  projecting  its  head  on  one  side.  Ivory-white 
glaze.  Height,  4i  inches.  No.  310. 

Snuff-Bottle,  with  green  and  white  dragon;  mark,  Tao-kuang, 

No.  311. 

Vase  {PHng),  of  the  ChHen-lung  period,  decorated  in  blue  and 
white  in  the  ordinary  way  with  a mountain  landscape  of  temples 
and  pavilions  on  the  shore  of  a lake.  This  is  covered  with  splashes 
oi  Jlarnbe  glaze,  laid  on  over  the  original  white  ground,  so  as  nearly 


888 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


to  conceal  the  painted  design  under  variegated  clouds  of  purple, 
crimson,  and  olive-brown  tints,  the  glaze  becoming  crackled  in  the 
thinner  parts.  The  interior  of  the  vase  is  coated  with  the  same 
crackled  and  variegated  enamel.  Height,  15^  inches.  No.  312. 

Arrow  Receptacle  ( Chien  T'^ung),  of  square  section,  mounted 
in  a socket  pedestal  of  the  same  material.  A production  of  the 
finest  K'*ang-hsi  period,  it  exhibits  a combination  of  many  of  the 
methods  of  decoration  that  distinguished  the  porcelain  of  the  time, 
such  as  openwork  molding,  pierced- work  carving,  and  relief  model- 
ing, all  artistically  painted  in  richly  varied  designs,  laid  on  over  the 
white  glaze  in  the  brilliant  enamel  colors  of  the  fully-equipped 
ceramic  palette  of  the  period.  Height,  29  inches.  No.  313. 

Small  Vase,  with  globular  body  and  expanding  mouth,  intended 
for  use  as  a hand  spittoon  {Van  ho  p^ing).  It  is  decorated  over 
the  white  glaze,  in  two  shades  of  coral-red,  with  a pair  of  five^ 
clawed  imperial  dragons  in  the  midst  of  flames  and  clouds  pursuing 
jewels,  with  light  bands  of  gadroon  and  spiral  fret,  and  with  a 
scroll  of  conventional  flowers  round  the  mouth.  There  is  no  mark 
underneath,  but  the  technique  and  style  are  those  of  the  GhVien- 
lung  period.  Height,  3^  inches.  No.  314. 

Cylindrical  Beaker  {Hua-T'^ung),  with  flaring  mouth,  of  laque 
burgautee  inlaid  on  porcelain,  of  the  K'^ang-hsi  period.  The  dec- 
oration is  a mountain  landscape  with  temples,  pagodas,  and  open 
pavilions,  overlooking  a lake,  upon  which  boats  are  sailing,  a tall 
willow  with  drooping  branches  forming  the  background.  The 
rims  are  encircled  by  light  borders  of  diaper  pattern  inlaid  in  the 
same  thin  plaques  of  mother-of-pearl.  Height,  11  inches. 

No.  315. 

Vase  {PHng\  of  the  K''ang-hsi  period,  with  a few  encircling 
parallel  rings  lightly  tooled  in  the  paste,  coated  sur  biscuit  with 
enamels  of  different  colors,  yellow,  green,  and  olive-brown,  above  a 
white  glaze  of  soft  ivory  tint.  The  paste  is  grayish.  The  effect, 
which  somewhat  resembles  that  of  tortoise-shell,  is  known  to  the 
Chinese  by  the  name  of  liu  pH  wen^  “ tiger-spotted.”  Height, 
inches.  No.  316. 

Snuff-Bottle,  with  foliations  in  soft  parts,  white  on  dark-blue 
ground;  C hHen-hmg No.  317. 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


889 


Beakee-shaped  Yase  of  Hirado  porcelain,  with  the  decoration 
partl}^  painted  in  shaded  blue,  partly  pierced  and  filled  in  with  glaze 
so  as  to  appear  as  a transparency.  Height,  inches.  No.  318. 

Pierced  Cup  {T'^ou-hua  W^an),  with  the  sides  carved  in  open- 
work, with  a broad  band  of  svastika  pattern  connecting  five  solid 
medallions,  upon  which  are  attached,  in  full  relief,  figures  of  the 
longevity  star  god,  Shou  Hsing,  and  of  the  eight  Taoist  immortals, 
arranged  in  pairs.  The  figures  are  en  biscuit,  the  clouds  in  the 
background  are  worked  in  slip,  as  well  as  the  floral  scrolls,  which 
are  carried  round  the  rims  of  the  cup  over  the  white  glaze  which 
invests  the  rest  of  the  surface.  The  foot  is  unglazed.  Period, 
ChHen-lung.  Diameter,  3f  inches.  No.  319. 

Tazza-shaped  Cup  {^Pa  Pei),  of  the  ChHen-lung  period,  deco- 
rated in  enamel  colors  on  a white  ground,  with  formal  archaic 
designs,  including  six  conventionally  ornamented  pendants  hung 
with  symbols  round  the  bowl,  and  a ring  of  brocaded  palniations 
encircling  the  stem.  Height,  4|-  inches.  No.  320. 

Mug  [Pei)  of  ChHen-lung  ‘‘rice-grain”  work,  having  the  sides 
pierced  with  a broad  central  band  of  star  pattern  filled  in  with 
glaze,  so  as  to  be  seen  in  transparency.  The  conventional  bands  of 
ornament  that  surround  the  rims  and  the  flowers  that  stud  the 
points  of  junction  of  the  handle  are  penciled  in  underglaze  cobalt- 
blue  of  grayish  tone  and  picked  out  with  gold.  Height,  41- 
inches.  No.  321. 

Pierced  Cup  [Pou-hua  Wan)  of  delicate  texture,  dating  from 
the  ChHen-lung  period,  carved  in  openwork  [djour)  with  a trellis 
pattern  of  intersecting  circles,  broken  by  five  circular  medallions 
of  floral  design,  and  with  a narrow  conventional  border  round  the 
rim.  The  white  glaze  is  of  rich  unctuous  texture,  and  of  the  slightly 
greenish  tone  characteristic  of  Ching-te-chen.  The  foot  is  left  en 
biscuit.  Diameter,  3J  inches.  No.  322. 

Gourd-shaped  Yase  [Hu-lu  PHng),  enameled  with  an  irides- 
cent deep-brown  glaze  [t'zu-chin  yu)  overlaid  with  a decoration, 
roughly  executed  in  white  slip,  of  sprays  of  conventional  flowers 
springing  from  rocks.  The  neck  is  mounted  with  a copper  rim, 
and  the  mouth  is  plugged  with  a corklike  stopper  of  Persian  metal- 
work chased  with  figures  and  birds.  Height,  10  inches.  No.  323. 


890  DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Small  Baluster  Vase  {^Hsiao  Mei  PHng)  enameled  of  a pale 
sky-blue  {fien-chHng)  tint  derived  from  cobalt,  sparsely  crackled 
with  rare  brown  lines,  having  a spray  of  blossoming  prunus  worked 
upon  it  in  slight  relief  and  finished  with  the  graving-tool.  The 
foot,  of  the  same  blue  tint  underneath,  is  colored  iron-gray  round 
the  rim.  The  neck,  slightly  chipped,  is  mounted  with  a copper 
rim.  Height,  8 inches.  No.  324. 

Decorated  Vase  (Hua  P'^ing),  painted  in  delicate  enamel  col- 
ors with  gilding  of  the  Yung-cheng^  or  later  K'‘ang-hsi^  period. 
The  large  characters  outlined  in  brocaded  strokes  on  the  two 
sides  of  the  vase  are  shou^  “longevity,”  and/w,  “happiness.”  The 
character  i^hou  is  interrupted  by  a peach-shaped  medallion,  con- 
taining a picture  of  the  three  stellar  divinities,  Fu,  Lu,  and  Shou 
of  the  Taoist  Triad,  with  attendant  sprites.  The  character  fu^ 
on  the  opposite  side,  is  inten-upted  by  a circular  medallion  dis- 
playing a picture  of  the  Taoist  goddess,  Hsi  Wang  Mu,  crossing 
the  sea  on  a raft.  The  intervals  are  filled  in  with  colored  cloud 
scrolls,  above  which  a couple  of  storks  are  flying,  bringing  peaches. 
Height,  17  inches.  No.  325. 

Libation-Cup  {Chileh),  of  old  brown  “ boccaro,”  of  Yi-hsing- 
hsien.  The  paste  is  seen  underneath  in  the  unglazed  part,  indicat- 
ing the  material  to  be  a dark  grayish-brown  faience.  The  cup  ha& 
an  open  handle  invested  in  two  branches  of  scrolled  fungus  and 
rests  on  three  scroll  feet.  The  molded  decoration  outside  consists 
of  floral  scrolls  and  a quatrefoil  border.  It  is  enameled  inside  and 
out  with  a brownish-yellow  crackled  glaze,  overlaid  with  irregular 
splashes  of  mottled  purplish-gray  color,  partially  concealing  the 
yellow  ground.  Length,  4^  inches.  No.  326. 

Butterfly-shaped  Snuff-Bottle;  imperial  yellow  glaze. 

No.  327. 

Large  Vase  {Ta  PHng),  decorated  in  brilliant  enamel  colors  of 
early  K''ang-hsi  date,  with  the  picture  of  a battle  scene  taken 
from  the  Hsu  Shui  Hu,  a celebrated  romance  recounting  the  deeds 
of  notorious  brigands.  The  heroine,  the  “ White  Lady,”  who  is 
riding  a lion,  and  the  principal  generals  mounted  on  horseback,^ 
carry  small  flags  with  their  names  inscribed.  Greens  of  different 
shade  predominate  among  the  colors;  the  dark  cucumber-green,^ 
the  pale  apple-green,  and  the  purple  exhibit  the  finely  crackled 


DESCEIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


891 


texture,  cliaracteristic  of  some  of  the  splendid  monochrome  glazes 
of  the  period.  Height,  30  inches.  No.  328. 

Libation-Cup  ( Chueh),  of  tim  Kang-hsi  period,  painted  in  col- 
ors, with  hieratic  designs  taken  from  ancient  bronzes.  The  two 
lizardlike  dragons  modeled  in  full  openwork  relief  under  the  broad 
lip  of  the  cup  are  colored  green,  and  there  is  another  pair,  colored 
blue,  clinging  to  the  sides  of  the  bandlike  handle.  Short  dentated 
ridges  project  vertically  from  the  bowl,  which  is  painted  with  the 
features  of  the  fao-fieh  ogre  emerging  from  spiral  clouds.  The 
rim,  both  inside  and  outside,  is  surrounded  by  a band  of  dragons 
and  sacred  fungus,  displayed  upon  a pale-green  backgi'ound  dotted 
with  black.  Length,  4f  inches.  No.  329. 

Snuff-Bottle;  imperial  yellow  crackle.  No.  330. 

Snuff- Bottle;  blue  and  white  with  red  dragon.  No.  331. 

Vase  (Hua  PHng),  of  the  finest  porcelain  of  the  Yung-cJieng 
period,  artistically  painted  in  delicate  colors  upon  a translucently 
white  ground  with  flowers  and  birds.  A yulan  magnolia,  spring- 
ing from  the  foot  of  the  vase,  spreads  gracefully  round  to  decorate 
it  with  snow-white  flowers  and  buds,  and  beneath  the  tree  are 
peonies,  with  pink  and  white  blossoms,  and  roses,  yellow  and  red. 
A flowering  branch  of  Pyrus  spectabilis  [hai-fang)  with  shaded 
pink  flowers  winds  across  the  interval,  having  a small  gaylj^  plum- 
aged  bird  perched  upon  it,  which  is  seen  in  the  foreground,  and 
the  mate  is  fljdng  in  the  background.  The  neck  is  strengthened 
by  a European  mounting  designed  as  a trailing  vine.  Height,  Sc- 
inches. No.  332. 

Cylindrical  Receptacle  for  Scented  Flowers  (Hsiang 
Hua  T\mg)^  adopted  for  offering  blossoms  of  the  mo-li  hua 
(Jasminum  sa.mhac)  or  other  fragrant  flowers  before  the  domestic 
shrine.  Closed  at  the  top,  the  bottom  is  perforated  and  shaped 
for  a screw  cover  for  the  introduction  of  the  flowers,  and  the 
sides  are  pierced  in  the  intervals  of  the  painted  decoration,  so  that 
the  fragrance  may  penetrate  and  be  diffused.  The  group  of 
figures  on  the  sides  represents  the  Taoist  Triad,  the  three  stellar 
divinities  of  happiness,  rank,  and  longevity,  and  on  the  top  is 
painted,  in  the  same  bright  enamel  colors  of  the  Ch'ien-lung  period, 
the  Taoist  immortal  Tung  Fang  So,  speeding  over  the  clouds. 


892  DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


with  a branch  of  peaches,  the  fruit  of  life,  on  his  shoulder. 
Height,  inches.  No.  333. 

Four  Snuff-Bottles:  I.  Blue  and  white;  Chien~lung 

(334) .  2.  With  foliations  in  relief;  mark,  Tao-kuang  nien  chih 

(335) .  3.  With  dark,  lustrous-brown  glaze  over  dark-blue  deco- 
ration; Chien-lung  period  (336).  4.  In  the  form  of  a bud,  and 

covered  with  a yellow  glaze  (337).  Nos.  334-337. 

Beaker-shaped  Vase  (Hua  Ku),  of  the  K'^ang-hsi  period, 
artistically  decorated,  in  bright  enamel  colors,  with  a pair  of 
magpies  in  plumage  of  glossiest  black,  recalling  the  tint  of  the 
brilliant  monochrome  glaze  of  the  period  commonly  known  as 
“ raven’s- wing.”  The  birds  are  perched  upon  rocks,  with  a 
prunus-tree  in  the  background,  which  extends  its  blossoming 
branches  in  all  directions  to  cover  the  rest  of  the  surface  of  the 
vase  with  a charming  floral  decoration.  The  mark  underneath 
is  an  antique  form  of  the  character  /w,  “ happiness,”  in  a small 
oblong  panel,  inclosed  within  a double  circle.  Height,  13|^  inches. 

No.  338. 

Eggshell  Dish  {To-fai  P'^an),  painted  in  the  delicate  enamel 
colors,  with  gilding,  of  the  famille  rose.  The  diapered  band 
encircling  the  rim  is  pink  (rose  Por),  the  floral  brocade  which 
succeeds  it  is  displayed  upon  a lilac  diaper,  and  the  convoluted 
edge  of  the  central  panel  has  the  outline,  which  is  that  of  a peony- 
petal  folded  over  at  intervals,  penciled  in  gold.  The  graceful 
figures  in  the  panel,  upheld  by  light  sprays  of  equisetum  moss, 
represent  the  fairy  goddess,  Hsi  Wang  Mu,  with  a ju-i  scepter,, 
and  an  attendant  carrying  a peach,  painted  in  sepia  tints  lightly 
touched  with  gold.  Diameter,  7f  inches.  No.  339. 

Snuff-Bottle,  in  the  shape  of  a gourd  overgrown  by  a gourd- 
vine.  No.  340. 

Large  Vase  (Ta  PHng).  The  opposite  side  of  the  piece 
illustrated  in  Fig.  328,  showing  the  rest  of  the  picture  of  the 
battle  scene.  The  banner  in  the  middle  of  the  shoulder  of  the 
vase  is  that  of  the  imperial  army,  being  emblazoned  Ta  Sung^ 

The  Great  Sung,”  the  name  of  the  djmasty  that  reigned  960- 
1279.  Tlie  group  on  the  neck  of  the  vase  represents  the  com- 
mander-in-chief with  a flag  inscribed  with  his  rank,  shuai. 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


893 


surrounded  by  his  staif;  they  are  gazing  upward  on  the  god  of 
war  appearing  on  wheels  of  lire  as  an  omen  v>f  victory.  Height, 
30  inches.  No.  341. 

PoRCELAm  Pillow  Chen).  One  of  the  square  ends  of  the 

pillow  shown  in  Fig.  16,  decorated  with  a scene  from  a comedy 
painted  in  overglaze  enamel  colors.  The  other  end  is  painted 
with  a companion  picture,  taken  apparently  from  the  same  play. 
Diameter,  6 inches.  No.  342. 

Figure  of  Kuan  Ti  [ICumi  Ti  Hsiang),  the  Chinese  god  of 
war.  Seated  in  a dragon-armed  chair  of  carved  wood,  in  a con- 
ventional attitude,  with  one  foot  raised  upon  a pile  of  rock,  the 
other  resting  on  a lion.  The  figure  is  decorated  in  antique  style, 
sur  hiscidt,  with  minute  and  careful  finish,  in  the  rich  enamel  char- 
acteristic of  the  finest  K'^ang-hsi  period,  combined  with  lavish 
gilding  to  throw  out  the  delicate  pierced  work  of  the  coat-of-mail. 
Height,  11  inches.  No.  343. 

Snuff-Bottle,  with  soft  enamel  decoration,  of  C h’’ ien-lu7ig  pe- 
riod; mark,  CNeng-hua.  No.  344. 

Blue  and  White  Snuff-Bottle.  No.  345. 

The  Twin  Genii  of  Peace  and  Harmony  i^Ho  Ho  Erh  Hsien), 
decorated  in  bright  enam'el  colors  with  gilding  of  the  Chbien-lung 
period.  One  carries  in  his  hand  a blossom  and  leaf  of  the  sacred 
nelumbium,  or  lotus,  the  other  holds  a round  box,  full  of  precious 
gifts  of  happy  omen.  The  pedestal  simulates  a bank  of  clouds, 
being  worked  with  tiers  of  scrolls  under  the  glaze  of  celadon  tint 
with  which  it  is  enameled.  Height,  12  inches.  No.  346. 

Snuff-Bottle,  with  Shou-Lao  and  a deer  in  brilliant  enamels, 
on  a sang-de-hoeuf  ChHen-lung  period.  No.  347. 

Figure  of  Shou  Lao  {Shou  Lao  Hsiang),  the  Stellar  God  of 
Longevity.  A small  statuette  of  conventional  design  painted  in 
enamel  colors  of  the  Tao-kuang  period.  A peach,  the  symbolical 

fruit  of  life,”  is  held  in  one  hand,  and  the  robe  is  brocaded  with 
longevity  {shou)  characters.  Height,  8 inches.  No.  348. 

Relic  Shrine,  or  Dagaba  {T^a),  richly  decorated  in  enamel 
colors  with  gilding  of  the  ChHen-lung  period.  The  hollow  dome 


894 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


in  the  center,  with  an  open  door,  symbolizes  the  vault  of  heaven, 
and  it  is  covered  with  arabesque-like  scrolls  of  conventional  “ para- 
dise flowers”  [pao  hsiang  hua).  The  spirelike  summit  is  ringed  to 
represent  the  twelve  upper  celestial  tiers  of  the  Buddhist  universe; 
it  is  surmounted  by  a sacred  umbrella,  supporting  in  its  top  a pre- 
cious jar  [pao-p^ing)  bound  with  fillets.  Underneath  it  is  enam- 
eled pale  green,  like  some  of  the  finest  imperial  vases  of  the  time. 
Height,  16  inches.  No.  349. 

Blue  and  White  Snuff-Bottle.  No.  350. 

Snuff-Bottle,  covered  with  a dark,  apple-green  crackle;  K'^ang- 
hsi  period.  No.  351. 

Oblong  Plaque  [Ch'^a  mounted  in  a frame  of  carved 

wood  with  a stand  as  a screen  picture.  It  is  painted  in  colors, 
with  a representation  of  the  eight  Taoist  immortals,  or  genii  (pa 
hsien),  crossing  the  sea  in  procession,  on  their  way  to  the  Elysian 
Fields,  the  Shou  Shan,  or  “ Longevity  Hills,”  of  Taoist  story, 
which  are  represented  here  as  clad  with  fruit  trees  and  gigantic 
evergreen  pines.  The  enamels  are  those  of  the  ordinary  private 
pottery  of  the  Chbien-lung  period.  Size,  18  X inches. 

No.  352. 

Blue  and  White  Snuff-Bottle;  mark,  ChHen-lung. 

No.  353. 

Flower  Receptacles  (Hua  Cha),  of  white  Feti-Ting  porcelain 
of  the  K'ang-hsi  period,  delicately  molded  in  the  shape  of  a bunch 
of  nelumbium  bound  round  with  a reed.  The  folded  peltate  leaf, 
with  its  naturally  convoluted  margin,  forms  the  vase.  The  leaf- 
stalk curls  round  and  is  tied,  as  it  extends  upward,  into  a bundle 
with  a full}^  expanded  flower,  showing  the  cupped  lotus  fruit  in  the 
middle,  a bud,  and  a smaller  leaf;  all  modeled  in  natural  detail  with 
the  aid  of  the  graving-tool.  The  soft-looking  glaze,  of  ivory-white 
tone,  has  an  undulating  pitted  surface.  Height,  6 inches. 

No.  354. 

Vase  (Hua  PHng),  of  brown  Kuangtung  stoneware  (Kuang 
Yao),  modeled  in  the  form  of  an  archaic  ritual  wine-vessel  of 
bronze,  with  a string  band  in  relief  encircling  the  neck  and  oxen’s 
heads  as  handles.  It  is  covered  with  a pale,  greenish-blue  glaze  of 
crackled  texture,  which  runs  ” in  thick  drops.  Height,  5 inches. 

No.  355. 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


895 


Saucer-shaped  Plate  of  eggshell  porcelain  of 

ChHen-lwig  date,  painted  in  enamel  colors  of  the  famille  rosCy 
within  panels  and  floral  designs  reserved  in  a richl}^  enameled 
ground  of  mottled  crimson  tint.  The  large  central  panel  is  painted 
with  a picture  of  fighting-cocks  and  peonies  displayed  upon  a 
partially  unrolled  scroll.  Sprays  of  plum-blossom  fill  in  the  spaces 
above  and  below;  and  the  border  of  the  plate  is  decorated  with 
small  panel  sketches  of  mountain  and  water  scenery,  alternating 
with  sprigs  of  orchid.  Diameter,  9 inches.  No.  356. 

“ Hawthorn”  Jar  {Mei-Hua  Kiian),  of  the  K’’ang-hsi  period, 
with  clumps  of  prunus- blossom,  alternating  with  single  flowers, 
studding  the  ground  of  mottled  blue,  which  is  traversed  by  a 
reticulation  of  darker  blue  lines.  The  flowers,  originall}^  reserved 
in  white,  have  been  filled  in,  subsequently,  with  bright  green 
and  brick-dust-red  enamels,  so  as  to  form  a kind  of  formal  floral 
diaper  of  these  two  colors.  Mark,  double  ring  in  underglaze  blue. 
Height,  8 inches.  No.  357. 

Wine-Pot  [Chiu  Hu)y  of  the  IPang-hsi  period,  with  looped 
handle  and  cover,  intended  to  be  connected  by  a chain,  enameled 
deep  reddish  brown  of  the  “dead-leaf”  type  {tzil  chin)y  and  deco- 
rated over  the  brown  monochrome  glaze  in  enamel  colors  with 
gilding.  It  is  painted,  on  the  two  sides,  with  the  picture  of  a 
Taoist  female  divinity  carrying  a basket  of  the  sacred  longevity 
fungus  (Ihig-chih)  suspended  by  a stick,  and  the  cover  is  overlaid 
with  small  sprays  of  flowers.  Height,  6 inches.  No.  358. 

Bowl  ( Wan),  of  the  K'^ang-hsi  period,  having  the  interior 
painted  in  blue  and  white  with  chrysanthemum  scrolls  and  with 
a floral  border  round  the  rim.  The  outside,  originally  a plain 
monochrome  brown,  has  been  pierced  on  the  lathe  with  a broad 
band  of  flowers  and  birds  in  European  style,  executed,  apparentl}^, 
in  Europe.  Diameter,  6 inches.  No.  359. 

Teapot  (CA’a  Hu),  of  the  “armorial  china”  type,  richly  deco- 
rated in  enamels  of  the  famille  rose  class,  with  gilding.  This  deco- 
ration consists  of  brocaded  floral  grounds  and  diapered  bands 
inclosing  foliated  panels  filled  with  sprays  of  chrysanthemum, 
peony,  and  other  flowers.  An  oval  panel  reserved  in  the  middle 
of  the  brocaded  ground  looks  as  if  it  were  intended  for  a coat-of- 


896  DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


arms,  but  is  filled  instead  with  a formal  flower,  which  is  painted  in 
black  touched  with  gold.  The  tray,  shown  in  Fig.  378,  of  the 
usual  hexagonal  form,  with  foliated  and  indented  rim,  is  decorated 
with  similar  designs.  No.  360. 

Saucer-shaped  Dish  (P'^an-tziX)^  of  eggshell  texture,  painted  in 
bright  enamel  colors  of  the  famille  rose  class  with  gilding.  The 
decoration,  of  “armorial  china”  type,  consists  of  floral  bands  and 
gilded  diapers  of  Chinese  style,  inclosing  emblems,  partly  European, 
partly  Chinese,  designed  for  the  bridal  service  of  the  Dutch  couple 
whose  names  and  monograms  are  inscribed  in  gilded  letters.  Their 
miniature  portraits  have  also  been  copied  by  the  Chinese  artist, 
whose  work  dates  from  about  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century. 
Diameter,  8 inches.  No.  361. 

Teapot  with  Cup  and  Saucer  ( Ch*a  Hu,  Wan,  Tieh),  part  of 
a service  painted  in  enamel  colors  with  Chinese  designs  for  the 
European  market,  early  in  the  seventeenth  century.  The  foliated 
panels  contain  grotesque  Pi-Un,  on  a floral  brocaded  ground,  and 
the  intervals  are  filled  in  with  branches  of  prunus-blossom  and 
birds.  The  teapot  has  a band  of  floral  diaper  round  the  shoulder, 
and  the  cover  is  mounted  with  a floral  knob.  No.  362. 

Bowl  ( Wan^,  decorated  in  overglaze  blue,  red,  and  green 
enamels  with  a conventional  floral  ground  studded  at  regular 
intervals  with  single  blossoms.  The  formal  borders  of  Indian 
style  that  encircle  the  rims  are  relieved  by  a ground  of  crackled 
yellow,  the  upper  edge  is  gilded,  and  there  is  a rim  of  green  round 
the  foot.  Bowls  of  this  peculiar  style  have  been  attributed  by 
some  to  Persia,  by  others  to  Hindustan,  or  to  Siam;  they  would 
seem,  however,  to  have  been  made  in  China  for  this  last  country 
after  the  native  taste.  Diameter,  7 inches.  No.  363. 

Plate  [P\m  tztc),  one  of  a pair,  artistically  decorated  in  soft 
colors  of  the  famille  rose,  with  the  backs  enameled  in  deep  pink 
(rose  (Vor)  round  the  border.  The  interior  is  painted  with  a land- 
scape representing  the  Hsi  Hu  Lake  at  Hangchou.  Temples  are 
seen  on  the  rocky  islands,  approached  by  bridges  of  varied  form, 
small  boats  are  sailing  in  the  lake  and  another  is  being  towed  along 
the  bank.  A range  of  mountains,  dimly  outlined  in  pink,  stretches 
across  in  the  far  distance.  The  border  is  filled  in  with  a diapered. 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS.  897 


pattern  on  a pale-pink  ground,  interrupted  by  three  foliated  panels, 
which  contain  sprays  of  flowers  and  fruit,  peonies  and  asters, 
peaches,  pomegranates,  and  melons.  Diameter,  8 inches.  No.  364. 

Receptacle  for  Water  (Shui  Ch'^eng),  of  the  faience  called 
‘‘  boccaro,”  made  at  Yi-hsing-hsien.  The  paste  of  comparatively 
pale  color,  approaching  buif,  is  coated  with  reddish-brown  and 
purple-gray  glazes,  to  imitate  the  tints  of  an  autumnal  leaf,  in  the 
shape  of  which  the  little  dish  is  molded.  The  stand  of  carved  ivory 
is  mounted  upon  a second  stand  of  rosewood.  Length,  5 inches. 

No.  365. 

Gourd-shaped  Vase  {Hu-lu  P'^ing),  of  the  K'^ang-hsi  period, 
enameled  with  a monochrome  celadon  glaze  of  pure  tone  and  pale- 
greenish  shade.  The  decoration,  which  is  beautifully  executed  in 
slight  relief  in  the  paste,  touched  with  the  graving-tool,  consists  of 
a close  interlacement  of  waving  scrolls  of  the  tree  peony  {Pceonia 
moutan).  The  rim  of  the  mouth  is  defined  by  a line  of  white  glaze, 
and  the  interior  is  lined  with  white  enamel,  as  well  as  the  foot  under- 
neath, where  there  is  no  mark  inscribed.  Height,  1V|^  inches. 

No.  366. 

Tall  Beaker  [Hua  Ku),  decorated  in  cobalt-blue  of  brilliant 
tints  developed  under  the  pure  translucent  glaze  characteristic  of 
the  K'^ang-hsi  period.  The  surface  of  the  vase  is  divided  by  a 
light  horizontal  band  of  triangular  fret  into  two  sections,  which  are 
decorated  with  sprays  of  magnolia  springing  from  rocks,  so  that 
the  flowers  stand  out  in  snowy-white  relief  from  a shaded  back- 
ground of  pulsating  blue.  The  mark,  written  underneath  in  three 
columns  of  two  characters,  within  a large  double  ring,  is  Ta  CJiHng 
IC^ang-hsi  nien  chih,  ‘‘Made  in  the  reign  of  K’ang-hsi  (1662-1 V22) 
of  the  Great  Ch’ing  [dynasty].”  Height,  20  inches.  No.  367. 

Cream- Jug  {Nai  Kuan),  of  the  famille  rose  class,  with  a cover 
surmounted  by  a knob,  modeled  in  European  form,  as  part  of  a tea- 
set,  and  decorated  with  enamel  colors  in  the  style  of  the  rouge  cVor 
dishes.  Foliated  panels,  containing  sprays  of  peony,  hibiscus 
(China  rose),  jasmine,  and  other  flowers,  are  inclosed  in  gilded 
ground  of  diaper  pattern.  No.  368. 

Vase  (Kua  PHng),  of  Kuangtung  stoneware,  with  ring  handles 
suspended  on  lions’  heads.  The  opaque  body  of  dark-brown  paste 


898  DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


is  covered  with  a thick,  translucent  glaze  of  bright-green  tint 
mottled  with  brown  and  becoming  grayish  blue  at  the  edges. 
Height,  10^  inches.  No.  369. 

Vase  [PHng),  of  Kuangtung  stoneware,  made  of  light  but  hard 
material,  of  brown  color,  with  a pair  of  lizardlike  dragons  project- 
ing in  openwork  relief  from  the  base  of  the  neck.  It  is  enameled 
with  a translucent  crackled  glaze  of  rich  emei’ald-green  color,  pass- 
ing into  purplish  gra,y  toward  the  rim  of  the  vase  and  over  the 
more  prominent  parts  of  the  molding.  Height,  inches. 

No.  370. 

Censer  (Hsiang  Lv)^  of  Fuchien  porcelain,  with  a floral  design 
composed  of  bamboos  and  peonies  growing  from  rocks  molded  in 
relief  under  the  typical  ivor3’^-white  translucent  glaze  witl)  which  it 
is  invested.  A circular  seal,  stamped  under  the  foot,  displays  the 
inscription  in  arcliaic  script,  Hsuan-te  nien  chih,  “Made  in  the 
reign  of  Hsiian-te  (1426-35).”  Diameter,  8 inches.  . No.  371. 

Vase  (Hua  P'ing),  of  Fuchien  porcelain  ( Chien  The  neck 

is  ornamented  with  a band  of  fret  succeeded  by  a ring  of  triangu- 
lar foliations,  and  the  body  with  four  identical  sprays  of  primus 
modeled  in  relief,  all  worked  in  the  paste  under  the  pure  white 
glaze,  which  is  of  ivory-white  tone.  Height,  7J  inches.  No.  372. 

Hoof-shaped  Vase  (Ma  TH  PHng),  of  Fuchien  porcelain,  cov- 
ered with  a molded  decoration  in  relief,  displaying  the  eight  Bud- 
dhist s}Hnbols  of  good  augury,  enveloped  in  waving  fillets  and  leafy 
scrolls.  The  white  glaze  of  creamy  tone  has  a slight  bluish  tinge. 
Height,  inches.  No.  373. 

Water  Receptacle  (Shut  CJi‘eng),  of  ancient  Kuangtung  fa- 
ience (Kuang  Yao),  modeled  in  the  form  of  a bronze  sacrificial 
wine-vessel.  The  paste,  of  buff  color,  is  invested  with  a celadon 
glaze  of  pale  sea-green  shade.  Height,  2|-  inches;  length,  6 inches. 

No.  374. 

Okimono,  of  Hirado  ware;  three  Chinese  boys  rolling  a snow- 
ball. , No.  375. 

Double  Fish- Vase  (Shuang  YiX  PHng),  modeled  in  the  form 
of  a pair  of  fish  springing  upright  from  the  waves,  the  bodies  of 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


899 


which  have  coalesced  to  make  a single  mouth  for  the  joint  vase. 
The  dorsal  fins  project  on  either  side  as  handles;  the  other  fins,  the 
scaly  bodies,  the  eyes  and  other  details,  as  well  as  a fringe  of  waves 
round  the  foot,  are  worked  in  the  paste,  as  part  of  the  decoration 
of  the  vase,  and  come  out  in  varied  shade  through  the  celadon  glaze 
of  pale  blue-green  tint  with  which  they  are  invested.  The  vases 
are  mounted  as  jugs  with  stands  in  an  appropriate  setting  of  bul- 
rushes. Height,  10  inches.  No.  376, 

Vase  {PHng),  one  of  a pair,  decorated  with  a pale-blue  souffle 
ground,  derived  from  cobalt,  penciled  in  a darker  shade  of  the  same 
underglaze  color,  with  a brocaded  design  of  prunus-blossoms  and 
triangles.  Pedestals  and  stoppers  in  the  form  of  crowns  of  Euro- 
pean work.  Height,  4 inches.  No.  377. 

Small  Tea-Tray  {cPa  pan),  from  the  same  set  as  the  teapot 
shown  in  Fig.  360,  painted  in  colors,  with  a similar  crestlike  badge 
in  the  middle.  No.  378. 

Gourd-shaped  Vase  (Hu-lu  PHng),  of  the  K'*ang-hsi  period, 
with  the  lower  two  thirds  of  the  globular  body  covered  with  a 
glaze  of  cafe-au-lait  color,  succeeded  by  a girdle  of  grayish-white 
crackle,  and  a narrow  band  of  blue  and  white  diaper,  the  upper  part 
being  decorated  in  blue  with  flowers  and  lambrequins  of  floral  bro- 
cade. European  silver  mounts.  No  mark.  Height,  7 inches. 

No.  379. 

Mishima  Bowl,  of  dark  stoneware,  enameled  with  a white  glaze 
with  the  incised  designs  filled  in  with  encaustic  black  clay.  See 
page  682. 

Conical  Archaic  Bowl  of  Korean  faience,  of  yellowish  color 
stippled  with  darker  spots.  See  p.  683.  No.  380. 

Shaped  Dish,  of  “Old  Japan  ” Imari  ware,  richly  decorated  in 
brilliant  colors  with  gilding.  See  p.  675.  No.  381. 

Old  Korean  Bowl,  with  a lightly  incised  decoration  under  a 
buff-tinted  celadon  glaze,  sparsely  and  superficially  crackled.  See 
page  683.  No.  382. 


Temple  Vase,  of  Takatori  pottery,  enameled  with  a crackled 
green  glaze  of  mottled  tint,  decorated  in  slip  in  low  relief  with 
Buddhist  figures.  No.  383. 


900 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Ornament  {Okimono),  of  Hirado  porcelain  molded  in  the  shape 
of  a white  colza  turnip  with  blue-tinted  leaves,  with  a rat  crouched 
upon  the  bulb.  No.  384. 

Vase,  of  Kyoto  faience,  with  a grayish  sparsely  crackled  glaze 
decorated  in  enamel  colors  and  gilding  with  flowers  and  insects  in 
the  “ Nishiki,”  or  brocaded,  style.  No.  385. 

Incense-Burner  {Koro),  of  Hirado  blue  and  white  porcelain, 
with  a picture  on  the  inner  cylinder,  seen  through  the  openwork 
trellis,  of  five  children  playing  in  a garden,  under  a pine-tree,  which 
spreads  over  the  pierced  cover.  See  page  746.  No.  386. 

Censer  {Koro),  of  white  Hirado  porcelain,  molded  in  the  form 
of  a grotesque  unicorn  lion,  with  a movable  head  as  a lid,  with  the 
details  modeled  in  relief  in  the  paste  and  lightly  chased  under  the 
glaze.  No.  387. 

Okimono,  of  white  Hirado  porcelain,  with  the  figure  of  a Shojo, 
with  smiling  face  and  long  hair  sweeping  the  ground,  standing 
beside  a tripod  wine-jar  with  a bamboo  ladle  in  his  hand.  No.  388. 

Incense-Burner  {Koro),  of  Imari  ware,  fashioned  in  the  shape 
of  a cock  perched  upon  a stump  of  wood  and  painted  in  enamel 
colors,  black,  brown,  and  red,  with  touches  of  gold  and  silver. 
Circa,  1700.  No.  389. 

Sake-Bottle  of  Okawaji  ware,  with  a crackled  celadon  glaze. 
Fully  described  on  page  742.  No.  390. 

Small  Censer  {Koro),  of  Hirado  porcelain,  with  a pierced  outer 
trellised  casing  overspread  with  three  sprays  of  chrysanthemum 
flowers  modeled  in  slight  relief.  Silver  openwork  cover.  No.  391. 

Satsuma  Figure  of  Chinese  boy  {Kara-ko),  holding  a palm-leaf 
fan,  richly  decorated  in  enamel  colors  and  gilding.  No.  392. 

Sake-Bottle  of  Satsuma  ware,  decorated  in  soft  enamel  colors 
and  gold  with  sprays  of  Paulownia  imperialis.  Silver  Kiku 
stopper. — Satsuma  Vase,  decorated  in  enamel  colors  with  a selec- 
tion from  the  precious  objects  called  Takaramono  described  on 
page  758.  Ko.  393. 


DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


901 


Chinese  Lion  {Kara  Shishi)^  of  Hirado  porcelain  of  the  eight- 
eenth century,  with  its  left  fore-foot  upon  an  openwork  ball  of 
quatrefoil  brocade  pattern.  The  details  are  lightly  etched  under 
the  white  glaze,  which  is  of  pale  greenish  tone.  No.  394. 

Satsuma  Figure  of  Hotei,  the  Monk  of  the  Hempen  Bag,  painted 
in  enamel  colors  and  gold.  See  p.  757.  No.  395. 

Small  Cylinder,  with  perforated  side,  of  Hizen  blue  and  white 
porcelain;  mark  of  Shonsui.  No.  396. 

Yase,  of  Kyoto  porcelain,  decorated  in  rich  enamel  colors  with 
gilding,  with  elaborate  floral  scrolls  and  panel  pictures  of  Buddhist 
figures  described  on  p.  733.  No.  397. 

Large  Dish,  of  “Old  Imari”  ware, painted  in  underglaze  blue  in 
combination  with  enamels  and  gilding  in  the  typical  chrysanthemo- 
peonienne  style.  See  p.  740.  No.  398. 

Large  Covered  Jar,  of  “ Old  Imari  ” ware,  decorated  in  colors 
and  gold  with  pictures  of  outdoor  scenes  and  brocaded  bands  with 
pierced  trellis- work  panels.  No.  399. 

Water-Pot,  of  Hizen  porcelain  molded  in  the  shape  of  a fish- 
dragon,  and  painted  in  underglaze  blue  with  touches  of  black 
enamel  and  gold.  See  page  741.  No.  400. 

Sake-Pot,  of  Hizen  porcelain,  decorated  with  dragons  in  the 
midst  of  flower-strewn  waves,  painted  in  dark  green  and  other 
enamel  colors.  See  page  741.  No.  401. 

Cake-Dish,  of  Hirado  porcelain,  painted  in  blue  with  a group 
of  seven  Chinese  boys  playing  under  a pine-tree.  See  page  744. 

No.  402. 

Hirado  Censer,  of  pale  celadon  tint,  with  openwork  cover  and 
trellis  casing  displaying  the  badge  of  the  Tokugawa  house.  See 
page  746.  No.  403. 

Figure  of  Buddha,  standing  upon  a lotus  pedestal  modeled  in 
Hirado  porcelain,  and  painted  in  blue  with  touches  of  brown  and 
black.  See  page  746.  No.  404. 


902  DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  THE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Vase,  of  Hirado  porcelain,  decorated  in  three  sections,  the 
middle  lightly  chased  with  scrolls  enameled  white,  the  other  two 
decorated  in  colors  relieved  by  a russet-red  ground.  See  page  V47. 

No.  405. 

Small  Jar  of  Satsuma  faience,  with  conventional  floral  scrolls  in 
enamel  colors  and  gold.  Old  silver  cover,  a lotus-leaf.  No.  406. 

Satsuma  Figure  of  Chinese  boy,  holding  up  a jewel,  richly 
decorated  in  enamel  colors  and  gilding.  No.  407. 

Satsuma  Censer,  fashioned  as  a bowl  on  a tripod  stand  pierced 
with  three  medallions  and  delicately  painted  in  enamel  colors  and 
gold.  See  page  758.  No.  408, 

Tripod  Censer  with  mask  handles,  of  Kutani  porcelain,  deco- 
rated in  enamel  colors.  Cover  of  lacquered  metal.  More  details 
are  given  on  page  764.  No.  409. 

Satsuma  Censer,  modeled  in  the  shape  of  a court  hat,  with 
pierced  work  and  painted  decoration  of  floral  scrolls.  See  page 
759.  No.  410. 

Bowl,  of  Kutani  porcelain,  artistically  decorated  in  brilliant 
enamels  colors  with  sprays  of  iris  painted  upon  a soft  milk-white 
ground.  See  page  764.  No.  411. 


INDEX 


Note. — The  references  given  below  to  the  text  of  Oriental  Ceramic  Art  refer  to  pages 
in  this  edition,  while  those  referring  to  the  Figures  and  Plates  apply  only  to  the  Illus- 
trated Edition  published  in  ten  sections. 


A 

Abbott  Collection,  504 
Ablution  vessels  of  porcelain,  21 
Accadiau  source  of  Chinese  civiliza- 
tion, 25 

Africa,  216;  Chinese  trade  with,  605 
After  T’ang,  50 

Agra  sacked  by  the  Mahrattas,  239 
Aichi,  730 

Ai  lien  chen  sliang,  103 
Airavata,  114 
Ai  yeh, 121 

Alcantara,  collection  in  Royal  Palace 
of,  607 

Alchemists,  the  three,  227;  mediaeval, 
116 

Alcock,  Sir  Rutherford,  696 
Alms-bowl,  the  sacred,  114,  123,  493; 

made  of  porcelain,  21 
Altar-cups,  222;  their  proper  colors, 
225,  491 

Altar  of  Earth,  utensils  for,  225 
Altar  of  Heaven,  225,  491 
Altar  of  Jupiter,  226 
Altar  of  the  Sun,  226 
Amakusa,  743 
Amaranthus,  415 
Ama-Yaki,  703 
Ameya  Yeisei,  703 
Amitabha,  588 

Amoy,  298;  a center  of  Kuang-yao 
manufacture,  632 
Analysis  of  blue  material,  437 
Ancestral  Temple  at  Peking,  490 
Ancestral  worship  in  China,  46> 
Ancient  odes,  79 


Anderson,  William,  700 

An  hua,  268,  476 

An  hui,  180,  279,  392 

Animals,  Buddhist  ni3dhological,  590 

An  lung,  476 

Annals  of  Fou-liang  hsien,  178 
Antimony  ore,  264 
Antiquaries  in  China,  356 
Antiquities,  Chinese,  648  ; works  on, 
648,  649 

An-yei,  725,  753 
Aoi,  764 

Aoki  Yasohachi,  732 
Aoyama  Koyemon,  732 
Apple-green  Lang-yao,  303 
Arabesques,  257 
Arabic  inscriptions,  216,  217 
Arab  trade  with  China.  23 
Arbor-vit^  leaf,  261 
Archaic  charactei's,  45 
Arhats,  470,  586 

Arita,  34,  674,  712;  kilns,  735,  737; 
technical  school  at,  739;  first  pottery 
at,  674 

Armorial  china,  380,  381,  612 
Arrow  receptacles,  489,  502 
Arsenic,  552 

Arsenious  acid,  colors  developed  from, 
529 

Art,  Chinese  books  on,  646 
Artificer’s  lleconl,  641 
Art  of  Japan,  its  chief  exponents,  700 
Artemisia-leaf,  121 

Ashes  used  in  the  glaze,  how  prepared, 
181,  427 

Ashikaga  Shoguns,  681 
Asia  under  Mongol  rule,  566 


903 


904 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. INDEX. 


Astrological  figures,  561 
Aubergine,  129,  146,  157-161 
Aubergine-purple,  how  applied,  315; 

of  Yung-cli^ng  period,  370 
Augustus  the  Strong,  9,  35,  239 
Avalokita,  588,  627 
Avery  Collection,  8 
Awaji  ware,  689 

Awata  ware,  688,  732,  750;  how  dis- 
tinguished from  Satsuma,  689 
Azure-blue,  340,  341 

B 

Babylonia  (=  Cairo),  the  Sultan  of,  605 
Bagdad,  10 

Bai-kwa  do  Go  Hei  Sei,  699 
Bamboo,  117;  a symbol  of  longevity, 
597 

Bamboo  grove,  the  Seven  Worthies  of, 
601 

Bamboo  tablets,  45 
Bamboo  tube  and  rods,  115 
Banko-yaki,  688 
Baragon  Turned,  95,  113 
“ Barbering  ” of  porcelain,  620 
Barbotine,  434 
Barcelona,  149 

Basins  in  Lung-ching  period,  238 
Baskets  of  porcelain,  perforated,  489 
Bat,  a rebus-device,  124;  homonym  of 
happiness,  124 

Batavia,  a factory  established  at,  607 
Batavian  decoration,  502;  ware,  314 
Battersea  enamels,  404 
Battle-scenes,  570 
Beads  of  porcelain,  505 
Beakers  (ku),  180 

Belles-lettres,  works  relating  to  Chinese, 
659 

Bethlehem,  454 
Bethnal  Green  Museum,  699 
Bible  of  Taoism,  576 
Bibliography  of  Chinese  ceramics,  639- 
669 

Bihliotlihiue.  de  V Enseignement  des 
Beaux- Art 700 
Bihliotlieque  Natiouale,  148 
Bing,  M.  J.,  700,  708 


Bird,  the  three-legged  solar,  109 

Birds  and  flowers,  599 

Birds  paying  court  to  the  phoenix,  600* 

Bishop,  H.  R.,  175 

Bizen-yaki,  687,  721 

Bleu  de  roi,  266 

Bleu  fouette,  312 

Black  enamel,  552 

Black  glazes,  313,  440;  copies  of,  in 
Yung-cli5ng  period,  389;  minerals^ 
used  for,  526 

Black  grounds  of  the  grand  feu,  543 
Black,  metallic,  313 
Blanc-de-chine,  47,  97 
Blowing  on  the  glaze,  445 
Blue,  the  leading  color  on  porcelain,. 
436;  the  favorite  Ming  color,  258, 
567;  under  the  glaze,  675;  selection 
of  the  material,  438;  derived  from 
cobalt,  312;  of  the  grand  feu,  541;. 
Mohammedan,  193,  203,  216,  221; 
porcelain,  226,  231,  232 
Blue  and  white,  33,  34,  39,  82, 191,  194, 
226,  232,  242,  243,  299,  322,  385,  525, 
564,  687,  743;  crackle,  320;  pieces 
illustrated,  Figs.  14,  17,  34,  39,  42, 
51,  54,  83,  90,  112,  114,  128,  135,  176, 
178,  184,  187,  204,  226,  232,  234,  247, 
248,  269,  290,  300,  331,  334,  345,  350, 
353,  386,  396,  Plates  XLII,  XLIX, 
CXII,  CXIII;  imported  into  Europe, 
298 

Board  of  Works,  295 
Boccaro,  13,  135,  219,  273,  374,  375,  635 
Bodhidharma,  589,  627,  633;  shown  in 
Plate  XLI 

Bodhisat,  335,  586,  587 
Bodhisattva,  747 
Boku-heii,  751,  753 
Boku-Shoki,  755 
Boku-Sokuan,  755 
Bonzes,  286,  587 
Bonzesse,  703 
Book  of  Changes,  108,  640 
Book  of  History,  25,  601,  640 
Book  of  Odes,  640 
Book  of  Rites,  640 
Borneo,  454,  188,  510 
Boston  Museum,  676,  678 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. — INDEX. 


905 


Bottger,  610,  635 
Bottle-gourd,  597 
Boucher,  Guillaume,  566 
Bow  decoration  of  Oriental  porcelain, 
618 

Bowls,  224,  225,  264;  decorated  in  blue, 
171;  used  for  tea-drinking,  22;  of 
Lung-cli’ing  period,  236;  of  Cliia- 
ching  period,  224,  225,  226,  227,  231, 
232 

Branches,  the  twelve,  52,  53 
Brinkley,  quoted  or  referred  to,  34, 
164,  676,  726 
Briquettes,  334 

British  Museum,  8,  16,  216,  273,  280, 
618,  682 

Brocaded  ware,  208,  755,  756 
Brocade  patterns,  list  of  ancient,  235- 
236 

Brocades,  old  silk  used  as  decorative 
motive,  568 

Broissia,  Marquis  de,  286 
Bronguiart,  M,  Alexandre,  12,  13,  265, 
324 

Bronze,  the  chief  material  for  artistic 
work  in  China,  560 

Bronze  articles,  a penal  otfense  to  pos- 
sess, 174 

Bronze  sacriticial  vessels,  different 
kinds  of,  489 

Bronzes,  Chinese  works  on,  648 
Brown  glaze,  its  varieties  and  many 
names,  314;  its  ingredients,  265 
Brown  porcelain,  226,  233 
Browns  of  the  grand  feu,  540 
Brush  pots,  or  cylinders,  173,  489,  etc. 
Brush-washers,  124,  173 
Bubbling,  446 

Buddha,  227,  478;  jade  image  of,  202; 
the  coming,  587;  signs  on  his  foot, 
111 

Buddha’s-hand  citron,  141 
Buddha’s-head  blue,  263,  439 
Buddha’s  heart,  114 
Buddhism,  106;  its  introduction  into 
China,  111,  584;  its  spread  to  Korea 
and  Japan.  585;  its  influence  on  Chi- 
nese art,  565,  590;  of  Tibet,  work  on, 
585 


Buddhist  bronze  objects,  563 
Buddhist  literature,  vastness  of,  585 
Buddhist,  Messiah,  587,  627,  757; 
mythological  animals,  590;  sets  of 
five,  492;  symbols,  95,  106,  111,  112, 
113,  114;  trinity,  733 
Bungo,  Prince  of,  750 
Bunkwa,  761 
Bunroku,  751 
Bunsei,  733 

Burghley  House  Collection,  237,  606 
Burlington  Fine  Arts  Club,  70,  94,  322, 
606 

Burma,  148 

Burning  of  the  books,  46 
Butsuami,  731 
Byzantium,  454 

C 

Cafe-au-lait  color,  314 
Caillou  transparent,  341 
Cairo  and  Aleppo,  605 
Caldrons  with  three  hollow  legs,  180 
Calendar  plant,  560 
Calicut,  456 
Cambula,  177,  190 
Camellia-leaf  green,  316 
Canary-yellow,  131,  697 
Canonical  books,  640 
Canon  of  Changes,  108 
Canton,  280,  298,  456;  visited  by  the 
Portuguese,  607 
Canton  ware,  374 
Capital  of  the  Tycoon,  696 
Carmine,  526 
Carnot,  President,  680 
“Cash,”  10,  102,  123,  137 
Cassia-tree,  110 
Cassius,  purple  of,  528 
Castanets,  115 

Catalogue  of  Imperial  Library  at  Pe- 
king, 640 
Cathay,  566 

Catty,  its  equivalent  in  pounds,  260 
Celadon,  the  name  explained,  148,  538, 
540;  imported  into  Europe,  298,  609; 
found  in  Africa,  148;  colorable  imita- 
tions of,  484;  its  ingredients,  264; 


906 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. INDEX. 


in  the  Yuan,  187;  pieces  illustrated, 
Figs.  7,  13,  26,  43,  44,  100,  107,  117, 
119,  120,  142,  152,  155,  159,  175,  183, 
204,  235,  284,  296,  366,  376,  Plates 
VII,  XV,  XXXV,  XXXVI, 
XXXVIII,  XL,  LXXXVI 
Celadon  de  cuivre,  538 
Celebrated  porcelain  of  different  dynas- 
ties, 132 

Celebrated  Writers  and  Artists,  Cyclo- 
pcBdia  of,  134 
Celestial  Fox,  the,  595 
Censers,  139,  143,  144,  145,  168,  238, 
etc, ; used  in  tea  ceremonies  of  Japan, 
694 

Ceramic  art,  appreciated  in  the  T’aug, 
21;  its  culminating  period  in  China, 
41;  miscellaneous  books  regarding, 
439;  bibliography  of,  in  Chinese,  639; 
of  Japan,  685;  its  fundamental  col- 
ors, 710;  a general  sketch  of,  709 
Ceramic  art,  History  of  the,  by  Jacque- 
mart,  39 

Ceramic  colors,  525-556 
Ceramic  industry  of  Japan,  traditions 
regarding,  29;  its  principal  centers, 
706-722;  fostered  by  the  Dutch, 
740 

Ceramic  literature,  Japanese,  701 
Ceramic  records,  abstract  of,  662 
Ceramics,  Chinese  works  on,  639-669 
Ceramic  terms,  Japanese,  686 
Ceramic  wares  of  Japan,  the  principal, 
723;  how  classed,  687 
Ceremonial  classic,  15 
Ceylon,  blue  and  white  discovered  in, 
239 

Ch’a,  92,  222;  cluing,  186,  205,  224;  hu, 
219 

CKa  Ching,  21,  656 
Chaffers,  W.,  51 
Chai,  79 

Ch’ai  porcelain,  24,  133,  138,  172 

Cha-ire,  702 

Chaityas,  590 

Ch’ai  yao,  127 

Chajin,  703 

Chakra,  111 

Chakravartin  (universal  sovereign),  95 


Chakravartti  Raja,  111,  113 
Chaldea,  562 

Ch’a-lu  (history  of  tea),  170,  626,  655 
Chamberlain,  Professor,  quoted,  31 
Chainpleve,  455,  636 
Chan  (spade)  115;  (wine-cup),  200,  224, 
306 

Chang,  509;  (entrails),  112;  (prosperity), 
85;  (the  potter),  154;  (the  twelve),  109 
Ch’ang-an  (capital  of  Shensi),  277 
Chang  brothers,  147 
Chang  Chao-lin,  294,  301 
Ch’ang  Ch’i,  178 
Chan  ching  chai  chili,  80 
Chang  Ch’i-chung.  41 
Chang  Ch’ien-t§,  497 
Chang-chou,  218,  635 
Chang  Chui-chang,  140 
Ch’ang  Ch’un  Kung,  81 
Changes,  Book  (or  Canon)  of,  108,  640 
Chang  Hua-mei,  260 
Ch’ang  ku  ch’i,  40 
Chang  Kuo,  115 
Chang  Kuo  Lao,  581 
Ch’ang  ming  fu  kuei,  96 
Ch’ang-nan-ch^u,  278 
Ch’ang-ngo,  The  lady,  595 
Chang  River,  101,  190,  278 
Chang-shan,  261,  461 
Chang  Siieng  grh,  “ Chang  Secundus,” 
147 

Chang  Sheng-yi,  147 
Chang  Ssii-ming,  295 
Chang-tO-fu,  164 
Ch’ang  wu  chili,  172 
Chang  Yin-huan  Collection,  16 
Cha-no-yu,  705,  752;  first  utensils  used, 
726;  in  Japan,  681;  its  influence  on 
Japanese  pottery,  692 
Chao-ch’ing  fu,  375 
Chao  K’ai,  god  of  the  potters,  462 
Chao-t’ien  (“worship  of  heaven”),  180 
Ch’a  p’an,  478 
Ch’a-pei,  141,  204,  215 
Chapu,  624 
Ch'a  P’u,  656 

Charles  VII,  King  of  France,  606 
Cha  ton  (“  slop-dishes”),  226,  238 
Cha-tsubo,  757 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. INDEX. 


907 


Chattra  (“  umbrella”),  112 
Cliavaimes,  M.,  559 
Cli’a-yeli-mo,  417 
Cliawan  Kiubei,  732 
Chawan-saka,  731 

CM  {=  Chekiang),  179,  181,  439;  -liao, 
439 

Chekiang,  22,  133,  436,  624 
Chelsea  color-painting  on  Oriental  por- 
celain, 618 

Chelsea,  soft  porcelain  of,  320 
Chemistry  unknown  in  China,  525 
Chgn  (gem),  102 

Ch’gii  (dynasty),  277;  (ancient  feudal 
state),  14 

Chen  Chill,  “ paper-weights,”  168 
Ch’^n  Chi-ju,  170 
Ch’gn-chou  Fu,  14 

Ch’^ng  Chlin-fang  (a  noted  ink-maker), 
660 

Chgng  Ho,  11,  142 

Ch’gng-hua,  40,  50,  67,  68,  77,  133,  135, 
191,  192,  193,  206-213,  220,  298,  299, 
301,  323,  436,  484;  blue  and  white, 
copied  in  Yung-ch§ng  period,  385; 
marks  on  K’ang-hsi  porcelain,  609; 
porcelain,  206;  five-color  porcelain, 
copied  in  Yung-cheng  period,  378 
Ch’eng  hua  nien  chili,  68 
Ch'eng  shih  mo  yuan,  660 
Cheng-t6  (emperor),  33,  68,  135,  216, 
217,  256,  378;  porcelain,  216-220, 
378 

Chgng  te  nien  chili,  217,  218 

Ch^n-ting-fii,  144;  its  porcelain,  178 

Cli6n  ting  hslian  chih,  87 

Ch^ii  Tsung,  65 

Cheng-t’ung,  64,  206 

Ch5n  wan, 101 

Chen  yii,  101 

Chi  (good  fortune),  100 

Chia  (wine-vessel),  146 

Chia-ch’ang,  50 

Chia-ching,  45.  66,  69,  92,  191,  193,  200, 
220,  222,  223,  234,  256,  262-266,  271, 
322,  323,  436,  450;  designs,  223,  224, 
225,  226;  copies  of,  385;  porcelain, 
220-234 

Chia-ch’ing,  74,  80,  84,  86,  129,  464, 


465,  466;  porcelain,  466;  pieces  illus- 
trated, Figs.  8,  80,  294,  etc. 
Chia-ch’ing  (azure  put  in  press),  350 
Chia-ch’ing  yll  chih,  76 
Chia-ho,  134 
Chia-hsing-fu,  132 
Chia  k’uan  (private  marks),  103 
Chiang  (=  Kiangnan),  179 
Chiang  Ch’i,  662 

C Mang-hsi  T’ang  Chih,  3,  309,  392;  its 
different  editions,  367,  613 
Chiang-t’ai  (paste-bodied),  320 
Chiang  fang,  92,  222 
Chiang-tou  Hung  (Haricot  red  or 
peach-bloom),  6,  37,  308 
Chiang-ts’un,  208 
Ch’iang-wei,  the  Rosa  indica,  599 
Chiang-yu  {=  Kiangsi),  399 
Chiao  (watered  or  pale),  381 
Chiao  ch’ing,  267 
Chiao  huang,  289 
Chiao  shih  p’ing,  195 
Chiao  t^ng,  161 
Chiao  tzu,  382 
Chia-tzu,  53,  55 
Chia  Wu,  55 
Chia  yir,  277 
Chi  ch^n  ju  ylr,  101 
Chi  ch’i,  225 
Chi  ch’ing,  85,  481,  526 
Chi  ch’iug  yu  yti,  125 
Chi-chou,  127,  162,  509 
Chicken-cups,  76,  208 
Chicken-red,  372 
Chicken’s-claw,  448 
Ch’ieh  p’i  tzu,  315,  370 
Chieh-t’ien,  181 
Ch’ieh  tzu,  129,  161 
Chien  (sword),  115 
Ch’ien  (“cash”),  120;  (heaven),  98 
Chien-an,  163,  164,  170 
Chien-chang-fu,  183 
Chien-chou,  127,  162,  163,  172,  184 
Chien  chu  kuan,  253 
Ch’ien  fen,  264,  266 
Chien-k’ang,  277 
Ch’ien  k’un  cii’ing  tai,  237,  247 
Ch’ien-lung,  3,  45-50.  65,  71,  74,  76,  77, 
80-93,  115,  125,  128,  130,  270,  280, 


908 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. INDEX. 


295,  296,  317,  328,  359,  391-419,  420, 
458,  463,  473,  478;  some  specialties 
of  the  period,  410;  its  f^n-ting  ware, 
318;  its  flower  decorations,  415;  its 
openwork  carving,  269;  pieces  illus- 
trated, Figs.  13,  27,  31,  36,  50,  55,  61, 
62,  65,  76,  79,  87,  90,  100,  108,  112, 
118,  146,  163,  168,  170,  176,  179,  183, 
185,  186,  189,  191,  249,  263,  267,  269, 
270,  271,  273,  274,  277,  279,  281-286, 
292,  296,  300,  301,  314,  317,  320,  333, 
334,  336,  344,  346,  347,  349,  353,  362, 
Plates  XVI,  XIX,  XXII,  XXYI, 
XXVII,  XXIX,  XXX,  XXXI, 
XXXV,  XXXVI,  XXXVIII, 
XLIV-XLVI,  LXIV,  LXXVI- 
LXXVIII,  LXXXI,  LXXXVII, 
XCII 

Ch’ien-lung  nien  chi,  401,  406 
Ch’ien-lung  yu  chili,  76 
Ch’ien  Niu  the  cowherd,  468 
Chien-ning-fu,  163,  626 
Ch’ien-t’an,  423 
Chien  t’ao,  177 
Chien-t’ung,  489,  502 
Chien  tz’u  (Fuchien  ware),  164,  534, 
626,  724;  examples  of.  Figs,  371- 
373,  Plate  XIII 
Chien-yang  hsien,  184,  626 
Chien  Yao,  38,  164,  627;  Takemoto’s 
copies  of,  698 
Chih-chgng,  66,  566 
Chih-chih,  178 
Chih-ch’ui  p’ing,  473 
Chi-hsiang,  111 
Chi  hsiang  jii  i,  100 
Chill  hsiu  ts’ao  fang,  85 
Chih-hua,  the  Gardenia  florida,  599 
Chihli,  22,  130,  162,  257 
Chill  Nil,  “ the  spinning  damsel,”  468 
Gliili  pn  tsu  chai  ts’ung  situ,  666 
Chih-tzu,  180 

Chi  Hung,  302,  371,  407,  472 
Ch’ih-lung  (dragon),  shown  in 

Fig.  278 

Chi  kang,  76,  208 
Chi-kuan,  599 
Chikuzen,  753 

Children  in  porcelain  decoration,  602 


Ch’i-lin,  594 

Cli’i-m^n-hsien,  423 

Ch’in  (or  Kin),  108 

Chin,  Prince  of,  144 

China,  its  administrative  divisions,  642; 

not  isolated,  565;  Arab  trade  with,  23 
China  (porcelain),  armorial,  611;  ex- 
amples of.  Figs.  52,  360,  etc. 

Chin  ch’ing  Yu,  266 
Ch’in,  Ch’i,  Shu,  Hua,  106,  121 
Chin  dynasty,  56,  133,  436,  624 
Chinese  art,  646;  characters,  42,  43,  44; 
chronology,  25;  civilization,  26;  copies 
of  old  Imari  ware,  609;  cycles,  table 
of,  54;  dictionaries,  641;  dynasties, 
table  of,  56-57;  literary  research,  24; 
encyclopaedias,  645,  647;  intercourse 
with  western  Asia,  565;  numerals, 
table  of,  105;  pronunciation,  45-46; 
provinces  producing  porcelain,  622; 
script,  45;  syllabary,  44;  works  on 
geography,  643 

Chinese-English  dictionaries,  641 
Chinese  and  Japanese  ceramists  con- 
trasted, 709 

Chinese  language,  42,  124;  its  translit- 
eration, 44;  used  in  Japan,  687 
Chinese  Music,  109 

Chinese  porcelain,  classiflcation  of,  127; 
decoration  of,  557-603;  Julien’sbook 
on,  701 

Ching-ch’u  period,  568 

Ching-lien  Hall,  84 

Ching  lien  fang  fang  ku  chih,  84 

Ching-lung  period,  19 

Ching  Pao  (Peking  Gazette),  459 

Ching  ssii  fang  chih,  85 

Ching-tai,  455,  566 

Ching-fai,  64,  206 

Ching  tg,  278,  287 

Ching-tg-chgn  passim,  its  name,  posi- 
tion, history,  etc.,  276-292;  described 
by  Pere  d’Entrecolles,  283-286;  its 
furnaces  by  Scherzer,  291,  292,  etc. 
Ching-U-chen  T'ao  Lu,  2,  19,  172,  281; 
cpioted,  294,  306,  362,  374,  397,  457, 
460,  633;  its  contents,  668 
Ching-tih  (same  as  Ch^ng-t^),  217 
Ching  wei  fang  chih,  80 


OEIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. INDEX. 


909 


€liing-yu,  255 

Oh’ing  (congratulations),  100;  (good 
fortune),  108;  (a  sounding-stone), 
108;  (pure)  293 
Ch’ing-Cli’uan,  287 

Cli’ing  dynasty,  57;  table  of  rulers  of, 
58,  61,  62;  marks,  70 
Cli’ing  fan  (iron  sulphate),  264,  266 
Cli’ing  liua  liao,  263 
Cli’ing  liiia  (blue  and  white),  289 
Ch’ing  hua  pai  ti  (blue  decoration  on 
white  ground),  322 
Ch’ing  kuo  (a  fruit),  348 
Cli’ing-lien,  526 

Ch’ing  pai  tz’u  (celadon  porcelain),  234 

Ch’ing  gi  ts’ang,  127,  133,  652 

Ch’ing  t’zu,  10,  147,  160,  686 

Ch’ing  Wan  Hui,  652 

Ch’ing  yao,  271,  272 

Chin-hua-fu,  436 

Chin-Jukwan,  754 

Chin-K’gng,  181 

Chinkiang,  279 

Chin  ku  (golden  valley),  104 

Chin  111  (handkerchief  boxes),  251 

Chin  lun  (golden  wheel),  113 

Chin  lii  yu,  266 

Ch’i  pao,  106,  113 

Chin  (kin)  po  (gold  leaf),  264 

Chin-sha,  211 

Ch’in  Shill  Huang  (emperor),  46,  287 
Chinta-niani,  114 

Ch’in  ting  ku  chin  t’ou  shu  chi  ch’eng, 

646 

Ch’in  ting  P'ei  icen  chai  slm  huaii’u, 

647 

Chin-Tokitsu,  754 

Ch’in  wang  (imperial  prince),  309 

Chin  Yung-chun,  279 

Chiseled  work,  299 

Ch’i  tai  (seven  generations),  503 

Chiu  (wine),  92,  222 

Chiu  chan,  185,  224 

Chiu-chiang  (Kiukiang),  190 

Chiu  cluing  (wine-cups),  225 

Chiu-hai  fang,  599 

Chiu  Hai  (wine  seas),  231,  248 

Chiu  hu  (wine-pots),  185 

Chiu  pei,  210 


Chiu  p’ing  (wine-flask),  165 
Chiu  shill  f ung  chit,  321 
Chiu  tsun,  23 

Chi  yii  pao  ting  chili  shen,  101 
Chi  yil  fang  chili,  88 
Clio  ch’i  (table  services),  226,  235,  435, 
443 

Choji-buro,  695 
Chojiro  choyu,  704 
Chokei,  704 
Choniu,  704 

Chopsticks  of  porcelain,  506 
Chou  dynasty,  14,  26,  50,  107,  127, 
436 

Chou  Ch’i  yuan,  262 

Chou  Kao-ch’i,  635 

Chou  Kung,  108 

Chou  Li,  640 

Chou  Mao-shou,  209 

Chou  Ritual,  15,  640 

Chou  Tan-ch’uan,  143,  274,  625 

Chou  (historiographer),  45,  215 

Choyu,  703 

Chronology,  Chinese,  14,  25,  52,  53 
Chuan  (a  brick),  43;  (seal  characters), 
46,  61;  (complete),  102 
Ch’uan  Fu,  657 

Ch’uan  {=  Ssii-ch’uan),  179,  180 
Clftian-chow,  184,  188 
Chuang-yuan,  100 
Chuang  yuan  chi  ti,  100 
Ch’uan  Hsin  Ho,  201 
Chuan  Hsli,  56 
Ch’u  chou-fu,  147,  149 
Cliiieh  (horns),  121;  libation-cups,  141, 
218,  225 

Chii  Hsi-hsiao,  197 
Chu  hung  (vermilion  red),  161 
Chui  ch’i  (engraved  pieces),  268 
Ch’ui  ch’ing  (souftle  blue),  347 
Chui-hua  (engraved  designs),  381 
Ch’ui  hung  (souffle  red).  340,  347 
Chu  Lin  Ch'i  Hsien,  601 
Ch'un  ch’iu,  641 

Chun-chou,  168,  471;  glazes,  370,  374; 
porcelain,  131,  157,  160,  161,  172, 
398,  515;  potteries,  195 
Chung  (bell),  108,  112;  (cups),  228,  306 
Ch’ung-chgn  porcelain,  70,  258 


910 


OKIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. INDEX. 


Chung  ku  ch’i,  40 
Clmng-li  cli’ilan,  83,  115,  579 
Clmng-Tsung  (emperor),  278 
Cli’un  pai  yu  (pure  white  glaze),  267 
Chun  yao,  127,  136,  157,  159,  Plate 
XCIV 

Chun-yu,  274,  289,  471,  518 
Chli-p’i  (orange-peel),  320,  etc. 

Chu  P’ing,  168 

Chu  P’ing  Ch^n,  114 

Church  at  Ching-t^-ch^n,  286 

Chu  Shan  (Jewel  Hill),  286 

Chu  shill  chii,  103 

Cli’il  shun  Mei  yii  fang  chili,  88 

Chu  Sui,  19,  278 

Chu  fai,  241,  253 

Chu  Ts’ang  Sli^n,  114 

Chu  tsun,  225 

Chu  Tz’u-pu  (a  physician),  213 
Chu  Yen  (author  of  T’ao  Shuo),  1,  663 
Chu  Yi-tsun,  209 

Cinnabar  lac.  Carved,  519;  illustrated 
in  Plate  XXXVII 
Citron,  Buddha’s-hand,  141 
Clair  de  lune,  7,  72,  129,  137,  139,  161, 
187,  297,  310,  360,  375,  408;  crackle, 
512;  illustrated  in  Plate  LI 
Classitication  of  Chinese  porcelain,  39, 
127 

Cloisonne,  a Byzantine  art,  566,  730; 
flourished  in  Wan-li  period,  259;  blue 
glaze,  379;  enamels,  76,  454 
Clove-boilers,  695 
Cobalt,  11;  native  ore  of,  267 
Cobalt-blue,  105,  194;  the  predomi- 
nating color,  440;  introduced  by  the 
Arabs,  130;  used  in  Hizen  potteries, 
674 ; failure  of  supply  of,  216;  decora- 
tion in,  234,  297;  underglaze  in 
K’ang-hsi,  326;  pieces.  Figs.  22,  41, 
53,  93.  324,  367,  Plates  II,  VIII, 
XVllI,  LXII 
“ Cock-spurs,”  673 
CotTee-colored  glaze,  313,  387,  etc. 
Collectors  of  Japanese  wares,  723 
Color-grinding  described  by  T’ang 
Ying,  440 

Colored  enamels  used  on  llirado  ware, 
747 


Colored  glass  factory  at  Peking,  404 
Coloring  materials  used  in  decorating^ 
porcelain,  529 

Colors,  Chinese  ceramic,  525-556;  de- 
scribed by  Pere  d’Entrecolles,  340- 
342;  used  in  the  Ming  period,  262- 
265;  that  resist  heat,  291,  324;  in  the 
K’ang-lisi  period,  324;  in  the  Yung- 
ch^ng  period,  367-390;  characteristic 
of  Nien  Yao,  360;  used  by  the  Dutch,. 
617;  their  symbolism,  491 
“ Comb-teeth”  texture,  742 
Comfit-dishes,  507 
Commendation,  marks  of,  101 
Common  pottery  of  Japan,  687 
Confucius,  227,  461,  478,  559 
Confucianism,  106,  572 
Confucian  Temple,  45 
Constantinople,  454,  456 
“ Copper  celadon,”  304 
Copper-greens,  538 

Copper-red,  226,  235,  371;  during  dif- 
ferent periods,  536;  art  of  firing  lost, 
235;  underglaze  decoration  in,  326;. 
pieces,  Figs.  15,  28,  144,  201,  225,. 
250 

Copper  silicate,  194 
Coque  d’o?uf,  447 

Coral-red,  7,  48,  311;  derived  from 
iron,  511;  examples  of.  Plates  XXVI, 
XXVIII,  LX VII;  combined  with 
gold,  328;  example  of,  Plate  XXVIII; 
of  the  Ming  period,  266;  of  the  Ch’ien- 
lung  period,  408;  illustrated  in  Plates 
XCII,  XXVI;  of  the  Yung-ch^ng 
period,  383;  pieces.  Figs.  4,  67,  96, 
150,  161,  242,  259,  314 
Couleurs  de  grand  feu,  267,  324,  325; 
de  demi-grand  feu,  266,  324;  de  petit 
feu,  324 

Counterfeits,  fraudulent,  484 
Crackled  glaze  (sui  yu),  347,  350;  how 
prepared,  510;  produced  at  will,  410 
Crackled  ware  of  China,  36,  188,  409,. 

508,  510,  624,  etc.;  of  Japan,  687 
Crackle  petuntse,  511 
Crackling,  508;  due  to  a physical  cause,. 

509;  originally  accidental,  510 
Cream-colored  faience  of  Japan,  687 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. INDEX. 


911 


Cream-colored  glaze,  676 
Cricket-fighting,  195,  489 
Crusades,  605 

“ Crushed  strawberry,”  307 
Cucumber-green,  295,  317;  illustrated, 
Plate  LXXVIII 

Cups,  various  kinds  of,  145,  208-209 
Cycles  of  sixty  years,  53;  table  of,  54 
Cyclopaedias,  Chinese,  645 
Cymbidium  ensifolium,  415 

D 

Daishoji,  759,  761 

Dagabas,  590;  illustration  of  one.  Fig. 
349 

Dana  Collection,  8,  16,  196,  680 
Dark  First  Cause,  576 
Date,  Prince,  738 
Dawn-red,  89 

Dead-leaf,  131,  226,  265,  314,  etc. 

Deck,  M.,  441 

Decorated  porcelain  classified,  324,  411 
Decorated  Satsuma,  755 
Decoration,  cobalt-blue  predominates, 
440;  motives  of,  557-603;  in  foreign 
style,  453;  in  enamel  colors,  270;  in 
mixed  colors,  326,  4l2;  in  sepia,  326, 
328;  in  white  slip,  416,  523;  in  ink- 
black,  384;  in  gold,  270;  in  gold  and 
silver,  328;  svrlnscuit,  331;  of  differ- 
ent wares,  223,  256,  270,  328,  463, 
696,  719,  729,  etc.;  glazes  used  by  the 
Japanese  in,  692 

Decorative  art  of  the  Chinese,  484;  de- 
signs used,  307,  561,  563,  568,  etc.; 
objects,  499;  processes,  268 
Decorum  Ritual,  640 
Deer,  an  attribute  of  Shou  Lao,  116; 

emblem  of  longevity,  117,  595 
Degourdi,  445 

Delft  potters  and  the  Chinese  muffle 
colors,  616,  712;  w’are  in  China,  609 
Demi-grand  feu  colors,  324,  411;  glazes, 
327  " 

Denary  Cycle,  52 
Dendrites,  263,  427 

D’Entrecolles.  See  Perc  d’Entrecolles. 
Dentaro,  726 


Descriptive  list  of  the  illustrations,  767- 
902 

Designs  in  the  time  of  Pere  d’Entre- 
colles,  351 ; in  the  Ch’ien-lung  period, 
406;  with  Arabic  writing,  609 
Determinatives  in  Chinese,  42 
Devices  as  marks,  different  kinds  of,. 
105,  106 

Dharani,  244,  246,  563 
Dharmatrata,  586 
Dhvaja,  112 
Dice-boxes,  489 
Dictionaries,  Chinese,  44,  641 
Dielytra  spectabilis,  415 
Dilatation,  coefficient  of,  in  porcelain,. 
447 

Diospyros,  181,  197,  198 
Dipping,  445 

Divination,  symbols  of,  106 
Dogen,  Buddhist  abbot,  33,  724 
Dohachi,  718 
Dolichos  sinensis,  7,  308 
Dollar,  Mexican,  137 
Domburi,  764 

Domestic  altars,  sacrificial  vessels  used 
on,  490 
Doniu,  704 
Double-ring  mark,  41 
“ Drageoirs”  of  porcelain,  506 
Dragon,  123,  590;  a full  account  of, 
591-592;  bowls,  294;  -gate,  575; 
-horse,  107;  lamp  (Chiao  tOng),  161;. 
procession,  Fig.  230;  vases,  239 
Dresden  Museum,  9,  35,  98,  239,  298,. 
618 

Dualism,  Chinese,  107,  110 
Ductile  Jade  Hall,  78 
Duodenary  Cycle,  562 
D’Urfe,  Honore,  149 
Du  Sartel,  480 

Dutch  East  India  Company,  9,  35,  607; 
as  importers  of  porcelain,  298;  their 
factoiy  at  Hirado,  739 
Dutch  influence  on  Japanese  ceramics,. 
675,  712 

Dutch  intercourse  with  Japan,  739 
Dynastic  histories,  general  plan  of,. 
642 

Dynasties,  the  twenty-four,  56,  57 


912 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. INDEX. 


E 

Earthenware,  13,  21,  etc. 

Eastern  Archipelago,  510 

East  India  companies  established,  607 

Eau-de-Nil  tints,  390 

Ebelmen,  M.,263,  423,  529,  531,  540,  549 

Eel-skin  yellow,  72,  295,  316,  372 

Egami,  743 

Egg-pottery,  689 

Eggshell  porcelain,  191,  365,  etc.; 
pieces  illustrated.  Figs.  70,  71,  78,  87, 
210,  219,  230,  235,  275,  282,  285,  287, 
339,  356,  361,  362,  364,  Plates  X, 
XI,  XXIV,  LIII,  LXIII,  LXVI, 
LXVII,  etc. 

Egyptian  potters  and  pottery,  13,  149 
Ehtezadesaltanet,  Prince,  697 
Eight  Taoist  genii,  83,  115,579;  shown 
in  Fig.  352;  book  on,  582 
Eis  T7]v  tt6\lv,  454 

Elder  Brothers’  ware,  147,  154,  369 
Elector  of  Saxony,  239 
Elements,  the  five  Chinese,  52 
Elephant,  114,  591;  jar,  204 
Elers  of  Staffordshire,  635 
Elixir  vitae,  116,  117,  478;  prepared  by 
the  hare  in  the  moon,  595 
Elizabethan  porcelain,  607 
Emblems  of  Happiness,  85 
Embossed  designs,  268,  382,  389,  Figs. 
55,  192 

“ Embroidered,”  symbol  for.  111 

Emerald-green,  139,  178,  Plate  LXXIX 

Emouy  (=Amoy),  283 

Emperor  of  Japan,  embassy  to,  568 

Empress  Dowager,  81 

Empress  of  Heaven,  583 

Enaga,  743 

Enamel  colors,  130,  403,  547,  557,  567; 
introduction  into  China,  675;  where 
made,  456,  551;  list  of  monochrome, 
551;  introduction  into  Japan,  674; 
pieces  illustrated.  Plates  YI,  X,  XI, 
XVII,  XX,  XXI,  XXIV,  XLVIH, 
LXIII,  LXIV,  LXVI;  painting  in, 
324,  550 

Enameled  porcelain  described  by  Pere 
d’Entrecolles,  344:  Satsuma,  755 


Enameling,  in  Japan,  31,  714;  on  cop- 
per, 455;  at  Peking,  404 
Enamels,  how  colored,  548;  how  ap- 
plied, 410;  European,  405;  used  in 
India,  674;  special  work  on,  700 
English  East  India  Company  estab- 
lished, 607;  its  trade  with  China,  607 
Engobe,  523 

Engraved  pieces,  how  produced,  268 
Enuma,  762 
ErJi  Ta,  641 

Etched  designs.  Figs.  8,  55,  170,  etc. 
Etched  grounds,  467 
Etude  sur  La  Cemmiqiie,  700 
Eunuchs  as  superintendents,  221,  287 
European  designs,  354,  355,  403,  609 
Euryale  ferox,  491 
Exhibitions,  696 
Export,  porcelain  made  for,  604 
Exposition  of  art  treasures,  652 
Expositions,  Japanese  ceramic  art  at, 
696 

F 

“ Face-cups,”  170 

Faience,  11,  12.  34,  44,  130,  456,  719 
Fa-lan,  or  Fa-lang,  name  explained, 
380,  454 

False  jade  vessels,  21 
Fa  lun  (wheel  of  the  law),  563 
Famille  archai'que  de  Coree,  671 
Famille  artistique,  742 
Famille  chrysanthemo-peonienne,  270, 
712;  example  of.  Fig.  398 
Famille  rose,  63,  74,  87 ; colors  intro- 
duced by  Ch’ien-lung,  404;  typical 
examples  of.  Plates  XXIV,  LXVI, 
LXXVI 

Famille  verte,  129,  297;  examples  of, 
Plates  XI,  LX 
Famous  scholar  cups,  208 
Fan  (a  Taoist  symbol),  115 
Fang  hu,  140 
Fang-j§n  (molders),  15 
Fang  Ku  Yueh  Ilsiian,  87,  400 
Fang-sliOng,  120,  123,  247 
Fang  sldh  mo  p’u,  661 
Fang  Yii-lu  (a  noted  ink-maker),  661 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. INDEX. 


913 


Ean  hung,  235,  266 
Fan-tz’u  (turned  porcelain),  535 
Fashioning  and  painting  of  vases, 
described  by  T’ang  Ying,  443 
“ Father  of  Pottery”  in  Japan,  693 
Fei-ts’ui,  315,  398,  409,  680 
Feldspar,  426;  its  fusing  point,  453 
Feldspathic  glaze  mixed  with  cobalt, 
541 

Female  beauty,  Chinese  standard  of, 
602 

F^n  (flour),  142 
Fenallosa,  Professor,  701 
F^n-ch’ing  (starch-blue),  138,  437,  552 
F^ng,  or  Fgng-Huang,  the  Chinese 
phoenix,  590;  a full  account  of,  593 
Feng  hsien  t’ang,  83 
F^ng  Huo  Hsien  (Genius  of  the  Fire- 
blast),  288 
F^ng  kuei  t^ng,  218 
F^ng  t^ng  (phoenix  candlestick),  145 
F^ngt’iaoyu  shun,  T’ien  hsia  t’ai  p’ing, 
246 

F^n-hung  (pale  pink),  408,  528 
F^n  mi  (grains  of  rice),  110 
F^n  ting,  142,  318,  370,  533;  reproduced 
at  Ching-tg-ch^n,  174;  -made  in 
Kiangsi,  625;  illustrated  in  Plates 
LXXXIX,  XCI;  crackle,  320,  Fig. 
172 

F^n  ts’ai  (pale  colors),  550;  example  in 
Plate  LXIII 

Feou-leam  (=  Fou-liang),  282 
Ferghana,  kingdom  of,  565 
Fer  oligistique  terreux,  265 
Fertility,  emblem  of,  112 
Feuille  morte,  couleur  de,  348 
Ficus  religiosa,  123 
Fighting  crickets,  bowls  for,  195 
Figure  decoration,  570;  examples  of. 
Figs.  328  and  341 
Figures  (J6n  AVu),  569 
Figure-subjects,  600 
Filial  piety,  animals  distinguished  for, 
110;  the  twenty-four  paragons  of, 
602 

Firing  of  porcelain,  described  by  Pere 
d’Entrecolles,  344,  345;  during  the 
jNIing  period,  260,  271,  272 


First  mention  of  porcelain  out  of  China, 
605 

Fish-dragon,  574 

Fish-roe  crackle,  Juchou  glaze,  370 
“ Fish-roe  green  ” of  Ch'ien-lung  ; illus- 
trated in  Plate  XXVII 
Fish-roe  yellow  crackle,  514;  illustrated 
in  Plate  LXXXVII 
“ Fissured  ice,”  509 
Five  classics,  640 

Five-color  decoration,  5,  325,  378,  387, 
etc.  See  Wu-ts’ai. 

Five  happinesses,  116 
Five  Ling,  591 

Flambe  glazes,  6,  104,  107,  157,  219, 
302,  370,  407,  516,  517;  illustrated  in 
Plates  XVI,  XLI,  XLVI,  LXXXVIII 
Flat  jars  (Pien  kuan),  195 
Floral  devices  on  ancient  bronze  mir- 
rors, 563 

Floral  rebuses,  599 

Flower-pots  for  growing  plants,  their 
different  sizes,  styles,  and  names,  498 
Flowers,  art  of  arranging,  607;  used  in 
porcelain  decoration,  415,  598,  599; 
of  the  four  seasons,  125,  228,  598; 
the  hundred.  Fig.  279 
Flower-vases,  151,  196,  499;  Japanese, 
693;  special  works  on,  496 
Flute,  115;  of  Wang  Ch'iao,  583 
Fluxes,  composition  of,  548 
Flying  storks,  their  symbolism  in 
Japan,  738 

Fo-lang  Ch’ien,  454,  455 
Fo-lin,  name  explained,  454 
Fond  laque,  226,  265,  313 
Fonspertuis  Sale,  608 
Foot,  scooping  it  out,  described  by 
T’ang  Ying,  448 
Footprint  of  Buddha,.  114 
Foreign  designs  on  porcelain  made  for 
export,  380,  609 

Foreign  intercourse  with  Japan,  739 
Forms  and  uses  of  Chinese  porcelain 
objects,  488-507;  of  Japanese  pottery, 
693 

Fo-to’u  ch’ing  (Buddha’s-head  blue), 
263,  439 
Fou  (vessel),  43 


914 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. INDEX. 


Fou-kien  (=  Fuchien),  282,  283 
Fou-liang,  2,  17,  19,  20,  21,  41,  335; 
-Chou,  177;  -lisien,  65,  177,  183,  260, 
262,  279,  281,  398,  424,  460 
Fou  Liang  Jisien  chih,  2,  17,  178,  279; 
its  different  editions,  645;  extracts 
from,  223,  235 
Fou  lou  tsiang,  92 
“Four  accomplishments,”  121 
Four-burner  lamp  described,  205 
Four  seasons,  flowers  of,  125,  228; 

vase  of,  Plate  LXIV 
Four  supernatural  creatures  of  the  Chi- 
nese, 591 
Fox,  the,  595 

Fragments  mounted  as  ornaments,  508 
Fraise  ecrasee,  307 

Franks,  Sir  Wollaston,  8,  32,  693;  his 
collection,  8,  214,  682,  699;  his  cata- 
logue, 94,  726 

Frederick  the  Great  of  Prussia,  239 
French-gray,  467 
Fruit-dishes,  226 

Fruits  in  porcelain  decoration,  597 
Fu  (axe).  111;  (bats),  126;  (happiness), 
97,  165;  (an  ornamental  symbol).  111, 
124,  490 

Fuchien,  89,  162,  164,  170,  180,  181, 
626,  627;  porcelain,  143,  318,  etc.; 
originally  black,  626;  now  ivory- 
white,  678;  pieces.  Figs.  60,  303,  310, 
371-373,  Plate  XIII 
Fu  ch’ing  t’ang  chih,  86 
Fu-chou-fu,  183 

Fuel  used  in  tiring  porcelain,  352 
Fu-hi,  or  Fu-hsi,  25,  55,  107 
Fujiua,  725 

Fujisan,  or  Fujiyama,  691 
Fuji-yO,  687 

Fu-jung  (Hibiscus  mutabilis),  236 
k"u  ju  tung  hai,  245 
Fu  ki  chb  mei,  742 
Fuku,  765 

Fu  kuei  ch’ang  ch’un,  96 
Fu  kuei  ch’ang  ming,  742 
Fu  kuei  chia  ch’i,  96 
Fu-kuei-tlower,  126 
Fu,  lu,  shou,  97,  242 
Fu-lin,  454 


Fungus,  the  sacred,  116,  596,  etc. 
Furnaces  and  tiring,  271,  290,  344,  351 
Furnace-transmutation,  130,  219,  220,. 

370,  514,  516.  See  Transmutation. 
Fusil  imi,  705 

Fu  shou  (happiness  and  longevity),  99,. 
104 

Fu  shou  k’ang  ning,  228,  242 
Fu  shou  shuang  ch’iian,  99,  124 
Fu  Tsun  (wine-jar),  138,  146 
Fylfot,  98 

G 

Gallipot,  497 

Garden  bowls,  252 

Garden  seats,  195,  251 

Garland  Collection,  8 

Garniture  de  cheminee,  501,  502 

Garuda,  the  golden-winged  bird,  590 

Gempin-yaki,  728 

Genghis  Khan,  256,  566 

Genius  of  Fire  and  Blast,  461 

Genre  Kakiyemon,  742 

Genwa,  752 

Geography,  Chinese  works  on,  643 
Gersaint,  porcelain  expert,  608,  617 
Ghanta  (bell),  112 

Gilded  decoration,  260,  270,  343,  390 
Giles,  Herbert,  his  dictionary,  44 
Glass  (liu  li),  180 

“ Glaze  earth,”  where  obtained,  181 
“ Glaze  fruit,”  428 
Glazed  pottery  in  Japan,  686,  734 
Glazed  ware,  ancient,  13,  40,  41 
Glazes,  qualities  required  in,  446; 
rocks  used  in  their  preparation,  261;, 
how  prepared,  427;  how  applied, 
446;  described  by  Pere  d’Entrecolles, 
335,  336,  337;  analyzed  by  Salvetat, 
428;  that  crackle,  448;  monochrome, 
129;  used  in  Japan,  the,  692;  of  the 
demi-grand  feu,  760 
Glazing,  sprinkling  method  described, 
446  " 

Go,  the  game  of,  242,  744 
God  of  the  Furnace-blast,  TAfe  of  the, 
306 

God  of  Heaven,  93;  of  Literature,  100, 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. INDEX. 


915 


572,  574;  of  Longevit}',  his  special 
attribute,  124;  of  Porcelain,  355;  of 
Pottery-making,  460;  of  Riches,  120; 
of  Thieves,  583;  of  War,  as  a motive 
of  decoration,  573 

Goddess  of  Mercy,  130,  511,  627; 

shown  in  Plate  LX 
Gods  represented  on  porcelain,  100 
Go  Hei,  699 
Gohonde,  752 

Gold,  in  decoration,  556,  761;  colors 
developed  from,  406,  529 
“ Golden  wheel,”  113 
Gold  precipitate,  colors  developed 
from,  528 

Gombroon  w^are,  522,  608 
Gonse,  Louis,  700 
Goodrich,  Rev.  Chauncey,  44 
Gorodayu  Shonsui,  32,  33,  711,  736 
Gorohachi,  712 
Gorohichi,  712 

Go-sai  (=  Chinese  Wu-ts’ai)  35,  687 

Gosu  Gombei,  738 

Goto  Saijiro,  718,  759 

Gourd,  the  Chinese,  165,  497,  597 

Gouthiere,  4,  315 

Graesse,  Dr.,  9,  149 

Grand  Canal,  190,  279 

Grand  feu,  267,  452;  of  Sevres,  739; 

colors  of  the,  324,  325,  411,  531 
Grandidier,  M.,  299,  372,  414,  488;  his 
collection,  9;  his  classification  of 
Chinese  porcelain,  128 
“ Grape-trellis  cups,”  209 
Grass  hand,  46 

Grayish-green  crackle,  Plate  LXXXVI 
Great  Bear,  559 
Great  Learning,  The,  80 
Great  Wall  of  China,  44,  177,  286 
Greek  art,  its  influence  in  the  Han,  565 
Green,  crackle,  408,  514;  illustrated  in 
Plate  XXYII;  enamels,  551;  glazes, 
317;  Lang  Yao,  303,  304:  mono- 
chromes, 513;  illustrated  in  Plates 
LXXVIII  and  LXXXI 
Grinding  the  color,  described  by  T’ang 
Ying,  440 

Gros  bleu,  203,  436;  illustrated  in  Plate 
XXIX 


Gros  vert,  139,  317 
Gudgi  blanga,  154 
Guillaume  Boucher,  566 
Gyogi,  reputed  inventor  of  the  potter’s 
wdieel,  in  Japan,  714,  731 
Gyoku  Kozan,  754 
Gypsum  (shih  kao),  335 

H 

Ilachikan,  35 

Hadji  Khalifa,  148 

Hague,  The,  607 

Hai-chou,  396 

Hairpins  of  porcelain,  506 

Hai-t’ang  (cydonia),  126,  208,  416,  599; 

hung,  370* 

Ha  jibe  (potters),  29 
Hakeme  ware,  754 
Hall-marks,  78-91 
Hall-names  of  firms,  94 
Hana-ike,  695,  698,  747,  758 
Han  Chun  (Chinese  army),  393,  396 
Han  dynasty.  15,  16,  26,  27,  53,  116, 
133,  146,  276,  392,  602;  bricks  and 
tiles,  558;  carvings,  563;  mirrors, 
561;  piece  illustrated.  Fig.  49 
Handkerchief-boxes,  251 
Hand  spittoon  (cha-tou),  506;  example 
in  Fig.  314 

Hangchou  (city),  48,  138,  624 
Hanging  basket,  499;  a good  example. 
Fig.  306 

Hanging  lamps,  499 
Han  Hsiang  Tzu,  115,  581 
Han-ku,  575 
Hanlin  College,  3,  94 
Hao  Shih-chiu,  89,  274 
Hard  porcelain,  its  composition,  453; 
art  of  making,  610;  of  Germany  and 
Sevres,  425;  of  Japan,  688 
Hare  (in  the  moon),  110,  591,  595 
Hare-fur  cups,  170,  184,  724 
Hare-skin  glaze,  164 
Harima  no  Daijo,  731 
Hat-stands,  500 
Havard,  M.,  616 

“ Hawthorn-jars,”  440,  598;  examples 
in  Plates  11  and  XXXIY 


916 


OKIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. INDEX. 


Head-Hunters  of  Borneo,  154 
Heaven,  God  of,  93;  Empress  of,  583; 

worship  of,  153 
“ Heaven  ’’-character  jars,  258 
Hei  dig  shill,  265 
Hei  ch’ien  (lead),  264;  mo,  265 
Hejira,  605 

Hempen  Bag,  Monk  with  the,  587,  757, 
shown  in  Fig.  395 
Henry  Deux  faience,  681 
“ Hermit  hidden  in  the  teapot,”  274 
Herodotus,  the  Chinese,  565 
Hibiscus  mutabilis,  236 
Hibiyaki,  36,  687 
Hidachi  no  Daijo,  738 
Hideyoshi,  704,  738 
Hieratic  devices,  563 
Higashima  Tokuzayemon,  35 
High -fired  colors,  532;  derived  from 
iron,  539;  used  in  combination,  543 
Higo,  681 

Higuchi  Haruzane,  698;  his  master- 
piece, Fig.  318 
Hi-Hsien,  660 

Hindu  source  of  Taoist  ideas,  565 
Hippisley,  Mr.,  20;  his  Collection,  8, 
85,  400,  469 

Hirado,  712;  blue,  744;  blue  and  white, 
672;  porcelain,  321;  processes  of 
decoration,  744,  745;  shown  in  Plates 
CX-CXHI;  white,  746;  example, 
Plate  CIX;  ware,  736,  743;  pieces 
illustrated.  Figs.  318,  384,  386-388, 
391, 394,  402-405,  Plates  CIX-CXIII; 
potters,  698;  the  Dutch  factory  at, 
671,  739;  Three  Porcelain  Hills  of, 
743 

Hirado-gama  (Hirado-kilns),  743 
Hirth,  Dr.,  454 
Historical  Classic,  109 
Historical  Records,  642 
History,  Book  of,  640 
Hisazumi  Morikage,  760 
llizen,  34,  35,  753;  origin  of  the  ceramic 
industry  of,  674,  734;  principal  por- 
celain center  in,  710;  first  appear- 
ance of  the  Portuguese  at,  739;  ware, 
689,735;  pieces  illnstrated.  Figs.  396, 
400,  401 


Ho  (boxes),  43 
Hoai-ning-hien,  18 
Hoai-yang,  18 
Ho-ch’gng  pei,  170 
Ho-chou  pottery,  185 
Hochu,  751-755 
Ho  Chung-ch’u,  18,  21 
Hoffman,  Prof.  J.,  701 
Ho  Ho  Erh  Hsien,  165,  583;  shown  in 
Fig.  346 

Ho  Hsien-ku,  83,  115,  581;  shown  in 
Plate  LXHI 
Ho  Hsi-ling,  3 
Ho  kgng  wan,  225 
Holme,  Charles,  691 
Holtrop,  M.,  85 
Holy  Grail  of  Buddhism,  123 
Holy  Mother  of  the  God  of  Heaven > 
93 

Honan,  24,  136,  157,  481 
Honore  d’Urfe,  149 
Hooker,  Sir  Joseph,  597 
Ho-pao  Moutan,  599 
Ho-pin,  14 
Horeki,  743 
Horidashite,  737 
Horoku,  694 
Horse  in  Art,  591 
Ho-shang  “ the  Monk,”  587 
Hotei,  587,  757,  Fig.  395 
“ Hotel  of  Benevolence  and  Harmony, 
79 

Ho  yell,  180 
Hsi  (water-bowl),  156 
Hsia  dynasty,  25 
Hsiang  (the  elephant),  114 
Hsiang  ch’iu  (perfume-globe),  500 
Hsiang-ho  (incense-boxes),  168 
Hsiang  lu,  155 
Hsiang  Shan  Shih,  46 
Hsiang  tsun  (sacrificial  jar),  144,  204, 
491 

Hsiang  t’ui  (elephant’s  legs),  180 

Hsiang  Yuan  p’ien,  1,  132,  134,  193 

Hsiang  Yuan-tu,  170 

Hsiao  Hsiu,  195 

Hsiao  ku  ch’i,  40 

Hsiao-1  i,  424 

Hsiao  P’ing,  144 


OKIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. INDEX. 


9ir 


Hsia  Yao  (seggar  furnaces),  271 
Hsi  ch’ao  chi  wan  chili  ch^n,  73 
Hsi-Ch'ing  ku  cJiien,  45,  495,  649 
Hsieh  dm  dm  tsao,  84 
Hsien-f^ng,  75,  469 

Hsien-lmng  (copper-red),  226,  235,  371 
Hsieii'Shun,  3 

Hsi  Fan  lien  (Indian  lotus),  475,  748 

Hsi  hsuai  p’^n,  195 

Hsi-kua  chou,  281 

Hsin-ch’aug,  18 

Hsing  Chen,  “ the  Stars,”  110 

Hsing-Chgug-tu,  260 

Hsing  chou,  22 

Hsin  ch’ou  (a  cyclical  year),  404 
Hsing-slm  (running  hand),  46,  61 
Hsin-hai  (a  cyclical  year),  399 
Hsin-p’iug  (original  name  of  Fou-liang), 
18,  19,  21,  127,  277 
Hsin  Ssu,  55 

Hsin  Ting  (new  Ting),  143 
Hsin  tsun  (rhinoceros  jars),  225,  491 
Hsiu-di’iu  (the  hydrangea),  599 
Hsi  Wang  Mu,  116,  363,  561;  visited  by 
]\[u  Wang,  591;  represented  in  Fig, 
339 

Hsi  yii,  101 
Hsuan-ch’eng,  211 

Hsilan-ho,  45,  65,  142,  299;  nien  chih, 
65;  palace,  140 

Hsuan-ho  feng  sMh  Kao-li  Vou  ching,  679 
Hsuan  ho  liua  p'u,  647 
Hsuan  ho  Po  ku  Vou  lu,  648 
Hsuan-te,  11,  40,  67,  92,  133,  135,  168, 
186,  191,  203-209,  216,  221,  222,  262, 
267,  298,  302,  309,  321,  322,  385,  436, 
450,  479,  484,  605;  noted  for  blue  and 
white,  567;  porcelain,  192,  193,  198- 
205;  copied,  371,  375,  379,  606;  pieces 
illustrated.  Figs.  210,  371,  etc.;  nien 
chih,  629;  t’ung  pao,  261 
Hsuan  Ti,  emperor,  558 
Hsiian-Wang,  45 

Hsii  Ching  on  Korean  porcelain,  679 
Hsiieh  pai  (snow-white),  552 
Hsiin-fu  (governor  of  a province),  301 
Hsli  Sh^n,  641;  (a  cyclical  year),  397 
IIsli  Shill  (President  of  the  Censorate), 
235 


Hsu  Shut  Hu  (Stories  of  Brigands),  570 
Hsii  T’ing-pi,  305 
Hsii  Tsung-ssu,  a native  artist,  198 
Hu  (=  Hukuang),  179;  (a  measure), 
200;  (jar),  146,  203,  etc.;  (vase),  151; 
(wine^pot),  160;  (water-pot),  167; 
(ewer),  225 

Hua  (flower),  112,  passi7n 
Hua-chiao,  169 

Hua  Chung  (the  variegated  animal), 

ilO 

Huai-an-fu,  274,  279,  392,  395,  397 
Huai  Nan  Tzu,  468 
Hua  Lan,  115 

Hua  Nang  (flower- vase),  151,  205 
Huang  (a  general  of  the  guards),  137, 
198 

Huang  (yellow),  314;  tiao  (yellow  stuff), 
181 

Huang  An,  the  hermit,  583 
Huang  Hi  huan  (yellow  and  green 
panels),  331 
Huang  lli  tien,  295 

Huang  pan  tien  (variegated  yellow), 
372 

Huang-ti,  “ Yellow  Emperor,”  14,  25, 
56,  84,  560 
Huang  tien  pan,  317 
Huang-tu,  264,  424 
Huan  Ti  (emperor),  47 
Huan  Ts’ui  Ting,  288 
Hua-p1  (painters  su7'  le  cru),  339 
Hua-shih  (steatite),  350,  510;  used  to 
replace  kaolin,  350 
Hua  tsun,  195 
Hu-chiu  (a  bonze),  214 
Hui  ching  (Mohammedan  blue),  69, 
216,  262;  also  Imi-hui  ching,  193, 
203,  256 

Hui-chou-fu,  423 
Hui-hui  Wdi,  256 
Hui  s6  (gray  color),  139 
Huish,  31.  B.,  505,  691 
Hui  Tsung,  65,  570 
Hui-tzu  and  Chuang-tzu,  102 
Hu-k’eng,  181 

Hulu  (gourd),  115,  176,  180,  214,  597, 
etc. 

Hulugu,  256,  567 


918 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. INDEX. 


Hundred  antiques  (Po  ku),  106,  118, 
etc. 

“Hundred  flowers”  used  in  decora- 
tion, 415;  example  of.  Fig.  279 
Hung  (red),  314,  etc. 

Hung-chih,  68,  133,  135,  213,  214,  215, 
266 

Hung-chou,  19 
Hung-hsi,  67,  461 
Hung  111  liuan,  345 
Hung-tien  (red  shops),  267 
Hung  wen  (red  markings),  374 
Hung-wu,  66,  287;  porcelain,  190 
Hun-sliui  cli’ing  (turbid-water  blue), 
221,  439 

Hunting,  Odes  in  praise  of,  45 
Hu-p’i  (tiger-skin),  317 
Hu-tieli-liua  (Iris  japonica),  599 
Hu-t’ien,  179;  potteries  at,  183;  sliili, 
281 

Hu  tou  (paste-pots),  168 
III!  yin  Tao  j^n,  89 
Hwai  Nan  Tzu,  109 
Hydrangea,  599 

I 

laon  (in  Chinese  Yuan),  Greeks,  565 

Ibn  Batuta,  11,  184 

Ichiniu,  704 

Idzumi,  29,  737 

Idzumo,  707,  725 

Iga,  688 

lidaya  Hachiroyemon,  761 
Ikakura  Goyemon,  718 
Illustrations,  descriptive  list  of,  767-902 
Imari,  35,  674;  -yaki,  687,  712;  name 
explained,  735;  pieces  illustrated, 
Figs.  389,  398,  399,  Plates  XCV, 
CVI 

Imariya  Gorobei,  738 
Imbe,  721 

Imitation  jade,  277' 

Imitations  of  Chinese  porcelain,  469, 
620;  of  natural  substances,  519 
Immortality,  the  drugs  of,  110 
Imperial  Cyclopaedia,  134 
Imperial  Household  (Nei  Wu  fu),  279, 
305 


Imperial  potteries,  2,  66,  72,  287,  288, 
305,  etc.  See  Ching-t^-chOn. 
Imperial  ware,  40,  50,  127,  306 
Imperial  yellow,  266,  316 
Impressed  designs,  534 
Incense-boxes,  168,  238 
Incense-burning  among  the  Chinese, 
168,  493;  part  of  the  Tea  ceremonies, 
694 

“ India  china,”  610 

Indra  and  liis  consort,  561;  his  elephant, 
114 

Industrial  processes,  work  on,  658 
Ink,  Chinese  works  on,  660,  661 
Ink-black  decoration,  384 
Ink-pallets,  140,  166, 173,  202;  of  Tuan- 
hsi,  22 

Inscriptions,  42,  169;  Arabic,  217, 
610;  example  of.  Fig.  103;  poetic, 
48-50,  73,  104,  402;  of  dedication,  92 
Institutes  of  Ta  Gh'ing  dynasty,  225 
Intercourse  with  Western  nations,  604 
Iron,  colors  developed  from,  527,  539; 
-peroxide,  478;  sulphate,  264;  staff  of 
lame  beggar,  115 

Iron-red,  235,  536;  how  prepared,  311; 
decoration,  327;  pieces  illustrated. 
Plates  XXVI,  XXYIII,  XXXII 
“ Iron-rust,”  406,  519;  illustrated  in 
Plate  XIX 
Ise,  33,  688 
Ishiyaki,  687 

“ Isles  of  the  Blessed,”  100 
Ispahan,  Chinese  potters  at,  256 
Itoguiri,  702 

Ivory-white,  143,  191,  534;  illustrated, 
Plate  XIII;  of  Korea,  678,  683 
Iwayagawa,  742 
lyeyasu,  739 

J 

* 

Jacquemart,  M.,  35,  39,  40,  92,  214, 
270,  482,  611,  616,  673,  708;  and  Le 
Blant,  105 

Jade,  108,  115,  120,  144;  miraculous 
growth  of,  560;  vessels  of,  171,  198, 
472;  ornaments,  etc.,  of,  30,  560;  not 
found  in  Japan,  31;  books  on,  648; 
-cutter’s  wheel,  296,  486 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. INDEX. 


919 


Jadeite,  150 
Jakatsii,  752 
James  I of  England,  503 
Jao-chou,  2,  19,  182,  190,  207,  221,  263, 
279,  294,  332,  423;  jade,  178;  porce- 
lain, 171-176 
Jao  chon  fa  chih,  644 
Jao-cbou  jade,  178,  179 
Jao-tclieou  (=  Jao-chou),  282 
Japan,  attempted  Mongol  conquest  of, 
188;  Portuguese  intercourse  with, 
607;  a porcelain-purchaser  in  China, 
283;  her  indebtedness  to  Korea,  684; 
its  opening  by  Perry,  696;  its  art, 
691,  700;  chief  exponents  of  its  art, 
700;  ceramic  art  of,  685-765;  its 
ceramic  wares,  687,  689,  711,  723; 
ceramic  literature,  700 
Japanese  language,  686 
. Japanese  Pottery,  work  in  English  on, 
700 

Jars.  144,  146,  153,  160,  203,  224,  237, 
etc. 

Jasmine,  415 
Jean  Laudin,  405 
Jehangir,  239 

Jgn  Ho  (Benevolence).  402  . 

Jgn  ho  kuan,  79,  166 
Jgn-hsii  (cyclical  year),  178 
J^n-k’gng,  181 
J6n  mien  hsi,  369 
Jgn-mien  pei  (face-cups),  170 
Jen  Tsung,  255 

Jesuit  China,  616,  example  in  Plate 
XIV 

Jesuits’  expedition  to  Home,  750 

“Jeweled”  ware,  749 

Jewel  Hill  at  Ching-te-ch^n,  190 

Jewel  of  the  Law,  120 

Jigger,  the,  432,  443 

Jilt  hsia  cliiu  iceii,  660 

Jo-en,  743 

Johanneum  at  Dresden,  9,  239,  607 
Jo  shen  ch6n  ts’ang,  101 
Joss,  explained,  492;  joss-sticks,  492 
Juan  ts’ai  (soft  colors),  550 
Ju-chou,  136;  glaze,  369,  512;  porcelain, 
436 

.Ju  T Chu,  114 


Jui  lisiang,  the  Viburnum  odoratissi- 
mum,  599 

Ju-i  scepter,  112,  119,  123 
Jujube-red,  466 

Julieu,  Stanislas,  2,  17,  18,  368,  455 
Jupiter,  his  color,  492 
Ju-Raku,  704 

Ju  yao,  127, 133-137, 160,  625;  glaze,  136 
Ju-yu  (grayish  blue)  glaze,  410 
Juzayemon,  752 

K 

Kaempfen,  M.,  703 

Kaga  as  a porcelain  center,  718,  759;  its 
ware,  762 

Kagami  no  Hazama,  30 
Kagoshima,  751,  753 
K’ai-fgng  Fu,  24,  66,  138,  156,  369,  373, 
481 

K’ai  p’ien  (crackled),  320 
K’ai  shu,  61 
K’ai-yuan,  18 
Kajiki,  752 
Kakiyemon,  712 
Kalasa  (vase),  112 
Kamo,  730 
Kamogawa,  704 
Kanazawa,  760,  761 
Kandy,  Chinese  porcelain  found  in, 
605 

Kane,  Kanegae,  737 
Kang  (fish-bowl),  43,  212,  223,  230,  306 
Kang-he  (same  as  K’ang-hsi),  80 
K’ang-hsi,  4-7,  41,  62,  63,  70-74,  77,  82. 
85,  98-99, 103-106, 119,  122,  128,  137, 
240,  259,  267,  287,  295-304,  312-323, 
329,  332,  359,  380,  391,  414,  421,  674, 
740;  period,  293-331;  brilliancy  and 
special  triumphs  of,  296;  colors,  499; 
decoration,  601;  marks,  298;  wu-ts’ai, 
550;  pieces  illustrated.  Figs.  4-6, 
9-11,  14,  16-19,  22,  24,  26.  29,  34,  35, 
37,  39,  42,  45,  46,  51-54,  58,  71,  75, 
78,  82,  83,  85,  88,  89,  94-96,  105,  110, 
114,  117,  127,  128,  145,  152,  156,  169, 
171,  178,  182,  184,  187,  188,  193-195, 
197-204,  208,  209,  212,  214,  215,  225- 
228,  231-233,  236-242,  247,  248,  260, 


920 


ORIENTAL  CERA:\riC  ART. INDEX. 


266,  268,  272,  299,  304-308,  313,  315, 
328,  329,  338,  343,  351,  357-359,  366, 
367,  379;  Plates  I-IX,  XI,  XIV,  XV, 
XVII,  XVIII,  XXVIII,  XXXIV, 
XXXIX,  XLII,  L-LII,  LIV-LXII, 
LXVII-LXIX,  LXXI,  LXXIII, 
LXXIV,  LXXVIII,  LXXX, 
LXXXII,  LXXXIII,  LXXXIX- 
XCI,  XCIII 
K’ang-hsi  yi\  chili,  76 
Kang  pei  (wine-cups),  211 
Kang  yao  (fish-bowl  kilns),  271,  272, 
290 

Kano  Tanin,  719,  732 
Kano  Yeishin,  732 
Kao  CMang-ts'uii  cM,  659 
Kaodzuke  (Kodzuke),  sepulchral 
mounds'  at,  27 
K’ao  Ku  T’ou,  648 
K 'ao  hung  chi,  15,  430,  641 
Kaoli,  32;  illustrated  description  of, 
679;  yao,  681 

Kaolin,  285,  333;  where  found,  333, 
described,  423;  how  prepared,  335; 
proportions  used  in  different  wares, 
425;  in  Japan,  711 
Kao-ling,  423 

Kaolinic  porcelain,  temperature  re- 
quired, 453 
Kao  Li-ssu,  599 
Kaoli-yao,  681 

K'ao  p'mi  yu  skill,  169;  its  contents, 
654 

Kao-shan„  181 

Kao  T’an-j§n,  208,  659 

Kao-ti,  18 

Kao  Yao,  an  ancient  judge,  44 
Ka-pa,  a Manchu  official,  295 
Karabacek,  Professor,  10,  148 
Karabori  (Chinese  canal),  735 
Karako  decoration,  744,  758;  examples 
of,  386,  402 
Karakorum,  566 
Kara-kusa,  748 

Kara-mono  (Chinese  ware),  33 
Karatsu,  32;  -yaki,  734;  -ware,  711 
Kasliizara,  744 

Kato  Shirozayemon,  33,  724,  729 
Kato  Tamikichi,  729 


Kawara,  743,  752 
Keian,  759 

Keicho,  704,  735,  743,  753 
Keiniu,  704 
K^ng  Hsii,  55 

K^ng-wu  (cyclical  year),  178 
Kenzan,  Ogata,  717,  733 
Keramic  Art  of  Japan,  699 
“ Keyser-cups,”  612 
Ivhanbalik,  177 
Khang  hi  (=  K’ang  hsi),  300 
K’iai  shu,  46 

Kiangnan,  13,  93,  135,  179,  181,  185, 
423 

Kiangsi  (province),  2,  93,  127,  130,  135, 
162,  177,  181,  183,  206,  263,  279,  293, 
295,  392-395,  423,  436,  470;  devas^ 
tated,  75;  general  history  of,  3 
Kiangsu,  180,  279,  392,  635 
Kiang  Tzu-ya,  601 
Kiang-yang  hsien,  375 
Kia-tsing,  45 
Kichizayemon,  704 
K’ien-lung,  45,  49.  See  Ch’ien-lung. 
Kihei,  752 
Kiheiji,  738,  739 
Kii,  Princes  of,  733 
Kiku-flower,  757 
Ki  lin  {=  ClTi-lin),  251,  560,  594 
Kiln,  putting  the  ware  in  the,  450 
Ki-mgn,  333 
Kimura,  30 

Kingfisher-green,  680;  plumes,  265 
King-tg-chOn,  332-336,  356 
King-te-tching  (=  Ching-t^-chgn),  282: 
Kinko,  687,  737 
Kinkozan,  717 
Kinkozau  Sobei,  753 
Kinrande,  762 
Kio-hio,  742 
Kiri-flower,  756 
Kirk,  Sir  John,  148,  605 
Ki  Tzu,  Viscount  of  Ki,  26 
Kiukiang,  93,  279,  280,  392,  396,  397 
Kizayemon,  his  discovery  of  seggars,. 
738 

Ko-an,  726 
Koban,  758 
Kochi,  760 


OKIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. INDEX. 


921 


Kogei  Sldrlo,  701 
Kogo,  694 

Kojiki  (ancient  Japanese  annals),  29,  31 
Kojiro  Kwanja,  735 
Koki,  a skilled  Korean  potter,  30 
Ko-ki-kwan  Moku-bei  tsukuru,  734 
Ko  Kutani,  two  varieties  of,  760,  761 
Ko  ku  yao  lun,  130,  142,  162,  165,  171, 
185,  650,  680;  its  contents,  650 
Kokwa,  755 

Ko  Ming  lisiang  cliih,  89 
Komogawa,  753 
Ko  porcelain,  137,  167 
Korai-maclii,  751 
Koransha,  739 

Korea,  32,  39,  676-684;  its  pottery  and 
porcelain,  670,  711;  its  early  knowl- 
edge of  pottery,  26;.  Chinese  author 
on,  679;  w\are  attributed  to,  670,  676, 
678;  its  popularity  in  Japan,  681; 
Japan’s  indebtedness  to,  684;  burial 
customs  in,  683;  pieces  illustrated, 
Figs.  134,  380,  382;  Plate  CXVI 
Koro,  758,  764 
Ko  Seto,  see  Seto. 

Ko-Shigaraki,  726 
Koshishiro-Tsukeinimi,  726 
Kotoku,  734 
Kotsubo,  758 

Ko  yao,  127-136,  140, 147, 154, 155,  160, 
169-174,  176,  437,  509;  crackle,  273; 
glaze,  369,  471 
Kozan,  Miyakawa,  697,  698 
Kozayemon,  752 

Ku  (ancient),  87;  (drum)  108;  (vase),  137 
Kuai  (sacrificial  bowls),  394 
Kuam-bun,  738 

K’uan  (mark  or  “seal”),  59;  (imperial 
or  government),  138;  (jars),  43,  229, 
306 

Kuan-chung  {=  Shensi),  21 
Kuang  (=  Kuangtung),  180,  181 
Kuang  chiao,  266 

Kuang-hsii,  2,  76;  imperial  porcelain  of, 
487 

Kuang-p’ing  fu,  164 
Kuangsi,  469 

Kuangtung,  89,  181,  436,  469;  potteries, 
188;  principal  centers,  632 


Kuang  Yao,  5,  188,  369,  375,  632;  colors 
of,  633;  examples  of,  Figs.  369,  370, 
374,  Plate  XLI 
Kuan  ku  ch’i,  40 
Kuan  liao  (imperial  glass),  86 
Kuan  porcelain,  137,  139 
Kuan-ti,  the  God  of  War,  461,  572;  his 
temple,  288;  shown  in  Fig.  343 
Kuantung,  393 

Kuan  Yao  (imperial  ware),  50,  66,  76, 
127,  132,  136,  138, 154,  160,  169-172, 
176,  306 

Kuan  Yin  (Goddess  of  Mercy),  114,  130, 
158,  195,  354,  511,  588,  627;  shown 
in  Plate  LX 

Kuan  Yli,  his  history,  573,  574 
Kuan  yu  Kai  (jars  with  covers),  224 
Kua-p’i  111  (cucumber-green),  295,  317, 
514;  illustrated  in  Plate  LXXVIII 
Kua-tOng,  499 
Kublai  Khan,  57,  128,  177 
Ku  Chgn,  101 
Kudatama,  30 

Kuei  (oblong  bowls  for  meat-offerings), 
431,  490;  (tortoise),  118,  594 
Kueichou,  293 
K’uei  fOng,  479 
Kuei  ho  ch’i  shou,  118 
K’uei  Hsing,  574 
K’uei-hua  (the  hibiscus),  599 
K’u-k’ou,  423 
Ku-li  (=  Calicut),  456 
Kun  (staff  of  iron),  115 
Kun-ch’ih-ka  (=  Sanskrit  Kundika), 
21 

Kundika  (Sanskrit),  21,  493 
KungCh’un,  220;  potteries  founded  by, 
135 

Kung-chlio  lu  (turquoise),  315 
Kuiig  hua  (arched  design),  389 
Kung  Kuan  (public  offices),  288 
Kung  Tieh  (palace  dish),  201 
Kung  wan  (palace  bowl),  200 
K’un-lun  Mountains,  84,  578,  591 
K’uo  Ch’ing-lo,  141 
Kuo  ho  (fruit-boxes),  230 
Kuo  P’u,  641 

Kuo-tieh  (fruit -dishes),  226 
Kuo  Tzii-cliang,  644 


922 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. INDEX. 


Kurokawa  Mayori,  701,  752 
Kiishite,  742 
Kushikino,  752 

Ku  T’ai  (author  of  Fo  wu  yao  Ian),  157 
Kutani-ware,  759-765;  examples  of, 
Figs.  409,  411,  Plates  CIII,  CIY 
Ku  t’ung  (old  copper),  264,  357;  -mo, 
266;  -ts’ai,  406,  519 

Ku  Yueli  Hstian,  60,  86,  400,  401; 

style  shown  in  Fig.  263 
Ku  yu  Vou,  649 
Kwang-hsii,  3 
Kwan-ko,  687 
Kwan-ko-dzu-setsu,  30,  702 
Kwan-sei,  751-753 
Kwanyei,  759 
Kylin,  594,  etc. 

Kyomidzu,  689,  731,  732 

Kyoto,  687;  potteries,  716;  ware,  731; 

examples  of.  Figs.  385,  397 
Kyo-yaki,  753;  two  branches  of,  732 
Kyushu  (or  Kiushiu),  607,  751 

L 

“ Lace-bowls,”  418,  493 
La  Ceramique,  700;  translated,  708-722 
La  Ceramique  du  Japan,  698 
La  Ceramique  Japonaise,  703 
Lace  work  pattern  decoration,  example 
of.  Fig.  285 

Lacouperie,  M.  Terrien  de,  25 
La  Faience,  441 
Lagenaria  vulgaris,  597 
Lamaism,  95,  111;  book  on,  585 
Lamp  with  four  burners,  205;  sup- 
ported by  Tortoise  and  Phoenix,  218 
Land  and  Grain,  Temple  of,  225 
Landscapes  (Shan  shui),  569 
Lange-Eleizen  or  Lange  Lysen,  227 
Lang  lijsen,  602;  illustrated  in  Fig.  54 
Lang  T’ing-tso,  72,  294,  301 
Lang  Yao,  6,  72,  267,  485,  537;  why  so 
called,  301;  its  characteristics,  302; 
crackle,  512;  vases,  297;  pieces  illus- 
trated, Figs.  5,  160,  190,  196,  205, 
Plates  I,  LVI,  LVII,  LXIX,  etc. 
Lang  yin  ko,  79 
J^an  Phi,  667 


Lan-t’ien  shih,  472 
Lan  T’ing  (Orchid  Pavilion),  90,  601 
Lan  Ts’ai-ho,  83,  115,  580 
Lan  w^n  (blue  markings),  374 
Lao-tzu  (founder  of  Taoism),  227,  478, 
575,  598 

Lapis-lazuli,  195,  263,  541 
La  Porcelaine  de  Chine,  196 
Laque  burgautee,  39,  520;  specimen  in 
Sevres  Museum,  520 
L'Art  Chinois,  569 
L' Art  Japonais,  700 
L’Astree,  149 
Laudin,  Jean,  405 
Lead  carbonate,  264 
Legge,  Professor,  25 
Lei,  435,  489,  etc. 

Le  Japan  d VExpasitian  Unirerselle  de 
1878,  689 

Les  Laques  du  Japan,  689 

Lettres  edijiantes  et  curieuses,  282,  332 

Leveret-fur  cups,  626 

Li  (square  “ official”  characters), 42,  46; 

(caldron  with  three  legs),  180 
Liang  tun  (cool  seats),  251 
Libation-cup  (chiieh),  141,  488,  490 
Library  furniture,  494 
Li  Chi,  640 
Li  Chu-lai,  398 
Li-ch’un,  428 
Lien  ch’eng  ku  t’ung,  265 
Lien  hua  (lotus-flower),  115,  -t’eng, 
213,  599 

Lien  hui  (purified  ashes),  261-267 
“ Light-red  ” makes  its  appearance, 
403 

Li  Hung-chang,  470 

Li  Kuang-li,  565 

Li  Ma-t’ou  (Matteo  Ricci),  660 

Lime,  267;  an  ingredient  of  glaze,  445 

Lin-ch’iian,  398 

Lin-ch’lian-hsien  porcelain,  183 
Ling-chill  fungus,  116,  415,  465,  596 
Ling  Hsieh  Chu  Shou,  124 
Ling  Lull,  84 

Ling-lung  (openwork  carving),  241, 
268 

Ling-pei,  181 

Lin  yii  fang  chih,  88 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. INDEX. 


923 


Lions,  492;  in  Chinese  art,  590 
Li  Sanpei,  674,  737 
Li  Ssii,  46 

List  of  designs  and  colors  produced  in 
Yung-cligng,  369-388 
Li  tai  ming  hua  chi,  647 
Li  tai  ming  tz'ii  t'ou  p'lt,  132,  663 
Li  T’ai-po,  the  poet,  488,  598,  599 
Literature,  god  of,  100,  572,  574 
Li  T’ieh-kuai,  115,  580 
“ Little  Spring  Month,”  466 
Liu  Han  and  his  three-legged  toad, 
583 

Liu  Hill  (Chinese  editor),  15 
Liu  hsia  chan  (cups  of  liquid  dawn), 
275 

Liu-li  (glass),  20,  180 
Liu  Pei,  573 
Liu  Tg-sli6ng,  47 
Liu-t’ien,  147,  369 
Liu-tou  pei,  145 
Li  yen-li,  305 
Lo  (shell),  112 

Lohan,  or  Arhats,  the  Eighteen,  470, 
586 

Lo  kan  mafei,  6,  370,  515 
London  International  Exhibition,  696 
Long  Elizas,  227 

Longevit3^  emblems  of,  116,  595,  596; 

god  of,  116,  124 
“ Long-haired  Rebels,”  469 
Lo-p’ing-hsien,  263,  427 
“ Lord  of  the  White  Umbrella,”  112 
Lorenzo  de’  Medici,  149,  606 
Lo-tien-tz’u,  520 

Lotus-Flower,  112,  115;  lamp,  213 
Louis  XVI  mounts.  Fig.  4 
Lowestoft,  611 
Lo-yang,  589 

Lozenge  (symbol  of  victory),  120 
Lu  (censer),  139,  168,  306,  etc.;  (rank), 
82,  97,  etc. 

Luan  mu  pei  (eggshell  cups),  275 
Lii  chu  shan  fang  chen  ts’ang,  84 
“ Lucky  diagram.”  112 
Lu  family  of  potters,  195 
Lu  Hu  (rouge-pot),  198 
Lii  kuan  (musical  pipes),  180 
lAi  Lang  Yao,  303,  538 


Lu-ling-hsien,  130,  162 
Lull  (the  wheel),  111 
Lunar  Mansions,  tlie,  563 
Lunar  zodiac,  the,  561;  animals  of  the, 
561 

Lung  (dragons),  110,  590,  591,  etc. 

Lung  and  Wan,  porcelain  of,  234 
Lung-ch’ing,  69,  104,  202,  234,  600; 
porcelain,  234-239 

Lung-clTiian,  172,  176;  celadon,  257, 
499,  509;  pieces  illustrated.  Figs. 
44,  159,  175;  porcelain,  437;  Yao, 
127,  135,  146-152 

Lung-ch’iian  hsien,  147,  154,  348,  369; 
emerald-green  ware  of,  178;  glazes, 
371;  copies  in  ruby-red,  375;  illus- 
trated in  Plate  XXXVI 
Lung  kang  (dragon-bowls),  294 
Lung-m6n,  575 
Lung  Ta-yuan,  649 

Lustration  vase,  493;  example  in  Fig. 
304 

Lu  T’ai  (Deer  Tower),  26 
Lii  Tung-pin,  83,  115,  580 
Lii  tz’u  (green  porcelain),  invention  of, 
20 

Lu  yi  T’ang,  83 

Lu  Yii  (author  of  Tea  Classic),  21 
Lyre,  122 
Ly-T’ang,  51 

M 

Ma  (horse),  113 
Ma-an-shan,  181,  281,  357 
Macao,  332 

Mtecenases,  Ceramic,  704 
Ma-fei  (horses’  lung),  6 
Magatama,  30 
]\[agadoxo,  11,  604 
Maghreb  (Morocco),  185 
Magnesia  silicate,  472 
Magnolia  compicua,  210 
Magpie,  “ the  joyous  bird,”  468 
^lahatara  (the  Almighty),  155 
IVIahrattas,  Agra  sacked  by,  239 
Maitreya  (the  loving  one),  488,  587, 
627;  the  coming  Buddha,  335 
IMakimono,  757 


924 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. INDEX. 


Ma  Ku,  the  goddess  of  sailors,  582 
Makuzu,  698 
Malcolm,  Sir  John,  566 
Mallow-leaves,  764 

Ma-lo-chi,  the  Manchu  who  succeeded 
Lang  Tdng-tso,  301 
Manchu  conquest  of  China,  600 
Manchu  dynasty,  26,  56,  70 
Manchu  Tartars,  111,  258,  502,  740 
Manganese,  mineral,  316;  its  occurrence 
and  different  names,  439;  analyzed 
by  Ebelmen,  263;  purple,  409 
Mangu  Khan,  566 
Manji,  759 

Manjugosha,  the  Buddhist  Apollo,  586 
Manjusri,  586,  734 
Man-po  Zen-sho,  701,  752 
Mantel-piece  sets,  501 
Manual  of  Marks,  61 
Manuscript  album,  92,  132 
Mao  cilia,  500 
Mao  hsueh  p’an,  225 
Mao  ping  (cracks  and  other  defects) 
abhorred  by  the  Chinese,  620 
Mao  shill  p’^n,  369 
Marco  Polo,  10,  148,  183,  566 
Marguerite  daisies,  415 
Marks,  Chapter  on,  59-126;  of  com- 
mendation, 91,  101-105;  referring  to 
decoration,  102;  of  date,  61-78;  of 
felicitation,  91-100;  of  dedication, 
91-100;  of  the  factory,  88;  in  two 
characters,  101:  in  the  form  of 

devices,  105;  private,  103;  undeci- 
phered, 103;  classified,  61;  frequently 
obliterated,  362;  unsafe  to  rely  upon, 
40;  Japanese  use  Chinese,  40;  seldom 
show  true  date,  40;  of  K’ang-hsi 
period  rarely  genuine,  298;  on  Chia- 
ch’ing  porcelain,  464 
Marks  and  Seals,  700 
Marquis  Collection,  104,  405 
Marriage,  emblem  of,  596 
Martabani,  10,  148 

Mashonaland,  Chinese  porcelain  found 
in,  605 

“ Massed  lard,”  508 
Ma-ts’ang  Hills,  222,  260 
Matsu dairo  Harusato,  725 


Matsura,  743 

Matsya  (Sanskrit),  fish,  112 
Matteo  Ricci,  660 
Maulmain,  148 
Mayeda  Toshiharu,  759,  762 
Mazarin-blue,  312 
Medallion-bowls,  466 
Medhurst,  Sir  Walter,  504 
Medici,  Lorenzo  de’,  149 
Medicine-bottles,  16,  503 
Mei  kuei,  398 
Mei-kuei  tzu,  307,  370 
Meiji  era,  697,  702 
Mei-ling  Pass,  280 

Mei  p’ing  (plum-blossom  jars),  205,  362, 
497,  etc. 

Meireki,  732 
Meissen,  2 

Mei-tzu  ch’ing  (plum-colored  blue),  370 

Meiwa,  752 

M^ng-chin,  560 

M^ng  Pi  Sh^ng  Hua,  864 

Mercy,  Goddess  of,  130,  (see  Kuan-yin). 

Mesopotamia,  25 

Messiah,  the  Buddhist,  488,  587,  757 
Metropolitan  Museum,  8 
Miao  chin  (decoration  in  gold),  270 
Miao  hao  (temple  name),  64 
Mica,  crystals  of,  333 
Midzu-koboshi,  694 
Midzu-sashi,  694,  732 
Mi  Fei,  a famous  calligraphist,  166 
Mikawa,  730 

Mikawaji,  713;  -yaki,  736,  743 
Milne,  Prof.  J.,  30 
Milo-fo  (Maitreya  Buddha),  587,  627 
Min  (=  Fuchien),  42,  43,  181 
Mineral  blue,  439 

Ming  dynasty,  1,  5,  11,  34,  36,  40,  42, 
50,  69,  70,  84,  89,  93,  96,  100, 101, 128- 
134,  142,  149,  150,  157,  159,  177,  183, 
189-196,  201,  211,  220,  241,  256,  260- 
263,  270,  273,  287,  293,  298,  309,  321, 
322,  374,  393,  429,  442,  450,  455,  675; 
table  of  rulers,  58,  64,  66;  marks,  66, 
68;  often  found  on  K’ang-hsi  pieces, 
299;  colors,  262;  blue  the  leading 
color,  567;  decoration,  reproduced  in 
K’ang-hsi,  300; ' porcelain,  189-259; 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. INDEX. 


925 


rare  even  in  China,  609;  technique, 
260-275;  pieces  illustrated.  Figs.  7, 
70,  44,  120,  159,  164,  167,  173,  177; 
Plates  XXY,  LXII,  LXVIII,  LXX, 
LXXV,  LXXXIV 
Ming  Shih,  (Ming  annals),  496,  643 
Ming  Ti,  585 
Ming  Tsung,  50 

Ming  tz’il  (Ming  porcelain),  240 
Minor  Odes  of  the  Kingdom,  83 
Mirror-black,  313 
Mirrors  of  bronze,  561 
Mi-s^  (rice-color),  303,  370 
Mishiina  ware,  682,  754;  example  of, 
Fig.  380 

Mixed  colors,  decoration  in,  233;  of 
the  grand  feu,  328;  examples  of. 
Plates  V,  XVII 
Miyagawa  Kozan,  37,  698 
Miyamotoya  Riyemon,  761 
Modeling  in  relief,  in  the  Yung  ch6ng 
period,  364;  illustrated  in  Fig.  254 
Mohammedan  blue,  69,  193,  203,  216, 
221,  256,  263,  567 
Mohammedan  countries,  148 
Mohammedan  scrolls,  256 
Mo  hung,  383 
Mo  kuan  (ink-jar),  205 
Mokubei,  718,  733,  734 
Molded  designs  in  eggshell  porcelain, 
354 

Molds,  430,  431 ; their  introduction  into 
Japan,  732 

Mo-li  hua  (fragrant  jasmine),  522,  599 
Mo  lin  chti  shih,  134 
Mo  lin  Shan  jgn.  134 
Mongol  dynasty,  57,  92,  111 
Mongol  prince,  service  for,  95 
Mongols,  China  overrun  by  the,  177; 
drive  the  Sung  south,  143;  conquests 
in  Asia,  188 

Mongolian  script,  mark  in,  95 
Monkhouse,  Cosmo,  412,  607 
Monochrome  decoration,  5;  glazes,  129; 
of  Ts’ang  Ying-hsuan,  72;  green,  388; 
purple-brown,  382;  vermilion,  195; 
yellow,  with  decoration  in  the  five 
enamels,  387;  with  chiseled  designs, 
382;  how  applied  sur  biscuit,  545 


Monochrome  porcelain  of  Ch’ien-Iung, 
407,  408;  pieces  illustrated,  Figs.  6, 
136,  146,  157,  161,  192,  200,  214,  215, 
220-222,  245,  327,  337,  Plates  IV,  V, 
XXXIX,  LIII,  LIX,  LXV,  etc. 
Morikage,  719;  -shitaye,  760 
Morse,  Professor,  27,  28 
Motives  of  decoration,  557-603 
Mount  Idzumi,  34 
Mourning-bowls,  imperial,  507 
Mourning  color  in  China,  534 
Mou-tan,  the  Paeonia  inoutan,  599 
Mo  Yin  (painting  with  silver),  383 
Mu  (wood),  43 
Muffle  colors  defined,  549 
Muffle  stoves  described  by  T’ang  Ying, 
457;  colors,  how  prepared,  324;  the 
secret  discovered  by  Delft  potters, 
616;  enamel  colors,  547 
Mu-kua  p’an,  176 
Mules’  liver  (Lo-kan),  6,  370 
Mural  sculptures  on  tombs,  559 
Murayama,  701 
Murrhine  vases,  17 
Musee  d'Histoire  Natiirelle,  439 
Musee  de  Limoges,  Venetian  work  in, 
618 

Mush  dit  Lourre,  519 

Museum  at  Sevres,  62,  618 

Musical  instruments,  the  eight,  84,  106 

Musical  pipes,  180 

Musical  scale,  invention  of,  84 

Mussulman  blue,  263 

Mu  Tsung,  61 

Mu-Wang,  229 

Mu  Wang,  Emperor,  578;  his  eight 
famous  horses,  591 
Mythical  ages,  55 

Mythological  animals,  590,  591,  592, 
593 

Myths,  ancient  Chinese,  559 
N 

Nabeshima,  Prince  of.  34,  735,  737, 
742 

Naga  (the  dragon),  590 
Nagasaki,  35,  36,  607;  Dutch  factory 
at,  739 


926 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. INDEX. 


Nagasena,  727 
Nagoya,  728 
Nakano,  743 

Nakshatras  (Lunar  Stations),  562 
Names  of  Emperors  of  China,  personal 
and  posthumous,  56-57 
Nan-ch’ang  fii,  19,  280 
Nan  ch’uan  ch’in  yli,  101 
Nan-f^ng-hsien,  its  porcelain  de- 
cribed,  183 
Nankawarayama,  738 
Nankin  yellow,  82,  326 
Nanking,  135,  153,  190,  277,  467 
Nan  Pei  Ch’ao,  57 
Nan  Ting  (Southern  Ting),  143 
Nara,  736 

Narcissus  (shui  hsien  hua),  124,  475 
Narinobu,  751 
National  University,  94 
Native  blue,  263 

Nature  (literally,  flowers  and  birds), 
570;  the  Chinese  gods  of,  577 
Nawashiragawa,  720 
Nawashiro,  751-754 
Nei  Wu  Fu,  279,  305,  393 
Nelumbium  speciosum,  112,  477 
Nen-go  introduced  in  Japan,  734 
Nephelium  longanum,  363 
Nero,  Roman  Emperor,  17 
New  College,  Oxford,  149,  606 
New  process  of  decoration,  239 
New  Ting-chou  porcelain,  185 
Nien  (year  or  period),  64 
Nien  chih,  403 

Nien  hao,  40,  51,  63,  64;  when  first  used 
in  China,  16;  in  Japan,  734;  when  it 
begins  to  run,  62;  that  of  K’ang-hsi 
forbidden  on  pottery,  72 
Nion  llsi-yao,  superintendent  of  the 
Imperial  Factory  at  Ching-tg-ch^n, 
279,  286,  302,  361,  368,  392,  462 
Nien  Yao,  its  name  traced,  302;  its 
form  and  colors,  360;  its  finest 
shades,  408;  of  Yung-ch6ng  period, 
361;  illustrated  in  Fig.  250,  Plate  LI 
Ni  family,  79 
Ni  ku  lu,  79,  166,  170,  652 
Ninagawa  Noritane,  30,  31,  164,  686, 
693,  702 


Wing  slioii  ku  cTiien,  649 

Ning  Tsung,  Emperor,  169 

Ninsei,  715,  731,  733 

Ninwaji,  Prince  of,  731 

Nippon,  709,  710 

Nirvana,  586 

Nisa  in  Media,  565 

Nisaean  general,  horses,  etc.,  565 

Nishiki  (silken  brocade),  36,  687,  756,. 

761;  style  of  decoration,  750 
Nishikide,  732,  755 
Ni-ssu,  565 
Niter  (hsiao),  265 

Niu-chih  (or  Niichih)  Tartars,  57,  568* 
Nobility,  rules  for  grading  rank,  309' 
Nobunaga,  704 
Nomi,  761 

Nomi  no  Sukune,  29 
Nonomura  Ninsei,  731 
Nuchih  Tartars,  568 
Number,  philosophy  of,  106 
Numerals,  table  of  Chinese,  105 
“ Numerical  categories,”  106 
Nur-ed-din,  148,  605 

O 

“ Oak  basket,”  214 
O'Conor,  Sir  Nicholas,  81 
Odd  Volumes  Sette,  505 
Odes  of  Ch’i,  50 
Odes,  Book  of,  640 
“ Odes  on  Tea,”  657 
Ofukei,  753 
Ogata  Shuhei,  718 
Ohoniuro,  discoveries  at,  28 
Ohoya,  discoveries  at,  28 
Oil-green  glaze,  373 
Oil-lamp  (yu  teng),  153 
Oil-painting  unknown  to  the  Chinese,. 
569 

Okawaji,  713;  ware  produced  at,  735, 
742;  example  of.  Fig.  390 
Okimono,  696,  757 
Okochi,  742 
Old  gold,  131 

Old  Imari  ware  of  Japan,  390,  405,  609, 
675;  examples  of.  Fig.  399,  Plate  CVI; 
copied  in  China  for  export,  609 


OKIENTAL  CEEAMIC  AKT. INDEX. 


927 


“Old  Japan,”  35,  40;  its  source,  735; 
models  for,  270;  examples  of.  Figs. 
381,  399-401,  Plates  XCV,  XCVII- 
XCIX,  CV 

“ Old  Korean”  from  Japan,  677 
“Old  Kyoto”  ware,  716 
“ Old  Satsuma,”  748,  749 
Old  Seto,  688 
Olea  fragrans,  416,  477 
Omens,  felicitous,  560 
Omi,  30 

Omori  shell-heaps,  27 
“Onion-sprouts”  (a  kind  of  blue  re- 
ferred to  by  T’ang  Ying)  438 
Openwork  porcelain  described  by  Pere 
d’Entrecolles,  351;  in  the  Ming  period, 
260,  268,  269;  in  the  Yung-chOng 
period,  364;  example  in  Fig.  255. 
(See  Ling-lung,  Pierced  work,  and 
Rice  grain  decoration.) 

Orange-peel  glaze,  320,  372 
Or  bruni,  348 

Orchid  Pavilion,  90,  601,  654 
Orchids,  415 

Ordinary  ancient  ware,  40 
Oriental  porcelain  brought  to  England 
before  the  Reformation,,  606;  deco- 
rated in  Europe,  616 
Oriose,  743 
Osumi,  752,  753 

Ota,  37;  kilns  at,  698,  750;  -ware,  688 
Ota  Nobunaga,  703 

Ou  (a  noted  potter  of  the  Ming  period), 
273,  374;  his  teacups,  225,  228,  237; 
his  glazes,  374 

Ouan  min  kem  (pit  for  the  myriad 
people),  286 

Oueda  Tokounosouke  (a  French  spell- 
ing of  Uyeda  Tokunosiike),  704,  737, 
751,  759 

Overglaze  enamel  colors,  674;  iron-red 
of  K’ang-hsi,  326 

Owari,  686;  its  potteries,  721;  its  pot- 
tery and  porcelain,  723 
Oxide  of  antimony,  colors  developed 
from,  529;  of  cobalt,  441;  colors  de- 
veloped from  it.  529;  of  iron,  529 
Oxidizing  flames,  452 
Oyamada,  752 


P 

Pa  An  Hsien,  115 

Pa  Chi-hsiang,  106,  111,  112,  482,  etc. 
Padma  (flower),  112 
Pagoda  for  relics,  201 
Pa  Hsien  (eight  genii  or  immortals),. 
252;  a sketch  of  each,  579-581;  shown 
in  Figs.  2,  352,  Plate  XI 
Pa  hsien  kuo  hai,  252 
Pai  (white),  142,  etc. 

Pai  chuan  (ritual  bricks),  231 
Pai  Ma  Ssu  (White  House  Monastery), 
584 

Painted  decoration,  130;  not  referred  to 
until  near  the  end  of  the  Sung  period, 
564 

Painters,  some  celebrated,  730 
Painting,  Chinese,  books  relating  to, 
647;  in  blue,  130;  described  by  T’ang^ 
Ying,  442;  in  enamels.  132,  674;  in 
silver  in  the  Yung-ch^ng  period,  390 
Pai  fan  (white  charcoal),  264 
Pai  Ting,  142 

Pai- tun  (white  bricks),  423;  -tzu,  261 
Pai-tz’u  ti  (bases  of  white  porcelain), 
303 

Pai  yu,  used  in  preparing  wu  chin,  348 
Pa  kua  (the  eight  diagrams  or  tri- 
grams),  106,  107,  472,  etc. 

Pale-blue  glaze  of  the  Ming  period,  267 
Paleologue,  M.,  569 
Palissy,  Bernard,  731;  -ware,  493 
“ Palm  eyes,”  191,  372,  448 
Palm-leaf  (chiao  yeh),  153 
P’an  (round  dishes),  43,  176,  206,  224, 
230,  306;  distinguished  from  tieh, 
475;  (castanets),  115 
Pao  (precious),  101,  102;  Ch’ing,  290; 
Ch’ing  Yao,  451 

Pao-en-ssu  (porcelain  tower  of  Nan- 
king), 202 

Pao  hsianghua  (flower  of  paradise),  563 
Pao-kuo-ssu  (a  temple  near  Peking), 
130,  146,  158,  196,  199 
Pao-lao  revels,  229 
Pao-lien,  477 

Pao  shao  (ruby-fired),  375;  hung,  479 
Pao  shen  chai  chih,  86 


928 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. INDEX. 


Pao  shgng,  101 

Pao-shili  hung  (ruby  red),  371 
Pao-sliili-lan  (sapphire-blue),  380,  408, 
439;  illustrated  in  Plate  XXIX 
Pao-shih-shan,  429 
Pao  ting  (precious  censer),  124 
P’ao  tsun  (gourd-shaped  jar),  153 
Pao-yueh  p’ing  (full-moon  vase),  412 
“ Papal  pieces,”  750 
Pa  pao  (eight  precious  things),  106, 
119,  230,  482 

Pa  pei  (stemmed  cups),  171, 186, 199,  210 
Paper-beaters,  473 
Paper-weights  (ch^n  chib),  168 
Pa-pien  kuan,  229 
Paradise  Lost,  460 

Paradise,  Taoist,  119;  flowers  of,  563 
Parian  ware,  535 
Parkes,  Sir  Harry,  504 
Partridge  cups,”  163 
Paste,  how  it  is  prepared,  181,  423,  424; 
pastes  and  glazes  that  crackle,  447, 
448;  -pots,  168,  174 
Pa  tai  (eight  generations),  503 
Patra  (Buddhist  alms-bowl),  21,  234, 
493.  (See  Po.) 

Patrons  of  Ceramic  Art  in  Japan,  704 
Pauloimiia  imimdalis,  756 
Pavilion  marks  on  porcelain,  first  used, 
79 

Pa  wan  (stemmed  rice  bowls),  171 
Pa  yin  (eight  musical  instruments),  106 
Peach,  124;  its  place  in  Taoist  fancies, 
116;  its  magic  twigs,  596;  emblem 
of  longevity  and  of  marriage,  596; 
-yellow,  482 

Peach-bloom,  7;  its  invention  72,  307, 
310;  of  K’ang-hsi,  307,  409;  first 
specimens  that  reached  the  United 
States,  309;  pieces  illustrated.  Figs, 
188,  202,  209-211,  269,  Plates  III, 
LI,  LII,  LIV;  with  streaks  of  green, 
Plate  L 

Peacock’s  feathers,  123 

Pea-green,  264 

Pearl  (elm),  120 

Peau  de  pgche,  7,  307,  310,  538 

Pegu, 148 

Pei  (cups),  43,  145,  191,  212,  213,  etc. 


Pei  tou  (northern  bushel),  100 
Pei  Wen  Yunfu,  641 
Peking,  10,  175,  189,  404,  467 ; archaeo- 
logical description  of,  660;  Oriental 
Society,  1,  132;  school  for  enameling. 
404 

P’^n  (basins),  43,  238,  306,  427,  etc.; 

(flower-pots),  306 
Pencil-brush,  494,  etc. 

Pencil-rests,  173,  175;  (pi  chia),  253; 

(pi  ko),  167;  yen-shan,  140,  155 
P’gng  Chun-pao,  143,  185 
Perdrix  cinerea,  163 
Pere  d’Entrecolles,  4,  14,  240,  265,  282, 
296,  313,  332,  425,  516;  his  letters 
translated,  332-358 
Pere  Ly,  427 
Perfume-sprinklers,  502 
Peroxide  of  iron,  calcined,  408 
Peroxide  of  manganese,  colors  devel- 
oped from,  529 
Perry,  Commodore,  696,  739 
Persia,  148,  567;  history  of,  566;  blue 
and  white  discovered  in,  239;  sili- 
ceous wares  of,  522 
Persian  Gulf,  Chinese  trade  with,  188 
Persimmon,  197;  -wood,  181 
Petite  BibliotJieque  d! Art  et  d' Arelie- 
ologie,  703 

Petit  feu  (gentle  firing),  452;  couleurs 
de,  324 

Petrosilex,  264,  267 
Petsi,  32 

Petuntse,  285,  333;  where  obtained, 
261;  its  nature,  333,  325;  described 
by  M.  Ebelmen,  423;  proportions 
used  in  porcelain,  425 
Pheasant,  110 

Philip  and  Joan  of  Austria,  606 
Pheenix  of  the  Chinese,  96,  590,  591; 

the  birds  paying  court  to,  600 
Phonetics,  Chinese,  42,  43 
Pi  (pencil-brush),  125,  etc. 

P’i,  terra-cotta  ware,  43 
Piao  tzu,  436 
Pi  chia  (pencil-rests),  253 
Pi  Gliing,  653 

Pi  ch’ung  (brush-cylinders),  252  (com- 
pare Pi-t’ung). 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. INDEX. 


929 


Pieii,  the  twelve,  491 
Pien  cli’ing  (stone  chime),  120 
Pien-cliou,  138 
Pien-kuau  (flat  jars),  195 
Pien-tou  p’an,  225 

Pierced  work,  521,  739,  etc.;  examples 
of,  Figs.  25,  45,  48,  185,  248,  291,  302, 
306-308,  313,  321,  322,  333,  386,  391, 
403,  Plate  XXII 
Pi  hsi,  124,  167,  173 
Pi  ko  (pencil-rest),  167,  173 
Pilgrim-bottles,  Figs.  41,  50,  176,  201, 
Plate  XLVII 

Pilgrim’s  gourd,  115;  example  of.  Fig. 
176 

Pi-ling,  274 
Pi-liii-li,  560 

Pillows  of  porcelain,  169,  571;  illus- 
trated in  Fig.  16 
Pin-chou,  19 

Pine,  a symbol  of  longevity,  597 
P’ing,  (vase,  bottle,  or  flask),  42,  112, 
144,  146,  152,  160,  166,  176,  180,  306, 
435 

P’ing  f^ng,  241 
Ping-hsii  nien  cliili,  63 
P'ing  hua  p’u,  497,  657 
P’ing  kuo  ch’ing  (apple-green),  7,  303; 
etc. 

P’ing-kuo  hung  (apple-red),  7,  307,  409, 
etc. 

P’ing-kuo  lu,  409 

Ping-kuo  ti  (bases  of  apple-green),  303 
Ping-kuo  tsun  (apple-jar),  308 
P’ing-li,  423 

Ping  lieli  wen  (fissured  ice),  410;  illus- 
trated in  Plate  LXXVII 
Ping-shen  (a  year  of  the  cycle),  50,  177 
PHng  Shih  (History  of  Vases),  496,  656 
Pink  {rose  d’or),  467;  (the  flower),  see 
Dianthus. 

Pink  illustrated,  Plate  LIII 
P’ing-yang-fu,  43 
Pi  shan,  175 

Pi  T’ung  (brush-pot),  100,  123,  173,  489 
Pi  yen,  173 

Pi  yh  (moss  jade),  374 

Plants  in  porcelain  decoration,  597 

Plaques  of  porcelain,  295,  495 


Plate  brought  from  Palestine  by  Cru- 
saders, 98 

Plinths  of  porcelain,  277 
Plum-blossom  Hall,  699 
Plum-colored  blue,  370 
Po  (r=  Sanskrit  pdtra),  21,  234 
Poetic  inscriptions,  104,  402 
Poetry,  classical  age  of,  23 
Poets  of  the  T'ang  refer  to  porcelain 
cups,  23 

Po  ku  (antique),  80,  118,  119,  124,  757. 
etc.;  designs,  122;  illustrated  in  Figs. 
95-99 

Po  ku  ch^n  wan,  101 
Po  ku  Chi  wan  ju  yu,  101 
Po  ku  fou,  45,  143,  151,  152,  495 
Poland,  King  of,  239 
Po-li  pai  (glass-white),  552 
Political  cartoon  on  punch-bowl,  613 
Polychrome  decoration,  325;  enamels, 
9;  in  Korea,  676 

Polyporus  lucidus,  116,  365,  417,  597, 
etc. 

Po  Niao  Ch’ao  F^ng  (the  hundred 
birds  paying  homage  to  the  phoenix), 
600 

Porcelain,  22,  36,  339,  428,  606;  defined, 
12;  its  origin,  17;  dilferent  kinds  of, 
179,  180,  181;  classification  of  Chi- 
nese, 39,  127;  naturally  white,  341; 
its  materials,  333;  proportions  of  the 
ingredients,  428;  table  of  different 
kinds,  426;  first  models  for,  564; 
ancient  period  of  Chinese,  328;  com- 
pared with  modern,  356;  began  to  be 
used  by  the  emperors,  357;  called 
“imitation  jade,”  21;  different  arti- 
cles of,  355,  495;  can  not  be  fired  in 
winter,  181;  god  of,  355;  decoration, 
216,  268,  339,  350,  357,  381-384,  436, 
572;  in  European  style,  383;  motives 
of  decoration,  557-603;  of  dilferent 
periods,  41,  42,  164,  165,  190,  192, 
277,  359,  362,  363,  391,  606,  664; 
modern  period,  463-487;  inlaid,  520; 
with  engraved  designs,  382;  with 
Christian  syndjols,  357;  with  pierced 
carvings,  351;  decorated  in  Canton, 
611;  made  to  order  of  Europeans, 


930 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. INDEX. 


614;  kinds  imported  into  Europe, 
604-609;  made  for  exportation,  604- 
621;  of  provinces  other  than  Kiangsi, 
180,  622;  Japanese,  685-765;  Tower 
of  Nanking,  135,  277;  forms  and 
uses  of  Chinese  objects,  488-507 
Porcelain  centers,  Japanese,  711,  712, 
713;  given  in  tabulated  form,  706-707 
Porcelain  earth,  221,  260 
Porcelaine  de  Sinant,  606;  des  Indes, 
610,  673;  Hindoue,  610;  laquee  bur- 
gautee,  520;  nouvelle,  425;  propor- 
tion of  chalk  in,  428;  rouge,  635; 
tendre,  320 

Porcelain-making,  Chinese,  24,  420-430, 
440,  449,  458;  described  by  P6re 
d’Entrecolles,  337-340;  twenty  illus- 
trations of,  described  by  T’ang  Ying, 
420-462;  Japanese,  32,  35,  701,  710, 
712,  734 

Porcelain-painting,  412,  569 
Porcelain  tower  of  Nanking,  135,  277 
Porte-calotte  described  by  Grandidier, 
500 

Portuguese  visit  China,  605;  arrival  in 
Canton  and  in  Japan,  607 ; intercourse 
with  Japan,  739 
Po-shan  lu,  168 
Posterior  Chou  dynasty,  24 
Po-t’ang,  263 
Potiche,  6 

Potter’s  wheel,  invention  of,  14,  25, 
714;  introduced  into  Japan,  28,  31; 
described  by  T'ang  Ying,  431;  Bron- 
gniart  on  its  proper  use,  433 
Pottery  in  its  widest  sense,  44;  pre- 
historic, 27;  term  in  Japan  for,  686; 
its  origin  and  first  models  in  Japan, 
712;  of  the  Han  dynasty,  558;  buried 
with  the  dead,  683;  when  first  glazed 
in  Japan,  686;  special  Chinese  works 
on,  661;  Korean,  26,  670-684;  centers 
formed  in  Japan  by  Koreans,  721; 
ware  attributed  to  Korea,  676;  pot- 
teries of  Ching-tfi-chen  and  other 
localities,  179,  180;  in  the  Ming 
dynasty,  623 

Pousa  (a  Chinese  contraction  of  Bodhi- 
sattva),  355,  488,  582 


Powder-blue,  312;  pieces  illustrated,. 
Figs.  29,  169,  206,  260,  etc.,  Plates 
XVIII,  XCIII 

Po  wu  yao  Ian,  92,  157,  191,  207,  222, 
273,  568,  652 

Po-yang,  Lake,  18,  190,  279,  280;. 
Hsien,  261 

Premiere  qualite  coloriee  du  Japon, 
671;  the  class  described,  672 
Prescriptions  for  Ming  glazes,  264-267 
Pretty  girls,  602 
Pricket  candlesticks,  93,  242 
Priest  with  the  hempen  bag,  587; 
shown  in  Fig.  395 

Primitive  pieces  illustrated,  Plate  XII 
Private  kilns  in  Ch’ien-lung  period, 
463 

Private  marks,  103 

Processes,  technical,  423,  424,  508-524 
“ Prohibited  City,”  82,  490 
Pronunciation  of  Chinese,  45;  of  Japa- 
nese, 686 

Primus  (mei),  117,  597,  etc. 

Pu  k’o  mo  (not  to  be  rubbed),  661 
Punch-bowls  with  cartoons,  etc.,  613 
Purple  (tzu),  145,  383,  554,  etc.  (see 
Color);  enameling  in  European  style, 
383;  pieces  illustrated.  Figs.  19,  24, 
38,  129,  193,  326,  Plate  XXIX,  etc. 
“ Pursselyne,”  607 
P'u  shu  Ving  chi,  209,  660 
“ Puslanes  of  all  sorts,”  608 
Pu-tai  Ho  shang  (same  as  Hotel),  587, 
757 

Pyrus  japonica,  371,  416,  757;  red 
illustrated  in  Plate  LIII 

Q 

Quartz  (Shih),  265,  424;  amethystine, 
479 

Quince-dish,  176 

U 

Radicals,  Chinese,  42 
Raku-cha-wan,  704 
Raku-ware,  688,  703,  718 
Ramayana,  114 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. INDEX, 


931 


Randon  de  Boisset,  671 
Rangoon,  148 
Raven’s- wing  green,  37 
Reading-lamps,  169 
Rebus  like  devices,  106,  124 
Reception-room  furniture,  493,  499 
Red,  528;  different  kinds  of,  537;  of 
the  grand  feu,  479;  derived  from 
copper,  194,  535;  from  green  vitriol, 
341 ; enameling  in  the  European  style, 
389,  554;  shops,  413,  458;  symbolical 
of  the  sun,  492;  boccaro,  Fig.  23,  etc., 
illustrations  of,  Plates  XVII,  XXVI, 
XXVIII,  XXXII,  XLI,  LXVII. 
XCII.  (See  Color.) 

Reducing  flame,  452 
Regular  superintendents  of  the  imperial 
potteries  first  appointed,  278 
Reign  name  forbidden  to  be  used  as  a 
mark,  41 
Rein,  J.  J.,  701 
Relic  pagoda,  201 
Religions  of  China,  572 
Reproductions  of  Chiin  yao  colors, 
370 

Rhinoceros  (So),  152;  horn,  121;  jars, 
225 

Ricci,  Matteo,  660 

Rice-bowl,  Fig.  294,  Plates  CIII,  CIV 
Rice-colored  glazes,  369-373,  386 
Rice  cultivation,  pictures  illustrating, 
421.  657;  works  on,  658 
Rice-grain  decoration,  418,  522,  698; 

specimens  of.  Figs.  285,  318,  321 
Rice-spoons  of  porcelain,  506 
Riches,  God  of,  120 
Risampei,  34,  675 

Ritual  bricks,  231;  vessels,  491;  works 
on,  657 
Ri}’onin,  704 
Robei,  733 

Robin’s  egg,  374,  518;  blue,  374,  471; 

shown  in  Plate  LXXXV;  glaze,  289 
Rocks  used  in  preparing  the  glazes, 
261 

Rock-temples  of  India,  114 
Rokubei,  718 

Rosary,  official,  one  bead  of  porcelain, 
505' 


Rosa  sinensis,  415 

“Rose-backed”  plates,  etc.,  63,  389, 
404;  illustrated  in  Plate  XXIV 
Rose  crimson  of  Yung-ch^ng  period, 
370 

Rose  d’or  (gold  pink),  389,  etc.;  shown 
in  Plates  LIII,  LXXVI,  etc. 

Rose  Dubarry,  360,  389,  528 
Rose,  famille,  388,404,  411,  413;  shown 
in  Plates  XXII,  XXIV,  LXVI,  etc. 
Rosellini’s  error,  504 
Rouge-boxes,  212,  etc. 

Rouge  de  fer,  554 

Rouge  d’or,  361,  403,  413,  528,  554,  555, 
etc. 

Rouge-pot,  198 
Rouge-red,  418 

Round  ware,  224,  236;  how  made,  430, 
431 

Rubruquis.  566 

Ruby-backed  ])lates,  74;  example  in 
Plate  X 

Ruby-red,  371,  375,  etc.;  dragon,  Plate 
XXX 

Russian  enameling,  456 
S 

Sacred  designs,  572;  genii,  124;  lotus, 
112;  texts  forbidden  as  inscriptions, 
72 

Sacrificial  colors,  225,  371 
Sacrificial  vessels,  144,  204,  225;  differ- 
ent kinds  of.  434,  489;  their  variety, 
490;  of  bronze,  558;  marks  on,  92 
Saddle-back  Mountain,  281 
Sagittarius,  468 
Sakaida  Kakiyemon,  738 
Sake-bottles,  shown  in  Plates  XCVII, 
CIX,  CX 

Sake-pots,  shown  in  Plates  XCTX, 

evil 

Sakyarnuni,  263,  733;  principal  repre- 
sentations of,  585;  statuette  of.  Fig. 
404;  trinity,  586 
Saladin,  148,  605 
Salting  Collection,  8 
Salvetat,  M.,  267,  373,  427 
Samantabhadra,  586,  733 


932 


OEIENTAL  CEKAMIC  ART. INDEX. 


% 


Same-yaki,  753 

San  (umbrella),  112;  (“3”),  159 
Sang-de-bmuf,  6,  72, 195,  200,  267,  297, 
304,  307,  310,  485,  512;  origin  of  the 
term,  302;  pieces  illustrated.  Figs.  5, 
181,  196,  207,  258,  297,  347,  Plates  I, 
LVI-LIX,  LXVII,  LXVIII 
Sang  dll  poulet,  372 
Saniu,  704 

San  Kuo  (the  three  fruits),  596 
k^ahkha  (conch-shell),  112 
Sa7i  Li,  640;  -Tou,  641 
Sannojo,  743 
San-pao-p’^ng,  510 

San  shO  (sets  of  three),  493;  in  various 
materials  and  styles,  what  they  com- 
prise, 493 

San  to  (three  abundances),  477,  596 
San-ts’ai  (three-color  decoration),  324, 
327,  329;  specimen  in  Fig.  82 
San  yang  K’ai  t’ai,  230,  468 
San  yu  (the  three  friends),  478 
Sapphire-blue,  266,  408,  439,  542;  ex- 
ample of,  in  Plate  XXIX 
Sapphires,  imitation,  216 
Sapta  Ratna  (Sanskrit),  “ seven  gems,” 
113 

Sartel,  M.  du,  196 
Satow,  Sir  Ernest,  27,  28,  750 
Satsuma  ware,  32,  175,  678,  687,  689, 
702,  719,  748-757;  pieces  illustrated. 
Figs.  392,  393,  395,  406-408,  410, 
Plates  C,  Cl,  CII,  CVIII 
Saucer  and  saucer-shaped  dishes,  141, 
224,  236,  478,  etc  ; example  in  Fig. 
249 

Saxony,  Elector  of,  239 
Scent-caskets  (hsiang  lien),  180,  505 
Scherzer,  M.,  3,291,  446 
Scholar  and  his  study,  works  in  Chinese 
relating  to  the,  653;  the  elegant  ac- 
complishments of,  121;  articles  for 
his  study,  494 

Scooping  out  the  foot  described  by 
T’ang  Ying,  448 
“ Screwing,”  433 
Scroll-paintings,  122 
“ Sea-eyes,”  180 
Sea-green  celadon,  36,  360,  373 


Seal  characters,  46 

Seals  (yin),  168;  ancient,  494;  of  porce- 
lain, 46;  examples  in.  Fig.  58,  59 
Seggars  (hsia),  179,  181;  their  manu- 
facture, 428;  described,  738;  furnaces, 
271;  in  the  Ming  period,  290 
Seibei,  731 
Seifu  Yohei,  37,  697 
Seiji  {=  Chinese  Ch’ing  tz’u,  or  “ green 
porcelain”),  36,  148,  686,  714 
Seikanji,  731 
Seiren-in,  Prince,  733 
Seitoku,  704 
Seizayemon,  731 
Sendai,  738 

Sen-no-Rikyu,  681,  703 
Senno  Sohitsu,  705 

Sepia  decoration,  328,  384;  example  in 
Fig.  230 

Sepulchral  mounds,  27 
Sericana,  460 

Services  for  dining-room,  507 
Seto,  33,  686;  -kilns,  724;  -mono,  33, 
686,  714,  724;  -ware,  689,  759 
Sets  of  five  pieces,  Buddhist,  493 
“ Seven  gems,”  113 
Seven  Worthies,  601 
Sevres,  2;  hard  porcelain,  424;  mu- 
seum, 9 

S§  yao  (colored- ware  furnaces),  271 

Shaga,  764 

Shah  Abbas,  256 

Shah  of  Persia,  502 

Shaku-date,  725,  Plate  CXIV 

Shan  (fan),  115;  (mountains),  110 

Shan-fang  (mountain  retreat),  79 

Shan  kao  shui  ch’ang,  60,  102 

Shang  (a  gift),  73 

Shang  dynasty,  25 

Shanghai,  219 

Shang  ku  ch’i,  40 

Shang  Ti,  576 

Shan  lei  (hill  and  thunder),  225 
Shan  shui  (literally,  “ hill  and  water  ”), 
569 

Shansi,  43,  215 
Shantung  glass-works,  551 
Shan  wan  (banquet-bowls),  224 
Shan-yli-huang  (eel-yellow),  295,  372 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. INDEX. 


933 


Shao-hao,  56 

Shao-lising,  197,  436;  tea-services  made 
at,  624;  wine,  275 
Shao  hsing  cliien  ku  foa,  648 
Shao-lu  (muffle  stove),  458 
Shao  yao,  the  Pmonia  albijlora,  599 
Shark-skill  ware,  753 
Sha-t’ai  (saiid-bodied),  320 
Shg-li  (sacred  relics  of  Buddha),  201 
Shell  mounds  at  Omori,  Japan,  27 
Shgng  (reed  organ),  109 
Sh6ng  shou  (wisdom  and  long  life),  249 
Shgng-yang,  393 
Sh^ng  yu  ya  chi,  94 
Shgn-nung  (Divine  Husbandman),  56 
Shensi,  278 
Sh6n-t6-t’ang,  80,  469 
Sli^n  t6  fang  chili,  80 
Shgn  t6  fang  po  ku  chih,  80 
Shgn-tzu  (dark  purple),  370 
Sh^n-yang,  93 

Shg-p’i  lii  (snake-skin  green),  317 
Shiba  pieces,  750 
Shigaraki,  688;  -ware,  726 
Shih  CM,  14,  565,  642 
Shih  CMng,  640 

Shih-chu,  the  Dianthus  pink,  599 
Shih-erh  Chang,  106 
Shih  kao  (gypsum),  335 
Shih-liii  tsun  (pomegranate-jar),  308 
Shih  mo  (pounded  quartz),  266 
Shih  Tsung  (emperor),  24 
Shih-tzu  ch’ing  (stone-blue),  221,  263, 
266,  267,  439 

SMh  iDu  kail  elm,  216,  435 
Shimazu,  753,  Yoshihiro,  751;  Yoshi- 
hisa,  720 
Shiraki,  30 
Shiraz,  524 
Shishidama,  758 
Shiu-ro,  695 

Sho-ho  period,  35,  735,  737 
Shonsui,  34.  (See  Gorodayu.) 

Shotoku,  743 

Shou  (longevity),  86,  91,  97,  98,  125 
Shou  huan,  180 

Shou  Lao,  116,  230,  576;  represented  in 
Figs.  347,  348 

Shou  pi  nan  slum,  Fu  ju  tunghai,  99 


Shou  Shan,  119;  fu  hai,  227 
Shou  the  tyrant,  107 
Shrinkage,  446 
Shuai  fu  kung  yung,  94 
Shuang  fu  chi  ch’ing,  126 
Shuang  hsi  (twofold  joy),  95,  171 
Shuang  kuan  p’ing,  205 
Shuang  shou  po  fu,  86 
Shu,  ch’in,  cii’i,  hua,  120 
Shu-ch’ang,  94 

Shu  Chiao  (the  Fair  Shu),  162 
Shu  Cliing  (Book  of  History),  56,  109, 
640 

Shu  Ch’ing  Yuan,  175,  205,  324 
Shu  family,  162 

Shu  fu  (imperial  palace),  92,  135,  186;. 

-yao,  186 
Shugio,  H.,  682 

Shui-ch’gng,  123,  140,  146,  151,  155, 
159,  167,  176,  206,  etc. 

Shui  Chu  (water-pourers),  167, 173,  197 
Shui  Chung-Ch’^ng,  173 
Shui  hsien  hua,  124,  475,  599 
Shui  pa  pao  (eight  aquatic  jewels),  121 
Shu  King  (Book  of  History),  25 
Shun  (Chinese  emperor),  14,  25,  27,  44, 
56,  109,  133,  241,  601;  pottery  of  lii& 
time,  357 

Shun-chih,  71,  293-296 
Shuo  Wen,  43,  46,  641 
Shu-p^ng,  462 
Shu  T6ng,  169 
Siddharta,  113 

Sieur  Wagenaar’s  voyage  to  Batavia, 
674 

Silk,  568;  culture,  illustrated  in  Fig. 
287;  handkerchiefs  of  the  Sung,  568; 
weaving,  pictures  illustrating,  421, 
657;  works  on,  658 
“ Silkworm  coils,”  481 
Silver  in  decoration,  556 
Silvered  porcelain  in  the  Yung-cli6ng 
period,  383 

Single  colors,  346,  360 
Sinico-Japanese  school  of  ceramists,  36, 
37 

Sin-p’ing,  18 
Sinra,  32 

Si  Po,  Prince  of  Chou,  601 


934 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. INDEX. 


Six-legged  monster,  560 

Sk5^-blue,  136,  369,  370,  375,  524,  528 

Slip  decoration  in  partial  relief,  364; 

illustrated  in  Fig.  66 
Slop-bowls,  238 
Smith,  Major  Murdoch,  605 
Smithsonian  Institution,  8 
Snake-skin  green,  72 
Snuff-bottles,  503;  originally  for  med- 
icines, 503;  illustrated.  Figs.  12,  23, 
25,  32,  48,  64,  65,  91,  102,  135,  179, 
i 199,  269,  272,  281,  286,  288-292,  295, 
296,  300,  301,  305,  311,  317,  327,  330, 
331,  334-337,  340,  344,  345,  347,  350, 
351,  353,  412,  Plate  XXXVII 
So  (rhinoceros),  152 

Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  destruction  of, 
661 

“ Soft  glaze,”  320 

“Soft-paste”  class,  320;  examples  of. 
Fig.  276,  Plate  LXYIII 
Soft  porcelain  of  Chelsea,  320 
Sokuan,  755  ' 

Solar  bird,  109 
Solar  zodiac,  animals  of,  562 
Soleyman,  Arab  traveler,  23 
Sometsuke,  34,  687,  729,  743 
Soniu,  704 

Souffles,  289,  313,  410,  518;  blue,  347, 
377,  542;  examples  in.  Fig.  260, 
Plate  XVIII;  red,  340,  347,  360, 
377,  408;  examples.  Figs.  250,  259 
South  Kensington  Museum,  5,  605,  699 
Special  designs  for  the  European 
market,  609 

Sphere,  one  of  the  pa  pao,  119 
Spider-mark,  98 
Spinning  damsel,  468 
Spring  and  Autumn  Annals,  641 
Square  seal,  70;  vases,  how  made,  435 
Sripada  (Buddha’s  footprint),  114 
Srivatsa,  112,  114 
Ssu  Chi  Ilua,  598 
Ssu-chuan,  23,  127,  179,  180,  584 
Ssu  Fang  Ch’ing  Yen,  402 
Ssii  kan  ts’ao  fang,  79,  83 
Ssu  Ling  of  the  Chinese,  591-594 
Ssu-ma  Ch’ien  (the  Herodotus  of 
China),  14,  565,  642 


Ssu-ma-kuang’s  presence  of  mind  as  a 
boy,  603 

Ssu  f ai  tgng,  205 

Ssu  yao  (private  kilns),  76,  443 

St.  James,  403 

St.  Louis  of  France,  566 

St.  Thomas,  589 

Stamboul,  454 

“ Starch-blue,”  138,  437 

Star-gods,  559 

Star  of  longevity,  100 

Statuettes  of  Kuan-yin,  354 

Staunton,  Sir  George,  51 

Steatite,  472;  used  in  crackling,  510 

Stellar  divinities,  468 

Stems,  the  ten,  51 

Stone-blue,  221,  439 

Stone-drums,  45 

Stoneware,  13 

Stork,  the,  475,  595;  symbol  of  longev- 
ity, 117;  aerial  messenger  of  the 
gods,  363 

Su-ch’ien-hsien,  396 
Su-chou,  140,  195 
Sui  ch’i,  509;  tun,  510 
Sui  dynasty,  20,  454 
Suinin,  emperor,  29 
Sui  Shu,  20,  642 
Sui  yu  (crackled  glaze),  349 
Suizuka,  760,  761 
Sultan  of  Egypt,  149 
Su-ma-li  (or  Su-ma-ni)  blue,  11,  193 
Sun,  the  horse-chariot  of  the,  113 
Sun  Ch’uan,  573 
Sung  Ching-lien,  84 
Sung,  chu,  mei,  86,  117,  597 
Sung  dynasty,  3,  10,  38,  50,  79,  89,  92, 
104,  109,  128-142,  143-155,  159-178, 
183-187,  195,  203,  219,  255,  268,  273, 
275,  278,  281,  318,  369-373,  436,  499, 
508,  510,  515,  693;  marks,  65,66;  por- 
celain, 165;  crackles  of,  Plate  XII; 
painted  decoration  first  referred  to, 
563;  different  wares  of,  444;  pieces 
illustrated.  Figs,  119,  122,  124,  125, 
133,  Plates  XII,  XCIV 
Sung  hsiang  (turpentine),  264 
Sung  Shih,  130,  642 
Sunkoroku,  678,  754 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. INDEX. 


935 


Su-ni-p’o  blue,  193 

Superintendents  of  imperial  potteries, 
72,  73,  86,  301 

Sur -biscuit  d.c,coY2tX\oi\,  31,  etc. 
Sur-decoration,  617,  619;  an  example  in 
Fig.  357 

Su-ti  (plain  ground),  381 
Su  Tung-p’o,  170 

Svastika,  98,  114,  115,  121,  123,  766 
“ Swing-cups,”  208 
Symbolism  of  the  colors,  491 
Symbols,  Buddhist,  106,  111;  Taoist, 
106,  115;  of  ancient  Chinese  lore,  106, 
107;  of  victory,  560 

T 

Tabaku-bon,  695 

Table  services  in  Lung-ch’ing  period, 
235 

Ta  chi  (great  good  fortune),  100 
Ta  Ch’in  (Roman  Empire),  454 
Ta  Ch’ing  {gros  bleu),  439 
Ta  Ch’ing  (Great  Pure  dynasty),  Chia- 
ch’ing  nien  chih,  75,  464,  etc.;  Ch’ien- 
lung  fang  ku,  77;  Ch’ien-lung  nien 
chih,  74,  416;  K’ang-hsi  nien  chih, 
72,  327,  etc.;  Kuang  hsii  nien  chih, 
76;  nien  chih,  401;  Shun  chih  nien 
chih,  71;  Tao-kuang  nien  chih,  75: 
T’ung  chi  nien  chih,  75;  Yung-cli5ng 
nien  chih,  74,  363 
Ta  C Tiing  Hui  Tien  Vou,  225 
Ta  Ch’ingyi  T’ung  Chih,  643 
Tael,  137,  260,  264 
Ta  Hsiu,  195 
T’ai-ch’ang,  67 

Tai  ch5  Shih  (antimony  ore),  264,  265 
T’ai-chi  symbol,  473 
T’ai  Keng  Wan,  225 
Taiko  Hideyoshi,  681,  720;  .same  as 
Taikosama,  704 
Tai-kwa,  734 
T’ai  Miao,  at  Peking.  490 
T'ai  ping  huan  lo,  624 
Tai  pings,  75 

T’ai  p'ing  yu  hsing,  140,  474 
T'ai-p'ing  yu  Ian,  645 
Tai  Shan,  100 
Tai-ting,  177 


T’ai  tsun,  225 
T’ai-wu  Lake,  219 
Takara-mono,  757 

Takatori  ware,  688,  726,  727 ; examples 
of.  Figs.  339,  383 

Takemoto  Hayata,  37,  626,  697,  698 
Ta-kuan  glazes,  368 
Ta  lii  {gros  wrt,  or  emerald-green),  139, 
317 

Taniago-yaki,  689 
Tamba,  731 
Tamerlane,  604 
Tamikichi,  729 

Ta  Ming,  Ch’5ng  hua  nien  chih,  68, 
211;  -yuan  nien  yi  yu,  68;  Ch5ng- 
t5  nien  chih,  68;  Chia-ching  liu  nien 
chih,  69,  223;  nien  chih,  70,  741; 
Ch’ung-ch^n  nien  chih,  70,  Hsuan-t5 
nien  chih,  67,  194,  199,  201,  203,  205; 
Hung  chih  nien  chih,  68;  Hung-wu 
nien  chih,  66;  Lung-cli’ing  nien  chih, 
69;  T’ien-ch’i  nien  chih,  70;  Wan-li 
nien  chih,  69,  242,  294;  Yung-lo  nien 
chih,  191,  192 
Tamo,  589,  627 
Tamura  Gonzayemon,  759 
Tan,  180 

T’an  (wine-jars),  43,  230,  238;  (altar), 
92;  chan  (altar-cups),  222 
Tanagra  of  Japan,  718 
Tanaka,  737 

T’ang  (hall),  79,  etc.;  (soup),  476 
T’ang  dynasty,  10,  17,  18,  19,  20,  21, 
26,  32,  50,  127,  129,  139,  278,  436,  561 
T’ang  Ping-chlin,  421 
T’ang  yao,  its  name  traced,  302 
T’ang  Ying,  3,  73,  87,  93,  159,  273 
294,  302,  305,  309,  361,  391,  401; 
appointed  superintendent  of  the  im- 
perial potteries,  279;  his  autobiog- 
raphy, 393;  commanded  to  write 
description  of  twenty  illustrations  of 
porcelain-making  found  at  Peking, 
396;  his  journey  to  Peking,  420; 
memoranda  by,  398;  his  description 
of  the  Twenty  Illustrations  translated, 
420-462;  his  successors,  399;  value  of 
his  work,  174;  his  writings  on  pot- 
tery, 663 


936 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. INDEX. 


Tang  Shu,  18,  642 
T’an-j^n  (the  Tranquil),  659 
Tan  kuei,  103 
Tanniu,  704 

T’ao  (an  ancient  place  name),  43;  pot- 
tery, 12,  13,  44,  etc. 

T’ao  Cli’ang  (porcelain  manufactory), 
644;  Cli§ng  (porcelain  administra- 
tion), 3 

Tao  ch'eng  shih  yu  k'ao,  398 
T’ao  ch’i,  686 
Tao  Chi  Luo,  178,662 
T’ao  cli’ing  (ceramic-blue),  439 
T’ao  ch’u  (porcelain  plinths),  277 
Taoism,  106;  its  founder,  575;  its  first 
great  patron,  576 

Taoist  genii,  83,  115,  482;  paradise, 119, 
578;  symbols,  106,  115;  temple  at 
Tungpa,  93;  Triad,  577;  shown  in 
Figs.  244,  325,  Plate  XXI;  writers, 
565;  devices  in  old  bronze,  563 
T’ao-j^n  (potters  who  work  with  the 
wheel),  15,  431 

Tao-kuang,  3,  48,  55,  75,  80,  84,  91,  95, 
113,466;  poem  by,  469;  pieces  illus- 
trated, Figs.  38,  63,  73,  74,  311,  335, 
Plate  XXXVII;  k^ng  hsll  nien  chili, 
62;  yi  ssu  nien,  Kuangyilt’ang  chih, 
90 

Tao  Shuo,  2,  130,  165,  189,  208,  226, 
255,  405,  436,  454,  489,  495;  its  date, 
author,  and  contents,  663,  665,  666 
Tao-t’ai  (intendant  of  circuit),  190,  294, 
295 

Tao  Te  CMng,  575 

T’ao- tieh,  137,  145,  406;  shown  in  Figs. 
274,  329 

T’ao  t’u,  (porcelain  earth),  260 
Tao  Yell  Tou  Shuo,  663 
T’ao  ytl,  21 

T’ao  Yuan-ming  (a  lover  of  chrysanthe- 
mums), 104,  209,  598 
Tartar  dynasty,  293,  740 
Ta  Shih  (the  Arabs),  454 
Ta  shu  fang  chih,  88 
Ta  Sung  Yuan  f^ng  nien  chih,  65 
Ta  T’ang  (principal  hall),  288 
Tateno,  753,  754 
Tatsumonji,  752 


Tatsu  no  Kuchi,  752 
Ta  Ya  Chai,  81 
Tayasu  Tokugawa,  720 
Ta-yi  potteries,  23,  127 
Tazza-shaped  cups,  171,  199,  etc. 
Tchang-ho,  18 

Telling  {—  Chgn),  explained,  283 
Telling  hoa(=r  Ch’gng-hua),  299 
Tch’in  koue,  18 

Tch’in-tcheou-fou  (a  department  of 
Honan),  18 

Tea,  its  coming  into  general  use  in 
China,  21;  its  introduction  into  Japan, 
714;  a classical  treatise  on,  21,  655; 
special  works  on,  655;  ceremonies, 
32;  book  on  the  utensils  used  in,  656; 
adopted  in  Japan,  163,  681;  their  in- 
fluence on  Japanese  pottery,  692; 
utensils  used  in,  694;  illustrated  in 
Plates  CXIV,  CXV 
Teacups  (ch’a  pei),  141;  (ou),  225,  228, 
231,  237 

Tea-dust  glaze,  518 

Tea-jars,  33;  Japanese,  Plates  CXIV, 
CXV 

Teapots,  275,  696;  Chinese  works  on, 
656 

Teaspoons  of  porcelain,  506 
Tea-tasters,  163 
Technical  processes,  508 
Technique  during  the  Ming  period, 
260-275 

T^-hua  (in  Fuchien),  164,  184,  276, 
534,  627,  631 
TO  hua  ch’ang  ch’un,  96 
Tembio,  731 

Temple  of  Confucius  at  Peking,  45;  of 
Land  and  Grain,  ritual  vessels  of, 
492;  of  the  patron  god  of  potters,  461 
Tempo,  755,  761 
TOng  (lamp),  153,  161,  490 
Tensho,  703 
’Perra-cotta,  12,  43,  638 
Terrien  de  Lacouperie,  25 
Tezukune,  704 

Themes  illustrated  in  decoration,  600, 
601 

Thieves,  god  of,  583 
Thirteen  li  Mart,  281 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. INDEX. 


937 


Thousand-character  classic,  215 
Three  ancient  dynasties,  14,  15,  56 
Three  color  decoration,  324,  483 
Three  fruits,  the,  596 
Three  kingdoms,  the,  56,  573 
Three-legged  bird,  109;  toad,  110,  583 
Three  Rituals,  640 
Thumb-guards  of  porcelain,  505 
Tibet,  Buddhism  in,  585 
Tibetans,  their  favorite  deity,  588 
Tieh  (saucer  plates),  224,  228,  229,  306, 
475 

T’ieh-hsiu,  technique  of,  406;  Plate 
XIX 

T’ieh-hsiu-hua,  519 
Tieh  t’o  (saucer),  141 
Tien-ch’i,  70,  157,  258;  porcelain  of, 
258,259 

T’ien-ch’ing,  Plates  LXXIV 
T’ien  Hou  (Queen  of  Heaven),  583 
T’ien  hsia  t’ai  p’ing,  Ssu  fang  hsiang 
ts’ao,  247 

T’ien-Kua  Hu,  210 
T’ien  kuan  tz’u  fu,  100 
Tien  kung  k'ai  icu,  273,  623;  its  con- 
tents, 658 

T’ien-lan  (sky-blue),  370 
Tien  mao  fang  chib,  84 
T’ien  pai  (pure  white),  268,  316,  385;  yu, 
479 

T’ien-pao,  18,  139 
T’ien-shun,  64,  206 
T’ieu  tiyi  chia  ch’un,  81 
Tientsin,  190,  279 
T’ien  tzu  Kuan,  258 
Tiger,  the  Chinese,  591;  the  white,  560 
Tiger-skin  glaze,  317 
Timur  the  Mongol,  604 
Ting,  490;  (a  cake  of  ink),  125;  (fixed, 
immovable), 87;  (incense-burner).  139, 
143,  145,  214;  (sacrificial  vessels),  273 
T’ing  (a  summer-house),  79 
Ting  Chou,  129, 136,  142,  146,  162,  165, 
268;  potteries  at,  257;  closing  of,  625; 
porcelain,  79-173,  184,  273,  533;  imi- 
tations of,  185,  273,  318 
Ting-ch’ou  (a  cyclical  year),  207 
Ting-hsiang(the  Syringa  sinensis),  599 
Ting  ssu  (a  cyclical  year),  466 


Ting  yao,  127,  133,  136,  142,  143,  160, 
164,  176,  448,  625 
Ti  p’ing  (ground  vases),  502 
Toad,  the  three-legged,  110,  583 
Tobacco-plant,  its  introduction  into 
China,  503 
Tobei,  752 

T’o-chih  (supporting  twigs),  673 

To-da-kichi-hei,  99 

To-ichi,  754 

Tojin-machi,  735 

Toju,  754 

Tokaido,  682 

Toki  (pottery),  686 

Tokio,  Tokyo,  27,  etc.;  porcelain,  Plate 
XCVI 
Tokitsu,  754 
Tokonoma,  695 
Tokugawa  family,  746 
Tokuri,  742,  756 
Tokuzayemou,  674 
Tones  in  Chinese,  44 
Topography,  Chinese  works  on,  643 
Tortoise  (emblem  of  longevity),  117;  a 
full  account  of,  594;  -shell,  520 
Toshiaki,  759 
Toshiharu,  759 
Toshima  Tokuzayemon,  737 
Toshiro,  32,  714;  his  influence  on  Japa- 
nese ceramics,  692;  his  tea-bowls, 
725 

To-t’ai  tz’u  (eggshell  porcelain),  192 
Tou  ch’ing,  234,  360;  -yu,  264;  illus- 
trated in  Plate  XL 
Tou  li  pei,  200 
T’ou  shou  chi  ch’^ng,  273 
Tou,  the  twelve,  491 
Toyosuke  ware,  730 
Trade  of  China,  23;  with  Africa  and 
Arabia,  504 

Transliteration  of  Chinese,  44 
Traite  des  Arts  Ceramiques,  324 
Transmutation  colors,  130,  516;  glazes, 
37,  157,  407,  516,  etc.;  pieces  illus- 
trated, Figs.  27,  118,  137,  140,  165, 
270;  Plates  XVI,  XLVI,  L,  LI, 
LXXXVII 

Tree-peony  (emblem  of  riches  and 
rank),  126,  etc. 


938 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. INDEX. 


Trenchard,  Sir  Thomas,  606 
Tressaillure,  447 
Trevor,  Thomas,  381 
True  porcelain  of  Japan,  689 
Truite,  truitee,  315,  327,  447,  etc. 
Trigrams,  the  eight,  106,  107,  etc. 
Tripod  censer,  139,  145,  etc. 

Tsa  Hua  (miscellaneous  designs),  570 
Ts’ai  chin  (painting  in  gold),  328 
Ts’ai  Chin-ch’ing,  287,  470 
Tsai  ch’uan  chih  lo,  102 
Ts’ai  Hsiang,  170 

Ts’ai  hua  (decoration  in  colors),  289 
Ts’ai  Hung  (printing  in  red),  327,  383 
Ts’ai  jun  fang  chih,  88 
Ts’ai  shui-mo  (painting  in  black),  383 
Ts’ai  tieh  (food-dishes),  226 
Tsang-pa  (Zanzibar),  10,  148 
Ts’ang  T’ing-fgng,  178 
Ts’ang  Yao,  its  name  traced,  302;  de- 
scribed, 306 

Ts’ang  Ying-hsilan,  72,  302;  superin- 
tendent of  imperial  factory,  305; 
glazes  invented  by,  372 
Ts’ao  (grass),  110;  shu  (grass  hand),  46 
Tsao  Ch’ao,  650,  681 
Tsao-fan  (green  vitriol),  341 
Ts’ao  Fu,  591 

Ts’ao  Kuo-ch’iu,  an  account  of,  580 
Tsao-p’ing,  493 
Tsao-’rh  hung,  408 
Ts’ao  Ts’ao,  573 

Tsao  fang  (decoction  of  jujubes),  92, 
222 

Ts^ng  (a  hand-organ),  353,  578 
Tsgng  Kuo-fan,  470 
Tsiu  (misprint  for  ts’ui),  343 
Tso-tsun,  499 

Tsou  family  of  potters,  195 

Tsubo,  702 

Tsuchiyaki,  687 

Ts’u  chili  (vinegar-cruse),  226 

Tsii  Erh  Chi,  44 

Ts’ui  ch’ing  s^  (turquoise-blue),  226 
Ts’ui  111,  226 

Ts’ui-s6  (turquoise),  '409;  -yu  (glaze) 
265 

Tsuji  Katsuzo,  739 
Tsuji  Kizayemon,  738 


Tsun  (jar),  144,  152,  160,  171,  435,  489; 
(sacrificial  vase),  43,  394;  (beaker- 
shaped vases),  306 
Ts’ung-ch#ng,  92 
Ts’ung  lil  (onion-green),  129 
Tsung-tu  (governor  general),  301 
Tsung  Yi  (temple  vessels),  110 
Ts’u  ti  (vinegar-ew^ers),  238 
Tu  the  poet,  23,  169 
T’u  (earth),  142 

Tuan  T’ing-kuei  appointed  superin- 
tendent, 287 
Tu  Chiu-ju,  274 
Tu-hsia  (finished  cases),  429 
Tui  Ch’i  (embossed  pieces),  268 
Tui  hua  (embossed  designs),  382,  389 
T’u-mao  chan,  170 
T’u-mao-hua  Ch’a-ou,  169 
Turned  banners,  95;  prince,  113 
T’u-mi  (Rosa  rugosa),  599 
T’ung-chih  (sub-prefect),  279;  (em- 
peror), 61,  62,  75,  87,  469;  list  of 
articles  requisitioned  by,  470-483 
Tung-ch’ing  (wintergreen),  156,  372, 
480,  etc. 

Tung-ch’ing  yao,  129,  136,  156;  Plate 
XXXVIII 

T’ungchou  (city  near  Peking),  93 
Tung  Fang  So  (a  Taoist  saint),  360; 
his  theft  of  the  sacred  peach,  582; 
shown  in  Figs.  250,  333 
T’ung  hsin  fang  sh^ng,  120 
T’ung  hua  p’ien  (oxide  of  copper),  345 
T’ung  kuan  (cylindrical  jars),  195 
Tung-li  garden,  104 
Tungpa  (a  town  near  Peking),  93 
Tung  Wang  Fu,  561 
Tung  Yang  J^n,  390 
Tung  Yang  Ts’ai,  673 
Turning,  tools  used  in,  448 
Turquoise-blue,  131,  226,  315,  409; 
glazes,  265,  376;  pieces  illustrated. 
Figs.  1,  8,  20,  31-33,  40,  76,  110,  115, 
127,  139,  148,  158,  163,  170,  174,  189, 
192,  217,  238;  Plates  XLIV,  XLV, 
LXXV,  LXXXIV,  XCHI 
Tushita  heaven,  588 
T’u  ting,  142,  370;  ware,  257,  533,  Pig. 
177 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. INDEX. 


939 


Tu  Yu  (an  early  poet),  656 
Twelve  Branches,  51 ; Chang,  109 
Twenty-four  dynasties,  56,  57;  Para- 
gons of  Filial  Piety,  602 
Twin  Merry  Genii,  165,  583;  Fig.  346 
Tz’u  (porcelain),  12,  20,  21,  43,  44,  686, 
etc.;  -chgn  (porcelain  pillow),  169 
Tzu  (purple),  145,  etc.;  -chin  (dead- 
leaf  tint),  226,  313,  348,  349;  -yu.  264 
Tzu-ching,  134 

Tz’u-chou,  127,  130,  162,  164,  165,  625, 
678 

Tz’u-en-ssu  (temple  at  Peking),  209 

Tz’u  shih-t’ang,  181 

Tz’u  shu  ko,  79 

Tzu  tz’u  fang  chih,  85 

Tz’ii  yao,  164 

Tzu  ying  shih,  479 

U 

Undeciphered  marks,  103 
Underglaze  colors,  326,  386,  442,  469; 
decoration  described  by  Pdre  d’En- 
trecolles,  351 

Unicorn,  the  Chinese,  594;  the  spotted, 
560 

Universal  Monarch,  one  of  the  symbols 
of  the,  120 
Uranoscope,  561 
trna,  733,  747,  etc. 

Ushnisha,  733,  747 

Utensils  of  Sung  porcelain,  128 

V 

Vajra  Buddha,  727 
Van  Aalst,  J.  A.,  109 
Van  Neck,  at  Batavia,  607 
Vases,  237,  434;  different  kinds  of,  180; 
(fang  hu),  140;  (hu),  151;  (ch’i),  162; 
(ku),  137;  (p’ing),  160;  (tsiin),  146; 
the  manufacture  and  forms  described 
by  T’ang  Ying,  434,  443;  history  of, 
book  on  the,  680,  681;  for  cut  flowers, 
495;  ecclesiastical,  illustrated  in 
Plate  XX 

Veranda  plaques,  71 
Vermilion,  161;  pencil,  402 


Vert  passe,  553 

Victory  or  success,  a symbol  of,  120 

Vieilles  qualites  du  Japon,  708 

Vieux  truite,  710 

Vinegar-ew’ers,  238 

Violet  d’eveque,  554 

Virgin  Mother  on  porcelain,  403 

Vissage  (screw  ing),  433 

Vitex-blue,  136,  137 

Vogt,  M.,  6,  290,  446 

Vows  of  the  Chinese,  98 

W 

Waddell,  Dr.  L.  A.,  585 
Wade,  Sir  Thomas,  44 
Wakai,  M.,  720 
Wall -gazing  Brahman,  589 
Wan  (bowls),  43,  180,  206,  224,  306,  etc. ; 
(“  10,000”),  98 

Wan  ku  ch’ang  ch’un,  Ssii  hai  lai  ch’ao, 
247 

Wan-li,  36,  69,  70,  71,  89,  96,  101,  143, 
189,  209,  222,  234,  239,  240,  242,  257, 
260,  262,  268,  270,  273,  274,  287,  436, 
443,  462,  503;  decoration  in  colors, 
239;  mark  often  copied  by,  the 
Japanese,  36;  porcelain,  239-257; 
copies  of,  378;  pieces  illustrated.  Figs. 
18,  106, 153,  167, 173,  174,  38(a),  etc.; 
Plate  LX XII;  -nien  ts’ai,  96;  wu 
ts’ai,  193,  326 
Wan  shih  chu,  103 

Wan  Shou  (“myriad  ages”),  99;  shan, 
638;  wu  chiang,  99,  481 
Wan  yii,  101 

Wang-Chi,  scenes  from  the  legend  of, 
628 

Wang  Ch’iao  (the  philosopher  Prince), 
583 

Wang  Ching-min,  241 
Wang  Fu,  648 
Wang  Hsi  Chih,  602 
Wang-Jih  tsao,  295 
Wang  Mang,  the  usujrper,  56 
Wang  Sun-chi,  211 

Warham,  Archbishop,  149;  his  cup, 
606 

Watano  Kichiji,  762 


940 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART.— INDEX. 


Water-droppers,  167,  173 
Watered  blue,  267 
Water-fairy  flower,  475,  599,  etc. 
Watering  pot  (liua  cliiao),  169 
Watermelon  Island,  281 
Water-pot  or  receptacle  (shui  cli’^ng), 
140,  146,  151,  155,  159,  167,  173; 
(Im),  167 

“ Wa-wa  cups,”  209 
Wedded  bliss,  special  emblem  of,  95 
Wedding-cups,  170,  207 
Wei  Ch’u,  23 
Wei  dynasty,  133 
W6n  chang  slian  ton,  100 
W6n  Chang  Ti  Chiin,  574 
W^n  Chgn-hgng,  172 
W6n-cliou-fu,  624 
Wen  Fang  ssa  K’ao,  421,  456,  654 
Wen  fan  ssu  p’u,  654 
W6ng,  43,  450 
W^n  T’ien-lisiang,  162 
Wgn  Wang,  107,  143 
W^n  Wei-cliung,  215 
W^n  yli  pao  ting,  101 
“Western  Buddha,”  82 
Weston,  Stephen,  51 
Weymouth,  606 
Wheel  of  the  law,  563 
Whistler’s  illustrations  of  Blue  and 
White,  323 

White,  the  color  of  Jupiter,  492;  carp, 
560;  charcoal,  264;  deer,  story  of 
the,  560;  crane  of  Wang  Ch’iao,  583; 
enamel  colors,  552;  glazes,  267,  318, 
319;  Hirado  porcelain,  746;  -Horse 
Monastery,  585;  Lady,  570,  571;  white 
porcelain,  226,  232;  of  Ch’ien-lung, 
408;  of  Fuchien,  623;  of  Hsing-chou, 
22;  of  Ching-tg-ch^n,  630;  of  T^-liua, 
276;  of  Yung-lo,  191;  pieces  illus- 
trated, Figs.  18,  36,  37,  55,  104,  135, 
138,  147,  151,  172,  177,  180,  218,  219, 
222,  243,  246,  251,  252,  256,  264-267, 
275,  277,  278,  302,  303,  310,  319,  322, 
354,  371-373,  Plate  XC;  slip  decora- 
tion, 341,  523;  Ting-chou-ware,  370; 
Umbrella,  Lord  of  tlie,  112;  unglazed 
porcelain  of  Tao-kuang,  469 
Whitney,  Prof.  W.  D.,  562 


Williams,  S.  W.,  632 
Wine-cups,  43,  185,  227,  232,  236,  etc. 
Wine-jar  (tsun),  171 
Wine-pots,  185;  (chia),  146;  (yu),  153; 
(hu),  160,  etc. 

Winter-blossoming  plum,  597 
Wistaria  sinensis,  82 
Wonder-working  jewels,  114 
Wool  kerchiefs  of  the  Kitans,  568 
Wrapping  and  packing  porcelain, 
described  by  T’ang  Ying,  458 
Writers  and  Painters,  Cyclopoedia  of^ 
647 

Writing,  Chinese,  42 

Writing  table,  articles  for,  494,  695 

Wu  Ch^n-hsien,  89 

Wu  chin  (metallic  black),  313;  (black 
porcelain),  347 
Wu  fgng  §rh  nien,  558 
Wu  fu  (five  happinesses),  91,  322,  etc. 
Wu-hsing,  204 

Wu  k’o  (a  Buddhist  monk),  104 
Wu  kung  (sets  of  five),  491 
Wu-m^n,  205,  214;  -t’o,  261 
Wu-ming-yi  (cobalt-blue),  10,  130,  439 
Wu  San-kuei,  41,  71,  287,  293,  305 
Wu-sli6  (sets  of  five),  501 
Wu-snng,  213 
Wu  Tai  (five  dynasties),  57 
Wu  tg,  18 

Wu  Ti  (five  rulers),  55;  (emperor),  565 
Wu  ts’ai  (five  colors),  35,  201,  270,  325,. 
329,  687,  etc.;  piece  decorated  in. 
Fig  228 

Wu  Wang,  14,  26,  560 
Wu-yuan-hsien,  261 
Wu  Yueh,  436 

X 

Xavier,  Francis,  750 
Y 

Yaki  (=  yao),  687 
Yakimono,  687 
Yamamoto,  752 
Yamashiro,  761 
Yamato,  30 


OEIENTAL  CERA]\tIC  AET. INDEX. 


941 


Yang-chiaDg-hsien,  13;  a center  of  the 
manufacture  of  Kuang  yao,  633 
Yang  ho  t'ang  chili,  88 
Yang-hsien  (an  old  name  of  Yi-hsing), 
635;  teapots,  656 
Yang-hsien  ming  hu  hsi,  635,  656 
Yang-hsin-tien,  93,  393,  420 
Yang  ts’ai  (foreign  colors),  388,  390, 
404,  611 

Yangtsu,  190,  279 

Yang  tz’ii  (foreign  porcelain),  456,  611 
Yao  (Chinese  emperor),  14,  25,  27,  44, 
56;  his  filial  piety,  601;  and  Shun, 
ceramic  relics  of,  558;  (jar),  43; 
(pottery,  etc.),  43,  302,  357,  etc. 
Yao-pien,  37,  130,  131,  219,  220,  370, 
514,  etc.;  glazes,  407;  examples  of. 
Plates  XVI,  XLVI,  LXXXVIII 
Yao  p’ing,  503 

Ya  pai  (ivory-white),  552  (compare 
Fen-ting). 

Yatsushiro  faience,  682 
Ya  Wan  (literary  toy),  48,  101 
Year-star  of  the  Chinese,  226 
Yedo,  717 

Yeiraku,  38,  697,  718,  762 
Yei-sho,  726 

Yellow,  the  imperial  color,  491; 
enamels,  217;  glaze  used  in  the  Ming 
period,  553;  variegated,  317;  of  the 
muffle  stove,  553;  Banner,  301;  Eiver, 
107,  279,  574 

Yen  (ink- pal  let),  140,  166,  202,  etc. 
Yen-chih  ho  (rouge-box),  212 
Yen  chih  hung,  408,  511 
Yen-hsiao  (niter  crystals),  264 
Yen  shan  (brush-rest),  140,  155,  etc. 
Yen-shui  ti,  251 
Yen  Yii  Shan,  48 

Yi  (sacrificial  vessel),  44,  204,  435,  490 
Yi,  princes  of,  132,  309 
Ti  Ching,  108,  640 

Yi  Ch’ou  (second  of  the  cycle  of  sixty), 
55 

Yi-hsing  (hsien),  13,  135,  158,  218,  220, 
273,  274,  374;  -ware,  374,  635,  636 
Ti  Li,  640 
Yi  Lu, 197 

Yi-mao  (a  cyclical  year),  394 


Yin  (dynasty),  50;  (darkness),  107; 

(seals),  168 
Yin  Ch’ih,  173 
Ying  (a  cruse),  43 
Ying-shua,  115 
Ying  ts’ai  (hard  colors),  550 
Ying  Tsung,  64 
Yin-sg-Ch’ih,  168 
Yin  W^ng  (the  silver  jar),  560 
Yin-yang  (symbol),  106,  247,  472;  shown 
in  Fig.  197  and  Plate  XXIII 
Yi-ssii,  91 

Yi  yii  fang  chih,  78,  82 
Yokohama,  388;  school  of  ceramists,  36 
Yokoishi  Toshichibei,  743 
Yorakude,  764 

Yoshidaya  Hachiyemon,  761  ; -yaki, 
761 

Yoshihiro,  752,  753 
Yoshimasa,  681 

Yu  (wine- jars),  156,  490;  (glaze),  passim 
Yii  (emperor),  56;  (jade),  43,  101,  321, 
etc.;  (basins),  43,  306;  (bowls  with 
lips),  186;  (fish),  112,  125,  etc.  (=  yu, 
abundance,  prosperity);  (imperial),  76 
Yuan  dynasty,  66,  92,  128,  133,  135, 
143,  154,  163,  185,  187,  188,  205,  604; 
blue  and  white  of,  564;  crackle,  508; 
marks,  65;  porcelain,  178-188;  porce- 
lain-making, 627;  pieces  illustrated. 
Figs.  3,  14iT 

Yuan  (=  laon,  Greeks),  565 
Yuan,  the  three  (brothers),  496 
Yuan  ch’i  (round  ware),  288,  430,  435 
Yuan  f^ng,  65 
Yuan  Hung-tao,  496,  497 
Yuan-kuang,  16 
Yuan-Ming  Yuen,  638 
Yuan  tz’u,  187 

Yuan  wgii  wu  kuo  chih  chai,  90 
Yli-chang,  206 

Yu  chang  ta  shih  chi,  206,  644 
Yii  chen,  101 

Yii  Ch’i  Ch’ang  (imperial  manufactory), 
190,  216,  281,  287 
Yu  ch’ing  (pale  green),  161 
Yueh  (the  moon),  87,  110 
Yueh-chou,  22,  127;  cups,  22,  624 
Yueh  hsia  pai  (moonlight-white),  161 


942 


ORIENTAL  CERAMIC  ART. INDEX. 


Yueli-lao,  110 

Yueli  pai  (moon-white),  7,  129,  136,  139, 
310,  360;  illustrated  in  Plate  LI 
Yueh  porcelain,  50 
Yu-h5ng,  19 

Yu  hsiu  ch’ou  nien  chih,  62 
Yil  hu  clTun,  472,  473 
Yii-hung,  423 
Yu-kan-lisien,  261,  424 
Yii-kang  (fish-bowls),  224,  295 
Yu  Ku,  115 
Yu  ku  ch’i,  40 

Yu-kuo  (glaze  fruit),  427;  then  ch’ing, 
369 

Yu  lai  (coming  friends),  94 
Yii  Ian  (the  magnolia  yu  Ian),  126,  210, 
599 

Yu-li-hung  (red  in  the  glaze),  340,  346, 
386,  537 

Yu  lil  (kiln-transmuted  green),  310 
Yung-ch^ng,  73,  79,  87,  128,  159,  279, 
309,  332,  391,  397,  399,  401,  407,  414, 
462;  a special  patron  of  the  ceramic 
art,  365;  porcelain,  359-366;  clair  de 
lune,  375;  official  list  of  colors  of  the 
period,  367;  characteristics  of,  391; 
with  embossed  designs,  382;  in  under- 
cut relief,  389;  with  engraved  designs, 
382;  decorated  in  red,  383,  386,  466; 
with  the  five  colors  on  monochrome 
yellow,  387;  enameling  in  the  Euro- 
pean style,  383,  389;  silvered,  383; 
painting  in  colors  in  European  style, 
388;  in  gold,  390;  in  silver,  390; 
copies  of  various  glazes,  colors,  and 
periods,  378,  379,  381,  385,  388;  re- 
productions in  the  period,  371,  373, 
384;  rice-colored  glaze,  386;  tur- 
quoise, 376;  pieces  illustrated.  Figs. 
28,  38,  68,  72,  101,  116,126,  130,  147, 
179,  249,  252,  253,  262,  275,  288,  295, 
332;  Plates,  XX,  XXI,  XXXVIII, 
XL,  XLI,  XLIII,  XLVII,  XLVIII, 
LII,  LXIII,  LXV,  LXVI,  LXXXV, 
LXXXVI;  nien  chih,  60;  yu  chih, 
76 


Yung  ch’ing  ch’ang  ch’un,  81,  102 
Yung-ch’un-chou,  627 
Yung-ho-ch^n,  162 

Yung-lo,  11,  66,  92,  133,  135,  186,  187, 
191,  277,  450,  534,  605;  porcelain, 
190;  copies  of,  in  Yung-chgng  period, 
378;  piece  illustrated.  Fig.  70;  nien 
chih,  67 

Yung-lo  Ta  Tien,  645 
Yung  pao  ch’ang  ch’un,  247 
Yung  pao  ch’ang  shou,  ssu  hai  lai  ch’ao, 
251 

Yung  pao  ch’ien  k’un,  252 
Yung  pao  hung  fu  ch’i  t’ien,  244 
Yung  pao  wan  Shou,  243 
Yung  sh^ng,  102 
Yun  Hsiang  Ko,  94 
Yun-lo,  353 

Yunnan,  193,  216,  293,  305 
Yun-tieh  (vegetable  dishes),  225 
Yii  nil  (jadelike  girl),  113 
Yuriaku,  30,  704 
Yu-shan,  181 
Yll-sheng,  560 
Yll  Shih  T’ing,  287 
Yu  shui,  264,  267 
Ytl  fang  chia  ch’i,  88 
Yu  fang  fu  kuei,  126 
Yu  T’ao  Ling  Ssu,  288 
Yil-tzu  (fish-roe),  509;  huang  (fish-roe 
yellow),  410;  lii,  409;  w^n,  (fish-roe 
crackle),  409,  410;  Plates  XXYII, 
LXXVIII 

Yii  Yao  Ch’ang  (imperial  manufac- 
tory), 287 

Z 

Zanzibar,  148;  Chinese  trade  with,  604 

Zayton,  Zeitoun,  184 

Zenroku,  726 

Zenshiro,  725 

Zizyphus  communis,  408 

Zodiac,  the  twelve  animals  of  the,  561 

Zoroku,  705 


T 

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